As temperatures rise and extreme weather becomes the new norm, the world is looking for clean energy alternatives to mitigate the climate crisis caused by burning fossil fuels. The wood pellet industry, which produces and exports wood pellets to burn in power plants to generate electricity, has proven to be a sustainable and carbon neutral solution, but the fact is that wood pellet production facilities have negative environmental, health and social impacts.
Policy measures and subsidies have given the timber industry – which now has many foreign companies – incredible financial gains over the past decade. However, in the predominantly Black and poor South of the United States, where most of the lumber mills are made, it has suffered.
Now, as loggers continue to see huge financial gains, they are making plans to expand, not only in the South but also in the Northwest, threatening even more communities, as well as natural forests. .
What are wood pellets?
Wood pellets are small, uniform, and cylindrical, with a dense arrangement of wood fibers, which can be burned to release energy. They are made by turning trees and tree products into wood chips and sawdust. These chips undergo a drying process that requires intense heat, usually from a combustion reaction, which releases NO.2 and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the air. After drying, rotary hammers form a fine fiber, which is then compressed into a wood pellet pressed at high pressures. Wood pellets are used in fireplaces, household stoves, stoves and ovens as a form of “green” energy.
Is it really a “green” source of energy?
No, it’s not like that. Cutting down trees and burning wood for energy not only adds carbon to the atmosphere but also cuts down trees that remove carbon from the atmosphere. Burning wood pellets instantly puts more carbon into the atmosphere than coal. Wood pellet plants emit harmful air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter (PM).2.5).
So why has the industry grown so rapidly in recent years?
Government energy policies and subsidies aimed at addressing climate change reward the industry for its so-called “clean” energy solutions and have driven demand and increased wood production. The European Union classified biomass as renewable energy in 2009, based on the misconception that when a tree is cut down for energy production, a new one will be planted and immediately provide all the benefits of the tree. what was bought. But, in fact, not all trees will be replanted, and even where they are, it takes about 50 years to pay off the “carbon credit” lost when a tree is harvested. This policy has caused the pellet industry to grow rapidly, and the proposed law in the United States will do the same.
How have wood pellet manufacturers affected Southerners?
Although foreign policies and foreign companies are driving the growth of the wood pellet industry, production has occurred largely in the United States, particularly in the South. Ninety-one (91) wood pallet manufacturing plants are located in South America, accounting for 75% of US production. Many pellets made in the United States are used for commercial power overseas.
Wood pellet production plants emit hazardous wastes and pollutants, including VOCs and PM. Wood dust and airborne pollution cause health problems, noise disrupts the normal peace of rural life, and industrial-scale logging deprives communities of valuable forest benefits.
It is more than twice as likely in many Black and poor communities, which contributes to environmental injustice in the South.
Mississippi is home to seven wood pellet plants, including one in Gloster, operated by Amite BioEnergy, a subsidiary of UK company Drax. Gloster is a predominantly black rural community located in southwest Mississippi. It is home to 897 people, of whom 71% are Black and 38.6% live in poverty, with an annual household income of $22,131. Drax has operated its Gloster base since 2015 and has breached its air permit every year since. In 2021, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality fined Drax $2.5 million for exceeding its production limits. In 2023, Drax was once again found to be in violation of his spiritual license. The level of air pollution and noise in Gloucester far exceeds that of other cities in Mississippi, and the quality of life of residents has suffered as a result.
Drax also operates two Louisiana wood processing plants operated by Morehouse BioEnergy LLC and LaSalle BioEnergy LLC, respectively. According to tests carried out in 2023, these facilities also produced high levels of hazardous air pollutants.
What can we do about it?
There must be transparency and accountability for the timber industry to protect the public and minimize impacts on the environment.
Policies and subsidies must acknowledge the risks of the industry and not reward large companies for risky practices. Impacts aimed at combating climate change should not include wood pellets unless the best available science shows that doing so will not increase CO.2 in the near future and will not harm vulnerable communities, which it has not done.
State and federal licensing agencies should conduct a full and thorough evaluation of potentially hazardous emissions before approving permit applications for wood pellet manufacturers. These permit reviews should also ensure that the process will not perpetuate existing disparities in pollution exposure in Black, Brown, Indian and low-income communities. And if they are accepted, the permissions should be used correctly when the terms are violated.
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