by jboullion | Aug 20, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathleen Foody in the Wausau Daily Herald:
ROTHSCHILD — The village Board of Appeals gave advocates of a controversial proposed biomass plant a boost Thursday, approving the installation of stacks and a boiler building higher than village ordinances typically permit.
About 275 residents attended the hearing at the Rothschild Pavilion, but the crowd had dwindled to double digits after about five hours of testimony.
The ultimate question of the hearing was whether the height of four structures proposed in the site plans was detrimental to the village. But opponents and proponents discussed air quality, noise, truck traffic and other issues that routinely have been raised since the $250 million project was announced in September 2009.
“When we built our homes here, we all knew what the rules were,” Rothschild resident Thomas Jessup said during the hearing. “With this plant, we just don’t know enough. I’m all for jobs and those are all good people working at Domtar, but there’s not enough information.”
Most opponents began their testimony with “I live in Rothschild,” and asked the board not to make an exception in the village’s height limits and to remember residents in their deliberations.
Joe Twaroski, who has worked at the Domtar mill for 28 years, went to the hearing in support of the biomass project and to “put a face” on the paper producer’s employees.
He said he’s one of the mill employees constantly monitoring emissions and finding a solution for any unusual readings.
We Energies and Domtar presented data backing the variances during the hearing. Experts on air quality, property values, traffic and construction of the plant gave individual presentations.
by jboullion | Jul 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Wausau Daily Herald:
The debate about the proposed Rothschild biomass plant has at times been a heated one. The proposal would pair a biomass-fueled We Energies electric plant with the existing Domtar paper mill in Rothschild.
The citizens’ group that opposes building that plant, Save Our Air Resources, or SOAR, has at times been openly confrontational toward those its members perceive as wanting to stifle that debate — or those who simply disagree with them.
But SOAR has forced a public conversation about the plant, and that is a good thing.
That conversation continues in today’s Wausau Daily Herald, which includes an in-depth look at the questions raised by biomass opponents, as well as a discussion of the projected benefits — economic and environmental — of the plant.
The Daily Herald’s Editorial Board has met with representatives from We Energies, Domtar and SOAR. We have editorialized in favor of a thorough study of the plant’s environmental impact. We’re proud that the paper has provided a thorough look at the pros and cons of the project.
On balance, we continue to see the substantial, concrete benefits of this project as outweighing the costs, at least some of which seem to have been overstated by biomass opponents.
by jboullion | Jul 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathleen Foody in the Wausau Daily Herald:
ROTHSCHILD — The mood at the open house hosted by We Energies on Thursday about a proposed biomass plant in Rothschild was calm, though discussion about the project has become heated.
About 110 residents attended the sessions, one each in the afternoon and evening, at the Holiday Inn in Rothschild. Staff from We Energies and Domtar stood near displays and video monitors, explaining the plant plan and its effects on the community.
The proposal to burn woody biomass as fuel to create electricity for sale by the Milwaukee energy company and steam to power the Domtar paper mill is pending before the Wisconsin Public Service Commission. Since the plant was proposed in September 2009, We Energies has tried to get ahead of critics with direct mailings, community meetings and door-to-door consultations.
Many residents who attended the Thursday meetings said they were undecided or in favor of the $250 million project and felt satisfied with answers to their questions about air quality, jobs and traffic around the plant.
“I want to make sure it’s safe. My grandkids attend (Rothschild Elementary School) across the street (from the mill),” Andy Champine of Weston said. “I walked in neutral to get the facts.”
Barry McNulty, a spokesman for We Energies at the event, said the company was pleased with turnout and the questions posed.
“No one particular issue stood out,” he said. “Residents asked very similar questions (as at the February open house), and we tried to give them a better understanding of what we do and how we do it.”
Rob Hughes, a member of Save Our Air Resources, a citizen group that has opposed the plant, said he applauded the open house events. But he’s not satisfied with We Energies’ responses to his requests for specific information on air quality if the plant is constructed.
by jboullion | Jul 12, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Wausau Daily Herald:
The Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign and the advocacy group Clean Wisconsin recently asked the state Public Service Commission to complete a environmental impact statement on the effects of a proposed biomass plant in Rothschild.
We’re in favor of bringing more information out to the public about this project, and we hope that a full assessment will be performed.
The $250 million plant, which is being proposed by We Energies and the Domtar paper mill, is not large enough for state statute to trigger the evaluation, which would be completed by state and federal agencies. We agree with the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin that it should, anyway.
It’s worth saying that we’re very much open to the possibility that an environmental impact statement will not find that the plant will have a negative effect.
We’re living in polarized times, and it’s easy to slip this question into that sort of lens — environmentalism vs. industry, perhaps. The assumption, in this view, would be that having more information will necessarily show that biomass technology is harmful, and a more detailed study will necessarily lead to the rejection of the plant. So people who favor the study must be people who oppose the plant. People who favor the plant, then, will naturally be opposed to doing the study.
We reject that way of looking at this question. Our Editorial Board’s experience with Domtar and We Energies has been that they’ve been forthcoming and willing to provide substantive answers to critics’ questions. Even in this specific case, the companies haven’t ruled out conducting the formal study. A We Energies spokesman said it would be premature to call for a study before the Public Service Commission completes its own environmental evaluation.
by jboullion | Jun 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Kathleen Foody in the Wausau Daily Herald:
ROTHSCHILD — An environmental advocacy giant has entered the fray surrounding a proposed biomass power plant in Rothschild.
The Sierra Club’s Wisconsin Clean Energy Campaign and the Clean Wisconsin advocacy group this week asked the state’s Public Service Commission to complete an assessment of all the ways the plant could affect the local environment, from noise to potential air or water pollutants.
The biomass plant was proposed by Milwaukee-based We Energies and the Domtar paper mill, where the plant would be built. The $250 million project isn’t subject to an automatic environmental impact statement under state statute, but the Sierra Club and Clean Wisconsin argued in their request that the commission should perform a study anyway.
Jennifer Feyerherm, director of the campaign, said the organization isn’t taking a position for or against the plant, but said a study will provide useful information about the project.
“If we’re going to make decisions about how we create the energy we use, we need as much information as possible,” Feyerherm said.
The Public Service Commission still is in the process of conducting its own environmental evaluation to determine whether a formal study is necessary.
Requests for a study before the commission’s own review is completed are premature, Brian Manthey, spokesman for We Energies, said.
“We continue to provide whatever the commission needs for their environmental assessment,” Manthey said.
