People are tired of lies and sick of empty promises
An unexpected turn of events may have saved 30,000 marginalized minority Arkansans living near Leola, Russellville, and Bearden.
Last week, the plan was to appeal before the Pulaski Circuit Court to reverse the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission’s decision.
While preparing the appeal, I found that a brief sentence in the 113-page proposed DEQ Air Quality Permit for Leola (2420-AOP-R0) was the key. The permit summary says, “the annual permitted emissions are set at 39.8 tons per year (tpy) of PM, 36.0 tpy of PM10, 0.3 tpy of SO2, 186.3 tpy of VOC, 0.8 tpy of CO, 0.9 tpy of NOx, and 2.89 tpy of Total HAP for this initial permit.” This indecipherable list of toxic pollutants shows PM2.5 emissions are not included in the Drax air permit for Leola. The air permits for Russellville and Bearden are identical.
Drax does not have permits to build pellet mills in Arkansas. If they build the first mill in Leola, EPA inspectors will show up.
The latest lie
This is not good news for Drax. Will Gardiner, Drax’s CEO and the seller of the BECCS Big Lie is meeting with investors asking, “How is the UK going to pay to make BECCS a reality?” This is a devious question trying to hide the obvious. Natural carbon capture and storage in the forests, wetlands, prairies, and oceans is urgently needed, but man-made systems have failed.
Gardiner claims, “Our transition from coal to biomass has allowed us to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions by over 80 percent while providing clean and flexible energy to millions of homes and businesses across the UK. But the drive to create a sustainable, net-zero economy means that we cannot stop here. Which is why at Drax we have committed to a world-leading ambition to be carbon-negative by 2030.”
UK subsidies for the past 10 years, a total of $15 billion, have been wasted on the transport, storage, and handling of wood pellets.
Here are the true BECCS results
- Carbon emissions have increased. Coal produces more heat than wood and methane emissions from “natural” gas are worse than carbon dioxide.
- Drax has not created a net-zero economy, they have failed in every attempt to capture carbon dioxide and have destroyed the carbon sink of forests and wetlands.
- Drax does not understand the climate emergency. Drax is all about lies and profits. The abuse of Mother Nature for short-term profits, never ending wars, selfish and dishonest behavior, environmental injustice and willful ignorance, are some of the root causes. Humans have destroyed natural habitats with industrial agriculture, overfishing the oceans and using them as garbage dumps.
The web of life from mycorrhizal fungi, bacteria, insects, pollinators, to wolves, whales, elephants, and all wild animals is irreplaceable. Human extinction would give them a better chance to survive.
Running in place does not lead to progress. Gardiner needs the courage to tell the truth and stop wasting time and money.
Flying elephants
The West Fraser Leola Sawmill, a 4-acre facility, takes trees to make timber and mountains of sawdust. The DEQ Air Permit (0057-AOP-R10) allows West Fraser the emission of 53 tons per year of PM-2.5 fine particulates. This is about one large elephant per week, or the equivalent of a 27-ft. cube in volume, or the volume of a two-story house.
If Drax builds a pellet mill to use the sawdust, West Fraser would be in violation of the Clean Air Act. The EPA knows about this.
What will Drax do?
DEQ are very sneaky people, they managed to hide three sawmills and destroy the COVID-19 report on PM-2.5. Will they modify the air permits without public comments, or just wait for the EPA?
Last week CDC gave $40 million to the Arkansas Health Department for minorities at high risk of dying from COVID-19. These funds could help relocate the Leola families, and help others.
Please keep your eyes wide open, DEQ will respond – I may be out for a while.
Lies never work and the truth comes out in the end.
Dr. Luis Contreras