The downside of deforestation

What happens in the forests is heard around the world.

The high risks, side effects, and hidden costs to public health, must be exposed before all the trees are gone. Have you driven on a two-lane road behind an 80-ton logging truck? Loose logs piled-up for ease of unloading at the mill are perilous. Diesel fumes, noise, congestion, and accidents involving logging trucks are deadly hazards. Potholes and other damage on roads and bridges are caused by heavy trucks. Damage from an 80-ton truck is 10,000 times that of a pickup truck. Arkansas does not have funds to repair roads and bridges.

The Shandong Sun Paper mill is twice as large as was originally planned. In addition to the Pine Bluff Highland Pellets mill, two new mills are in the works. One in Stephens, Ouachita County, Ark., the other in Mississippi. Imagine logging trucks making 800 daily deliveries until the forests are gone.

Foresters are desperately trying to harvest every tree. Private forest owners dream of making a killing, but wood mills pay bottom price, around $5 per ton of pulpwood. Mills use wood fiber and any tree will do. Promoters say mills create jobs, but low-wage, dead-end, hazardous tasks are just headcount.

Creating value without doing harm

The streams, forests, rivers, and all life around us will increase in value if we stop their destruction. Quality jobs are safe, full-time, full benefits, paying decent wages. Truck drivers work long hours to pay their bills, most have neither benefits nor retirement plans.

Arkansas has funds to lure companies from China and investors from Boston, using tax incentives, rainy day funds, rebates, and many other creative sources. Instead, why not invest in Arkansans, with value-creating jobs for local communities? Better schools, skill training centers, farmers’ markets, edible parks, permaculture centers, forest tours, and many others.

Gambling is a fool’s bet

If you are one of the thousands of Arkansas teachers, $51 million of your retirement funds are invested in Highland Pellets. In 2017, the construction company building the facility filed a lawsuit for $1 million, claiming unpaid bills.

The Arkansas Teacher’s Retirement System (ATRS) and the Arkansas Economic Development Council gave unnecessary incentives to out of state companies with access to our rivers, forests, waste treatment plants, waste disposal permits, air quality permits, and anything else they have asked. Gov. Hutchinson offered to request a letter granting visas for the Sun Paper Chinese managers and staff, plus an exclusion from international trade tariffs.

False climate solution

Burning Arkansas forests to keep the 4,000-megawatt Drax coal-fired power station and the UK National Grid running, is a false climate solution. The total greenhouse gas emissions of burning wood pellets, from the time a Harvester clear cuts an Arkansas forest to the time one watt of electricity is generated at Drax, exceed the coal emissions.

UK gives massive subsidies to wood pellets. Without these subsidies, the wood pellet industry would be gone. After Brexit, and with the new trade tariffs, pellet subsidies are bound to disappear. Having only one customer is insane. Highland is hedging its bets by using ATRS funds. Using other people’s money is the Highland way.

Governor’s Treachery

In November 2016, Gov. Hutchinson quietly sent a letter on behalf of Highland Pellets to the EU and the UK promoting the Arkansas wood basket.

In April 2018, the leading wood pellet experts sent a letter to Gov. Hutchinson requesting corrective actions for the Arkansas wood pellet mills. The Environmental Integrity Project, the Dogwood Alliance, Our Children’s Earth, and the Partnership for Policy Integrity, jointly requested: “1. Eliminate existing, unlawful air pollution and require adequate emissions testing requirements. 2. Address the industry’s abysmal history of fires and explosions. 3. Given the heavy burden this industry places on the citizens and environment of Arkansas, the undersigned groups oppose the issuance of permits for new wood pellet mills.”

Gov. Hutchinson ignored the environmental advocates request.

It’s up to you

USACE is asking for comments by July 2 on the Ouachita County Highland mill, please call (601)631-5478. To stop Sun Paper please call (870) 426-1460.

Dr. Luis Contreras