Most U.S. wood-burning power plants have been cited for violations of air-pollution, water-pollution standards while being supported with federal, state green-energy subsidies since 2009, research finds

LOS ANGELES , July 24, 2012 (Industry Intelligence Inc.) – Out of 107 biomass power plants operating in the U.S. at the start of 2012, 85 of them have been cited for violations of air-pollution and water-pollution standards in the past five years, The Wall Street Journal reported on July 23.



The Journal did the calculations itself, noting that all of the U.S. biomass plants included in its research had received a combined total of at least US$700 million in state and federal green-energy subsidies since 2009.



The Biomass Power Association, which represents more than 80 U.S. wood-burning power plants, claims that only a small number of plants are in noncompliance with emissions standards, the Journal reported.



In nearly all cases, subsidies for green power are not linked to environmental compliance, but some believe they should be. Government agencies should withhold grants from plants that violate emissions standards, said Mary Booth, who has studied biomass power for the Environmental Working Group.



The Environmental Working Group calls for more stringent regulation of wood-burning power plants. “Why are we subsidizing and incentivizing something that’s dirtier than coal power in certain ways,” said Booth, reported the Journal.



Some regulatory standards that are still being worked on were blamed for some violations.



Simpson Tacoma Kraft Co.’s wood-burning boiler in Tacoma, Washington, has emitted higher levels of nitrogen oxides than its state-issued permit allowed, and is studying whether the permit should be changed to allow higher emissions, the Journal reported.



Old Town Fuel & Fiber in Maine has received more than $5 million in federal funds since 2007 and has exceeded state-mandated limits on certain air pollutants; but that should stop when the plant receives a new state permit increasing its allowable carbon monoxide emissions, said company president Dick Arnold.



California has 33 biomass plants, nearly one-third of all those operating in the U.S. Four biomass plants in the state’s Central Valley have received more than $10 million in state clean-energy subsidies from 2009 through 2011, reported the Journal.



During that period, these plants amassed more than $2 million in pollution fines. Crown Disposal Co. alone was fined $1.875 million in 2010 for multiple violations at one of these facilities.



U.S. biomass-based power generation is up about 14% in the past 10 years, according to the U.S. Dept. of Energy; and it accounts for about 11% of the country’s alternative energy production, the Journal reported.



The primary source of this article is The Wall Street Journal, New York, New York, on July 23, 2012.