The Irish planning board’s decision sends a powerful signal to EU member states that burning imported wood pellets is not a climate solution.
Yesterday afternoon, an Irish power plant that was the subject of heavy environmental criticism was refused permission to begin burning biomass by An Bord Pleanála, a court that has national oversight over local planning decisions. The board rejected ESB’s proposal for its facility in County Offaly. The power station which burns peat is set to close in December of 2020.
The company had proposed to extend the life of the facility until 2027 by burning biomass, most of which would have needed to be imported from the Southern United States. At the end of January, an open letter signed by 33 environmental NGOs objecting to biomass burning in Irish peat power stations and calling for those plants’ closure was submitted as part of an objection to the planning application.
“This was an important decision for Ireland signaling that they truly want to make real emissions cuts, heeding scientists’ overwhelming conclusion that burning biomass will worsen climate change and increase emissions in the atmosphere for decades,” said Rita Frost, Campaigns Director at Dogwood Alliance. “Forests in the Southern US have been destroyed in the name of ‘green energy’ for far too long. We are happy that An Bord Pleanála stood strong for local communities in County Offaly and here in the US.”
Two of the main reasons given by the planning board for rejecting the permit were specifically related to where and how the company would source its biomass. First, the “inadequacy of the indigenous biomass supply in the State to serve the development, and consequent high dependence on imported biomass contrary to European Union and national policy.” And second, the “lack of information or transparency on the location or impact of the biomass proposed to be sourced for progressive substitution for peat fuel.”
ESB had the opportunity to plan for the coming closure by helping the workers transition to the green economy, but instead decided to invest in extending the life of an antiquated power station by burning forests from around the world.
“Both the ESB and Bord an Móna have had ample time to advance a practical strategy to transition the midlands from destructive peat burning to employment in the sustainable energy transition,” said a statement released by An Taisce today, the National Trust of Ireland who have been working to close this facility and help the workers transition to the green economy. “For the Irish midlands this could include a major local community supported energy efficiency programme for dwellings, training ESB and Bord na Móna employees in e.g., insulation, retrofitting and renewable power sourced electric heat pump installation.”
Joint Statement from NAACP, EEECHO (Mississippi), Environmental Integrity Project (EIP), Healthy Gulf, Mississippi State Climate Reality Project, The People’s Justice Council and Dogwood Alliance in response to the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Approving the Permit for World’s Largest Pellet Mill The people of Mississippi were dealt a tremendous injustice at the meeting of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality’s (MDEQ) Permit Board in Jackson on Tuesday, July 9, 2019. Residents packed the meeting room, eager to air their opinions about the proposed Enviva Lucedale wood pellet plant, which if built will be the largest in the world. To their disappointment, MDEQ Board President Chris McDonald announced that they would not allow comments from anyone who had spoken at the previous hearing in Lucedale or made written comments. He stated that this was to avoid repetition and that there had already been sufficient time for comments at the two hour long hearing which was held in Lucedale, despite the fact that small revisions had been made to the permit since that time.It was therefore apparent that Tuesday’s meeting was only a formality and that the permit was going to be approved despite the fact that MDEQ had done nothing to address the fundamental problems with the permit. The permits to allow Enviva to transport and ship from the Pascagoula Port had been approved ahead of this meeting.Air quality modeling shows that even with the revised permit, air pollution from the plant will be in violation of federal ambient air quality standards. Modeling also shows that the plant will cause the area to exceed the state’s health-based ambient standards for toxic air pollutants, which are dangerous even in relatively small amounts.The decision, and the Board’s refusal to listen to concerns shows that the State of Mississippi is prioritizing protecting its significant investment of taxpayer dollars in the rail and port facilities to handle the pellets over protecting the health of its people.The Enviva Lucedale wood pellet plant will have a disastrous effect on the people, wildlife, and climate of Mississippi and it is therefore time for the MDEQ Board to listen to the people of Mississippi not just rich, powerful industries. All the people have is their voice and they were denied even that at this hearing.
Hi, I’m Anne Elise and I’ve been interning at Dogwood Alliance for the past 5 months. I’m a high school senior and as my school year and internship are wrapping up, I wanted to share some experiences that I’ve had here at the organization since January.
When I first considered the idea of an internship at the beginning of this school year, I knew that I wanted to find a work site where I could pursue my passion for the environment in a vibrant, engaging community of environmental activists. I also wanted to find a place where I could get a glimpse into my intended field of study: environmental policy. After doing some quick research about environmental nonprofits in Asheville, it was clear that Dogwood was the right fit for me.
Since starting my internship, I’ve worked on a wide range of projects that have helped me to explore environmental policy in great depth. I’ve done research about a local river basin, organized social media for the Wetland Forest Initiative’s 5-year strategic plan launch, and have even compiled data about Enviva’s potential expansion. However, my favorite project was research about how to pass the Wetland Forest Initiative through state-level governments. I began by learning about the best ways to pass legislation in three target states, then I scoured their state house and senate archives to find recent land conservation legislation. After a few months of research, the project culminated in a presentation that I gave to some of Dogwood’s partners about the best way to push the Wetland Forest Initiative through the governments of these states.
I’m typically a fairly reserved person, but interning at Dogwood has given me more confidence in public speaking, which is necessary because my internship has also opened up new opportunities. I was so proud of myself after that big presentation, but my foray into public speaking didn’t stop there; I spoke on behalf of Dogwood at my local Sunrise Movement chapter’s town hall event. It was my first big speaking event ever and I believe that I did well because the folks at Dogwood gave me the support and encouragement I needed to be confident in my speaking abilities and in the information I was presenting. Additionally, I was quoted in an article from Yale Climate Connections about high school seniors’ perspectives on climate change. It amazes me how impactful my internship has been in giving me a head start in my intended career field.
After 5 months here at Dogwood, I can safely say that my interest in environmental policy has only been strengthened by the amazingly passionate, intelligent people that I’ve had the opportunity to work alongside. As I study environmental policy in college in the Pacific Northwest and continue on my path to becoming head of the EPA, I will think back fondly on my time at Dogwood and remember it as the amazing experience that truly kick started my career in environmental policy.
A coalition of regional and national environmental groups expressed dismay that the proposal unveiled earlier today by Senator Tom Udall to create a national “Renewable Energy Standard” would provide subsidies for polluting and inefficient wood-burning power plants.
The groups included Arise for Social Justice, Center for Biological Diversity, Dogwood Alliance, John Muir Project, Food & Water Watch, Friends of the Earth, Partnership for Policy Integrity, Pivot Point, and the Rachel Carson Council.
“Burning trees and forest residues for energy emits more CO2 than fossil fuels, and the emissions impact lasts for decades,” said Dr. Mary S. Booth, president of the Partnership for Policy Integrity. “To avoid catastrophic climate change, the IPCC says we must reduce emissions to nearly zero, and massively increase forest carbon uptake. In other words, we need to grow forests, not burn them for energy.”
“Biomass harvesting is destroying forests in the U.S. Southeast to meet demand overseas for so-called carbon neutral biomass,” said Adam Colette, Program Director for the Dogwood Alliance. “The last thing any renewable energy bill in the US should do is further increase forest harvesting to be burned in power stations. The way the bill is currently written, that’s exactly what it would do.”
“Just like coal plants, wood-burning power plants emit harmful air pollution, including fine particulates, smog precursors, and carcinogens,” said Nicole Ghio, Senior Fossil Fuels Program Manager at Friends of the Earth. “A recent report shows air pollution already causes over 100,000 premature deaths in the US each year. Subsidizing technologies that increase killer air pollution is terrible public policy.”
“We have fought for years to keep a biomass power plant from being built in Springfield, which has the worst asthma problems in the nation,” said Katy Pyle, environmental justice organizer at Arise for Social Justice in Springfield, Mass. “Subsidizing these plants will disproportionately impact environmental justice communities, who already suffer high rates of asthma, heart disease, cancer, and other chronic health problems.”
“Burning trees and plants for fuel is a losing dirty formula. We can and must do better, and Senator Udall knows it,” said Bill Snape, Senior Counsel at the Center for Biological Diversity.
The groups are urging Senator Udall to remove biomass from the Renewable Energy Standard in S.1974.
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Dogwood Alliance believes in a world with beautiful, standing forests, clean air and water, and thriving communities. That’s why we’re working so hard to stop the expansion of Enviva, the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer, and to expose the truth about their destruction.
Every year, Enviva devastates tens of thousands of acres of forests across the US South and ships them overseas to be burned for dirty biomass energy — harming our forests, communities, and our climate at every step of the process. Enviva is undergoing plans for a major expansion across the South, and we must stand together to stop them.
Time and again, Enviva has deceived the public, policymakers, and its investors — whether about the company’s destructive sourcing practices, their carbon footprint, or their impacts to air quality. In fact, earlier this month Enviva was forced to install stronger pollution controls at their Hamlet facility in North Carolina, and reports have documented their widespread air quality issues across the South.
Enviva has targeted the Carolinas and the Gulf South for this massive expansion. In North Carolina, despite the Governor’s commitment to address the climate crisis, the state is poised to become the largest exporter of wood pellets. In Lucedale, Mississippi, Enviva has plans to build the world’s largest wood pellet facility, which would require up to 130,000 acres of forests to be cut down each year.
Enviva has demonstrated they need to be caught in the act and even dragged to court just to do the right thing. In the absence of real accountability, Enviva will do what’s best for their bottom line at the expense of our forests, climate, and communities. We need our leaders to stand up for people and the planet, not profit, and stop the expansion of this industry.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 18, 2019, 9 amContact: Scot Quaranda, [email protected], 828-242-3596
Photo credits: Dogwood Alliance
ASHEVILLE (June 18, 2019) – A new investigation exposes how valuable forests, wetlands, and habitats in North Carolina continue to face devastation from overseas demand for “biomass” energy.
The recent photographic evidence gathered by Dogwood Alliance, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Southern Environmental Law Center documents the ecological destruction of biomass sourced from clearcut forests to supply Enviva, the world’s largest wood-pellet producer. Millions of tons of Enviva’s pellets from North Carolina are shipped across the ocean and burned in power plants – primarily in the UK, other countries in Europe, and, increasingly, Japan.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has publicly acknowledged concern over the impact of the wood pellet industry on the state’s forests and communities, as well as pledged to make climate action a top priority for his administration through Executive Order 80. To address the negative impacts of Enviva’s operations on North Carolinians’ environment and natural resources, the state now needs to take decisive action that will immediately halt the industry’s rapid growth or mitigate its impacts.
Enviva’s pellets are exported to countries that continue to erroneously treat biomass as a low-carbon fuel and prop up Enviva’s customers with billions in subsidies and other policy incentives.The industry has mostly been given a free pass to expand, despite the fact that leading science shows burning wood for electricity accelerates climate change, destroys forests and increases emissions of dangerous air pollutants.
“The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality has just issued draft permits for Enviva to expand its Sampson County facility despite mounting evidence that this is the wrong direction for our state,” said Danna Smith, Executive Director of Dogwood Alliance. “Now is the time for our Governor to pull the brakes on the wood pellet industry in the state and declare a moratorium on any further expansion of the industry until the full impacts to our forests, communities, climate and economy can be assessed and policies to change the industry are in place.”
Yet, Enviva and the State were brought to court by environmental and public health organizations, Clean Air Carolina, the Southern Environmental Law Center, and the Environmental Integrity Project, for failing to protect local communities health at its Richmond county facility from high levels of air pollution. A settlement in that case required Enviva to install new pollution controls at its facility. Enviva also reached a similar legal agreement with the state for its facility in Sampson County.
“The Hamlet settlement will reduce harmful air pollutants from the facility by at least 95 percent, allowing Richmond County families to breathe easier,” said Heather Hillaker, attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. “As the wood pellet industry continues to expand operations throughout the state, the threat remains for many North Carolinians to the air we breathe and the wetlands that buffer us from storms and floods.”
The company’s wood pellet mills are located in areas that already endure some of the highest logging rates in the world, with surrounding communities suffering high poverty rates and facing the threat of flooding from climate change. Despite promises, Enviva has yet to jumpstart the local economies where they have facilities in NC, where county-level poverty rates have increased or remained stagnant since Enviva came to town.
Hurricane season started on June 1st, and over the last three years North Carolina and residents of the state have seen just how deadly they can be to coastal communities. Many people are still struggling to rebuild from Matthew and Florence. Forests and wetlands play a vital role in coastal resilience and keeping people safe from the worst impacts of flooding and storm surge.
“Burning trees for electricity is worse for our climate than burning coal and has no place in a clean energy future,” said Sasha Stashwick, senior advocate at the Natural Resources Defense Council. “North Carolinians deserve genuinely clean alternatives, such as energy efficiency, solar and wind, not dirty and destructive biomass.”
This photographic evidence demonstrates the destruction necessary to supply Enviva’s operations, a reality the company failed to mention while unveiling a new “responsible sourcing policy” earlier this month.
“Our forests are our best defense against the climate crisis and our Governor needs to take decisive action to protect them,” said Rita Frost, campaigns director at Dogwood Alliance. “No one can look at these horrific images and conclude that slashing forests and burning the wood for electricity is a viable solution to our climate crisis.”
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Dogwood Alliance is a nonprofit environmental organization based in the Southern United States that mobilizes diverse voices to protect Southern forests and communities from destructive industrial logging. The group’s Our Forests Aren’t Fuel campaign is part of an international coalition opposing industrial-scale forest biomass energy. Learn more at www.dogwoodalliance.org and follow us on Twitter @DogwoodAlliance.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world’s natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
For more than 30 years, the Southern Environmental Law Center has used the power of the law to champion the environment of the Southeast. With more than 80 attorneys and nine offices across the region, SELC is widely recognized as the Southeast’s foremost environmental organization and regional leader. SELC works on a full range of environmental issues to protect our natural resources and the health and well-being of all the people in our region. www.SouthernEnvironment.org
We know that protecting our Southern forests requires challenging the industries and corporate interests that threaten them. But it also requires building the relationships, networks, and solutions to create the world we want to live in.
The FOREST (Frontline Organizing Resiliency and Entrepreneurial Solutions Training) Circle is a network of activists, organizers, and community leaders.
The first FOREST Circle was held in December 2017, in Whitakers, North Carolina. Dogwood Alliance partnered with Nakisa Glover (Sol Nation) to co-organize the event. We began the process with outreach to community leaders across the South to identify the main areas that would be helpful to focus on. From that outreach, we identified some of our focus areas: frontline communities, organizing, building resiliency, and focusing on solutions, specifically entrepreneurial solutions that are sustainable for communities and the environment.
After our first summit, our group was energized and inspired. We knew we were building something special. We decided to continue working together as the FOREST Circle.
In May 2019, the FOREST Circle met for our 3rd FOREST Summit in Winston-Salem, NC. FOREST Circle member Michael Banner invited us to his hometown, to learn from and connect with the work that is blossoming in his community.
Our theme this year was asset mapping. What skills does our group have? What are we passionate about? What education and training do we have? How can we map this out to be more effective in the work that we do?
We began our weekend with Spirit House Introductions. Led by Cindy Taylor of Sandhills Cooperation Association, we were asked to introduce ourselves without using our names, titles, or relationships. Instead, we focused on the essence of who we are.
The next morning, FOREST Circle members Elijah Brunson and Tiffany Fant led us through workshops on relationship building. We were challenged to get out of our comfort zone and participate in movement-based activities. We learned to trust each other immensely as we were guided through a crowded room with our eyes closed and were reminded of the many ways we speak to and relate to each other without language. Our next workshop brought us back into the realm of the work we do day to day. We broke out into groups and gave each person space to speak for 5 minutes, uninterrupted, about what they are working on. Then, the other members of the group were able to respond specifically on how they can support the work that was described.
That afternoon, we left the venue to visit sites in Winston-Salem. First, we traveled to a park where the community plans to create an organic garden. Michael told us about their plans and their work to secure funding to create a garden that would provide Winston-Salem’s island community with fresh, healthy, organic produce. As we explored the site, Garry Harris trained us on how to do citizen-science. Our teams went through a series of steps to measure the height of a tree, collect soil samples, and test for mosquitoes.
Our next stop was a community garden tended to by Ms. Rosa Johnson, the niece of Maya Angelou. The women who cared for this garden told us of their journey to get the garden set up and how the school children down the street used to be shocked that they could eat something that came out of the dirt – “It’s dirty Ms. Rosa!” one child told Ms. Johnson. But now, they can’t wait to come nibble straight from the garden. Then we drove back across town to visit with Michael’s mother, a community activist and mayoral candidate. She shared with us stories from her new book and even played us a song she had written on her guitar.
The final morning, we ended our summit with an Asset Mapping exercise. Fenton Wilkinson and Cindy Taylor of Sandhills Cooperation Association taught us how to use our heads, hearts, and hands to identify our strengths. Our group has so much to offer. We are passionate about justice, the environment, our communities, and so much more. We know how to garden, build things, write grants, facilitate workshops, speak publicly, make t-shirts, draft resumes and cover letters, manage projects, and more.
As our Circle continues to strengthen, we know we are creating something intentional and powerful. The work that we do for forest protection, clean air, clean water, healthy food, and strong communities depends so much on how we work together.
A healthy forest is a diverse forest – there are old trees, young trees, different types of trees, and different sizes of trees. In a healthy forest ecosystem, trees support each other – they share nutrients, resources, and even information on potential diseases and other threats. A single standing tree is susceptible to being knocked down by wind or floods. But in a forest, each individual tree is stronger and supported by all the other trees.
Media Statement in response to the settlement of a lawsuit challenge from clean air groups that forces Enviva’s Richmond County, NC wood pellet factory to install pollution controls:
Today, in a victory for clean air and public health, Clean Air Carolina represented by the Southern Environmental Law Center and Environmental Integrity Project signed an agreement with Enviva and North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality. Enviva, the world’s largest wood pellet manufacturer will now have to install the controls at their Hamlet facility that organizations and community members have been demanding, reducing dangerous smog-forming pollution by 95%. No community should have to breathe harmful air pollutants that damage their health and quality of life, and now the people of Dobbins Heights, Hamlet, Richmond County and the surrounding areas will get the proper air pollution controls they deserve.
Time and again, Enviva has deceived the public, policymakers, and its investors over the years — whether about the company’s impacts to air quality, our climate, or its destructive sourcing practices. The Maryland-based company has demonstrated it must be caught in the act and even dragged to court just to do the right thing. In the absence of real accountability, Enviva has made it clear it will always do what’s best for their bottom line and not what makes a good neighbor, despite its claims to the contrary.
As the wood pellet industry expands in North Carolina and throughout the South, Enviva continues to threaten our forests and wetlands, climate, and resiliency. When this industry is allowed to devastate our best defenses against climate change and extreme weather — our natural forests and wetlands — all of us are at risk. The wood pellet industry, led by Enviva, has been allowed to grow unchecked — and this company has certainly taken advantage of its free pass. Now, it’s time for the Cooper Administration to hold Enviva accountable for its impact on our forests, climate, and communities, and halt the expansion of the industry.
Read the full press release on today’s announcement from the Southern Environmental Law Center here.
Read more about Enviva and the wood pellet industry’s air quality violations throughout the South: Dirty Deception
Read more about Enviva’s history of deception here.
This is a crosspost from the Eureka Springs Independent by Dr. Luis Contreras. You can view the original here. Luis publishes a weekly column in the paper, and from time to time we will share them here. These represent the views of the author, not necessarily Dogwood Alliance.China wants 500 truckloads of Arkansas trees per day, the Ouachita River, our public health, and our country roads.
Sun Bio (sunpapergroup.com) sent an air pollution request to the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality. The deadline for comments was today, though only at the hearing. Forests are a massive carbon sink. Sun Bio must go.
What are carbon offsets? Carbon offsets are negative carbon dioxide emissions. Forest owners get a monthly check as long as they protect the trees, the natural way to sequester carbon dioxide. As the trees grow carbon is removed from the atmosphere. Cutting down a tree releases all its sequestered carbon.
Who pays for carbon offsets? Oil and gas companies, airline companies, cement, steel, and aluminum plants, data centers, truck fleets, high tower hotels, casinos, and any business creating carbon emissions or using fossil fuel generated electricity. Many states are overturning Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency crimes.
Are carbon offsets a scam? Like cryptocurrency and shale gas operators, there are some bad apples. However, the rules have changed as the price of carbon increases. Reports from the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, www.c2es.org, “Carbon Market Oversight and Regulation,” and other sources have information on agencies providing reliable certification and trading carbon offsets.
Is it fair to stop Sun Bio? The Economic Development Corporation of Clark County has spent a great deal of time and effort on the Sun Bio project. Carbon offsets are a better deal, they will bring true economic benefits and hundreds of green jobs to Clark County. Carbon offsets are increasing in value, there is a limited number of trees and littletime to grow more. 2030 is a hard deadline, and standing trees are doing their magic right now.
Does forest protection create jobs? Yes, the Arkansas Forestry Commission and other logging professionals can learn the latest skills on forest preservation. Public education and fire prevention are badly needed. Surveillance using drones and new laws making illegal logging and arson capital offenses are needed. Some arsonists are repeat offenders and social media can help alert authorities to prevent arson.
Where would funds for forest protection come from? The Arkansas Economic Development Commission has many investment incentives. Mississippi offers similar incentives. Forest protection is a better use of taxpayer funds than luring destructive companies.
What about Sun Bio? Three years ago, Chairman Li had a great deal and a Memorandum of Understanding for a fluff mill. The MoU is now obsolete, Li changed the plan and waited too long.
The November 2018, 4th U.S. National Climate Assessment, says “the damages caused by global warming by 2100 could be worse than the Great Recession.” Last year, for example, hurricane Florence killed 54 people and caused $25 billion in damages. The impacts and costs of climate change are already being felt in the United States, and the severity of recent extreme weather events can now be attributed with higher confidence to human-caused warming.
Carbon emissions are up, and time is running out. The carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere continues to rise to new levels. We are over 415 ppm for the first time in human history, increasing at an alarming rate of 3 ppm per year. We have wasted six months on trumped up emergencies and other distractions. 2030 is around the corner and today is a good day to change.
The Pacific region is on the frontline of the war on climate. The 2019 United Nations Climate Change Summit will be held in September. The U.K. declared an environment and climate emergency. Ireland passed a “cross-party consensus for action on climate.” Germany, Switzerland, and Australia may soon follow.
How can the U.S. be on the wrong side of the most vital fight?
Like Pink said, “Just because it burns, it doesn’t mean you’re gonna die, you’ve gotta get up and try, you’ve gotta get up and try, try, try.” Business as usual is not good enough. We made poor choices and we all need to change. Let’s give it our very best and try, try, try.
The Gulf South is home to some of the most beautiful and unique forests in the country, particularly wetland forests, and the people who live here are as strong and vibrant as the forests they rely on.
Unfortunately, both these ecosystems and communities are under threat from an expanding wood pellet industry and a changing climate.
Their sourcing would include 225,000 tons of wood pellets from hardwood forests – endangering the wetlands and bottomland hardwoods that make this region so special.
In addition to its globally recognized biodiversity, Mississippi’s forests provide critical protection from storms and flooding, and store enormous amounts of carbon. Enviva’s facility would threaten all of that by requiring up to 130,000 acres of forests to be cut down every year.
More than 3,000 people sent in comments opposing the construction of the Enviva facility. Because of your dedication to protecting our forests, the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ) extended the public comment period, and held a public hearing.
Last week, the Dogwood Alliance team joined with partners and neighbors in Lucedale, Mississippi for the public hearing on Enviva’s massive 1.4 million ton proposed wood pellet plant. Alongside mighty environmental justice advocates from across Mississippi and Alabama, we spoke truth to power. Together we stood strong in the face of an audience of loggers, landowners looking to cash in, and Enviva employees to make our voices heard by state elected officials and the Mississippi DEQ.
Enviva and the industry representatives supporting the plant made their priorities clear: the financial benefit of this plant. They spoke primarily of the jobs that Enviva would bring. Enviva promises the world to local and state governments, and the communities receive a pittance in return for their natural resources being cut down and exported halfway around the world. No matter the climate, environmental, economic, or public health grievances that the neighbors were recognizing they would incur, it was a price they were willing to pay in return for the economic stimulus.
We understand the need for jobs. But we reject the idea that Enviva is the vehicle to take Lucedale to prosperity.
In fact, it has been quite the opposite. Enviva has yet to jumpstart the local economies in the counties where it has plants. In Northampton County, NC, Enviva opened a plant in 2013. Since that time, the poverty rate has actually increased from 26.3 percent to 28.5 percent.
At the hearing, Rachel Weber of Dogwood Alliance said:
“No community should have to choose between good, well-paying jobs and their quality of life. Or their air quality. Or the health of their environment. We need to be investing in economic development that is truly clean and sustainable.”
Industry representatives and supporters continue to deceive the public, lawmakers, and investors about their impacts on forests and the climate. But our group made sure that Enviva’s destruction did not go unspoken.
Rita Frost of Dogwood Alliance made clear the impacts on our forests:
“We have lost 33 million acres of our natural forests in the past 50 years. And this facility would require, at minimum, 5,400 acres of hardwood natural forests to be logged per year. These forests are protecting our neighbors to the south and east from flooding from disastrous hurricanes like Katrina and Harvey.”
Mobile Bay Sierra Club wrote:
“We question whether construction of the Enviva plant that depends upon the referenced permit represents the type of industrial activity that should be permitted in the region. It is the position of the [Mobile Bay] Sierra Club that granting the air quality equipment construction permit cannot and should not be decided without considering the associated long-term adverse regional impacts that would occur to the extensive forest resources occurring within the plant’s effective operational area in both Mississippi and Alabama.”
Reverend Malcolm of the People’s Justice Council summed up our overall thoughts when he characterized Enviva as “a bad neighbor. Not good for the community or the planet.”
Mississippi DEQ will make a final decision on this permit as early as June 2019. We hope that MDEQ will not cater to industry interests, and will make a decision that reflects their responsibility to safeguard the environment and the people of the Gulf South.
In Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, where Enviva will be logging forests to feed their mills, 30% of the existing forestland is monoculture pine plantations. These pine plantations are no substitute for the natural forests they replace. In fact, they can be deadly to the endemic species that rely on specific Gulf ecosystems. In Mississippi, there are 85 species of animals and plants that are endangered. Most of these are freshwater animals that have been impacted by changing water conditions. In Alabama, just across the border from Lucedale, the figures are even more alarming. Alabama has already lost 90 species to extinction, and the state ranks number two in the US for total extinctions. Alabama ranks fourth for species in danger of extinction: approximately 1 out of every 7 species in the state is at risk.
Communities are hurting, too. According to the Poor People’s Campaign, 20,771 tons of NOx, a leading cause of respiratory problems, are emitted yearly in Mississippi.
Mississippi has spent at least $1.4 billion in public subsidies for corporations over the past five years without doing as much as they could to ensure funds are used to create good green jobs for low-income communities.
The Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality has a responsibility to ensure that Enviva complies with clean air and clean water standards. State policymakers have a responsibility to the people of Mississippi: to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and that their constituents have clean water, clean air, and a healthy environment.
We believe in a future with 100% clean energy, where we’ve let our natural forests grow old and wild, and a new green economy has brought health and prosperity to communities across the South.
We are grateful for our partners and supporters who continue to work towards this vision, and speak truth to power. It takes courage to fight for the world we want, but we are not alone. Across the South, the movement for justice and forest protection is growing.
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