Time for some recent news about the environment, don’t you think?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has just charged a pair of Californian biomass plants with one of the largest air pollution penalties in recent years.
For those unaware, biomass plants are basically the better solution to wood waste burning methods. They’re definitely safer and less damaging than agricultural burning activities performed in open fields.
There are, of course, numerous restrictions as well as other rules and regulations set by the EPA and local agencies to ensure that biomass plants continue doing what they do best, and that’s not to add to air pollution problems while generating much-needed electricity for power-hungry cities and farms.
Unfortunately, Boston-based Global Ampersand allegedly hasn’t been able to live up to expectations. San Joaquin Valley’s Air Pollution Control District had discovered that the company was committing various air pollution violations from 2008 – 2010, for which it was fined by the EPA last February 11, 2011 (they must hate the number 11 now, don’t you think?).
Biomass Plants Face Air Pollution Penalties
Among its alleged grievous offenses made against Mother Nature – going beyond the maximum allowed value for ozone-related emissions. Now, ozone is a warm-weather kind of gas and is corrosive. It’s like nicotine, meaning it’s bad for the lungs and can lead to asthma. That’s one reason why EPA has decided to go tough against the use or emission of ozone-producing oxides of substances like carbon monoxide and nitrogen.
Global Ampersand has two biomass plants in the Valley that have been charged with these violations. There’s Merced Power, located in Merced County and near El Nido. The other one is the more multi-sylabic Ampersand Chowchilla Biomass, which is based in Madera County.
San Joaquin Valley in particular has been one of the hot spots of air pollution, with its ozone pollution rate regarded as one of the worst rates in the country. Be that as it may, fines nearing the $1,000,000 mark are quite rare, which makes the case of Global Ampersand all the more interesting.
In fact, it’s so interesting that company officials had nothing further to say when asked to comment about the case.
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