WILL THIS BE SHELTON'S STORY TOO?

BIOMASS COMES TO QUESNEL, B.C.

(Statement presented at ORCAA's ADAGE Permit Hearing 1/31/11)

Submitted to Shelton Blog by Amy Davis mason county progressive

How will the air quality of Mason County be affected by the Adage biomass plant? To understand the impact upon our community, I offer my own experience with biomass for your consideration: the small timber town of Quesnel, B.C., located about 600 miles north of Shelton.

When my husband and I first visited Quesnel, British Columbia in September 2005, we were at once struck by its similarity to Shelton. Like Shelton, Quesnel is a timber town with about the same size, topography and population. With a history steeped in logging, it could easily pass for our sister city. At that time, the air was clean, the water clear and drinkable from streams, and forests were so majestic as to stop us in our tracks.

Our next trip to Quesnel occurred in September, 2010, and we immediately noticed that things had changed dramatically. Still plenty of trees, but the air was now thick with sulfur and smoke; river waters were muddy; lakes were choked by algae; and all outdoor burning and uncertified wood stoves had been banned. Truck traffic through this once picturesque town now moved continuously, perhaps as frequently as one truck every 20 seconds, and the windows of every real estate office were filled to capacity with homes for sale.

So what had happened in the brief five years since our last visit? Well, a couple of additional lumber mills with co-generation ability had moved into Quesnel, and a very large biomass plant had been built about ten miles north. Biomass had come to Quesnel and many people were trying to move out, but property values had plummeted to as much as 40%, in a single year.

We asked people how they felt about their new, industrialized community, and the reaction was mixed: those who didn’t think it was so bad had jobs related to the timber industry, and those who were still unemployed, or retired seemed resigned. But probably most importantly, those residents of Quesnel that could afford to move out were doing exactly that.

I’m not suggesting Mason County will share the same fate as Quesnel if ORCAA issues a permit to Adage, but every single agency that we thought was charged with the duty of protecting us from excessive levels of pollution has said that it’s not their job. And every single politician we have appealed to has said it is.

The people of Mason County are not political footballs. We’re taxpaying residents who expect our leaders and agencies to be responsive to our concerns. If ORCAA doesn’t have the courage or authority to protect us, then I see no reason to keep funding it.

Thank you,

Amy Davis
Shelton