TCLP Board Votes For Biomass
The Traverse City Light and Power Board voted last night (4/20) to approve construction of a Biomass plant.
The vote was 4 in favor, 2 against. In favor were Linda Johnson, Board Chairman; Mike Coco, Board Vice Chairman; John Snodgrass, and John Welch.
Against were both Traverse City Commissioners serving on the TCLP Board: Jim Carruthers and Ralph Soffredine.
Bob Allen, reporting for Interlochen Public Radio, filed a comprehensive report on Biomass this morning. Allen investigated wood supply, sustainable harvesting, and the competing values of the region. Here are some highlights:
"Light and Power officials will move forward with plans to build a wood burning plant to generate electricity and heat, but opponents say a biomass plant in Traverse City, along with other possible projects in northern Michigan, will make a huge demand on the forests. Those who manage forests say biomass can be done without depleting the supply of wood.
"Recent studies for Traverse City Light and Power show there's plenty of wood within seventy-five miles to power a small biomass plant, but how much of it can be taken to produce energy without depleting forest soils and degrading the ecosystem?"Biomass is one of the renewable resources that can be done very badly or it can be done very well," says Steve Smiley.
Smiley is a strong proponent of renewable energy. He's based his career on it. He was part of Light and Power's windmill project, the first commercially scaled turbine in the country."But you have to reach the right scale and efficiency to make it affordable so we don't have double the electric rates," he says. "Biomass, because the fuel supply can be sustainable and because it is pretty cheap, is top on the list for base load power."
"Forest researcher Dennis Becker says the controversy comes when people place different values on what are the highest and best uses of the forest.
"One key value certainly is biodiversity and the long term health of the forest. Another value is in displacing coal and becoming more energy independent. And there's also value in creating jobs and supporting a forest industry that supplies materials most people use.
"All those values are supposed to be balanced when doing an environmental assessment or following best practices under forest certification programs.
"Officials with Traverse City Light and Power say they would make sure all the wood for a biomass plant comes from sources that are certified as sustainable. In fact, they say state law requires that if the utility wants to qualify for renewable energy credits."
To listen to the full report, click here.
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The management of our forests has been devastating so far. We have nothing left but sickly forests of little sticks & brush. (nicely set up for biomass crop production) Why would we ever trust them to manage them any for better, not worse, now?? I already feel like I live in a holocaust.