Civil Rights Claim Filed over Port St. Joe, FL Biomass Incinerator

Nov. 30, 2011:  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has been asked to investigate charges of environmental racism by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection which has issued an air pollution permit for a biomass incinerator in Port St. Joe, Florida. The complaint follows up on an “intent to sue” notice filed in 2009.

The biomass gasification project is being proposed by Rentech, LLC under the name of “Northwest Florida Renewable Energy Center.” Florida DEP has approved the burning of woody biomass, municipal solid waste, and energy crops.  If EPA finds discrimination in Florida’s permitting program, it must initiate procedures to deny, annul, suspend, or terminate EPA funding.

The complaint can be accessed at: http://www.gulfbiomassincinerator.org/injustice/

According to the complaint, dated November 30, 2011, the nominal 55 megawatt biomass combustion facility will have a disparate impact on African Americans living nearby.

The complaint describes the disparate impacts as: human exposure to facility emissions, particularly carcinogens, light pollution from an elevated, open design flare system, and increased traffic congestion, accident risk, vehicular emissions and noise from increased truck traffic.

According to a nationally recognized air pollution expert, due to the flare system, “there is going to be a fireball visible for miles up to 100 hours per year.  Put another way, every third night of the year for an hour each time, folks in Mill View could be looking at a roman candle fireball over the incinerator site.”

The biomass incinerator project in Port St. Joe is one of over 200 facilities being promoted as “clean and green” renewable energy under federal and state laws.  Groups are calling for an end to federal taxpayer subsidies for this dirty energy, which they say will cost American taxpayers billions of dollars in the next few years.

Dear President Obama,

Siting a biomass electricity project in Valdosta, Georgia is a “clear cut example of environmental racism.”

-NAACP Valdosta Lowndes, September 2010  

 Environmental justice communities are targeted by corporations seeking to build biomass incinerators.  The corporations hope to “fly under the radar.”  Communities targeted include Springfield, MA, Greenfield, MA, Tallahassee, FL,

Gretna, FL, Port St. Joe, FL, and Valdosta, GA.

On May 19, 2011, the national NAACP demanded that Florida Governor Scott stay permitting for the Port St Joe biomass incinerator proposed by Rentech, Inc., pending a study of the disparate impacts of toxic air pollution on the Millview neighborhood.   Two notices of intent to sue Florida’s Governor and state agencies for proposing to site biomass incinerators have also been issued.  www.gulfbiomassincinerator.org