People have voiced many different concerns regarding the proposed biorefinery, here are a few to consider….
The proposed location in Mayfield is adjacent to neighborhoods and about 1/4 mile from the elementary school
The key concern with the proposed Mayfield biorefinery is its proposed location – it would be adjacent to neighborhoods and less than ¼ mile from Mayfield Elementary. Approximately 10,000 people live within 3 miles of the proposed site. Regular emissions and any emergency situations will directly impact neighborhoods and school children. Extra caution and understanding the risks and issues is important given how many people are close by.
Liquid ethanol is highly flammable, ethanol vapors are explosive
The Northeast Ethanol web site states on their Q&A page under item # 15 that liquid ethanol is flammable, not explosive. This is a technicality, really a partial truth. In its liquid form ethanol is flammable. However, the ethanol vapors are explosive. Here are some very recent events that show that ethanol is both highly flammable and explosive:
“Train Derailment Fire Burns Into 2nd Day”
Oct 11, 2007
PAINESVILLE, Ohio (AP) — Railroad tank cars carrying ethanol continued burning Thursday, more than 24 hours after a derailment and explosion drove hundreds of people from their homes, officials said.
“Pa. Ethanol Train Car Blast Investigated”
NEW BRIGHTON, Pa., Oct. 22, 2006
By DANIEL LOVERING Associated Press Writer
(AP) Federal investigators arrived at a smoldering scene Saturday to piece together how two dozen ethanol tanker cars derailed and several exploded on a southwestern Pennsylvania bridge.
While Northeast Ethanol has stated that only corn, not ethanol, will travel by train, there is no law to prevent the ethanol from travelling by train if Northeast Ethanol decides to use the railway once the plant is built or any time in the future.
Ethanol production pollutes the air and consumes large quantities of water
While this ethanol biorefinery is being touted as a whole new breed that does not pollute, makes no noise, has no smell and uses little water, common sense and Northeast Ethanol emissions applications tell another story. The emissions permits applied for by Northeast Ethanol request permission to emit enough pollutants to become the second or third largest air pollution source in Lackawanna County. The Northeast Ethanol web site states in the Q & A page, question #12, that the noise at the property line will be comparable to a TV in your living room. That would be noise heard 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, approximately 350 days a year. Several varying accounts of the smell of other ethanol plants have been shared through personal stories of those who visited already existing smaller biorefineries – from it smells like home cooking to it smells like yeast – but one way or another most people do report a smell. Details on public water usage were not available at the time of this writing, but it is well documented that other ethanol biorefineries consume and discharge a large volume of water daily and put a heavy burden on public water systems.
This would be Northeast Ethanol’s first experience in the unstable, changing ethanol industry
Also concerning is the lack of experience Northeast Ethanol has with owning and managing an ethanol biorefinery. This is a new company formed seemingly with the purpose of investing in this biorefinery, they have no track record or experience in the industry. Northeast Ethanol is hiring out the construction and the management of the biorefinery. And, per Northeast Ethanol, this is the first ethanol plant of its kind to be built in the US. If there are issues with plant performance, or it does not meet expectations, it may be difficult for Northeast Ethanol to manage the teams they have hired, as they do not have experience in the field. Also, ethanol production is becoming increasingly competitive, with several plants nationwide reporting break-even operation and reduced growth plans. The industry is unstable and the technology is rapidly changing.
