Letter to the Editor: Biomass Plant exacerbates Jasper water emergency
Recent articles about the water restrictions have not included a proper analysis of the effect of pulling 400,000-600,000 gallons/day FROM THE RIVER if the biomass plant were fully operational. According to Mr. Mike Oeding in Dubois County Free Press 7/17/2012 “if the plant had been using city water, it would have only served to quicken the city’s emergency status,” yet “The biomass plant wouldn’t have affected anything. It’s not a capacity problem; it’s a river flow problem. This thing snuck up and bit us on the behind quicker than we could react to it.”
Ironically, we at Healthy Dubois County brought up this question last summer before the lease vote but like many other valid concerns, it was ignored.
Curiously, the city is now analyzing/demanding an account of where all the water is going, as it affects JASPER’s water supply. Why wasn’t this done before they passed the lease? According to Mr. Oeding, the city would merely shut the biomass plant down “for a bit” to save water. Wait a minute. . .I thought the biomass plant didn’t affect anything! And by what authority can the city “shut down” an independent business they no longer own? Why build it in the first place with so many questions? How is the miscanthus growing in the drought?
Recall Mr. Tom Schmidt’s statement from the March 2011 Common Council directed at non-Jasper residents: “We don’t tell French Lick how to run their casino. . .they shouldn’t tell us how to run our city.” Obviously, as the city is finding out, we are interdependent not only within Jasper, but beyond the “walls” of this city. I witnessed at countless meetings (and court hearings) just how callous and cutthroat Jasper’s leadership has been regarding others’ best interests, and would encourage citizens of Jasper and beyond to read and investigate further than what little is disclosed in the media.
Numbers can be manipulated but ultimately nature will only give so much. Do unto those downwind as you would have those upstream do unto you.
Norma J. Kreilein, MD FAAP Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics Diplomate, American Board of Pediatrics
I wondered the same thing. How can that volume of water use NOT impact the community, especially during drought conditions where citizens are asked to cut back? And how can the City of Jasper require one privately owned business to restrict its water usage and not the countless others in the community? Just one more example of why this biomass plant is a bad idea for Jasper and Dubois County.
Well for one, if a certain person in power in Jasper had not twisted the arm of the Army Corp of Engineers to drain Patoka Lake this spring, there would be much more water in the lake to let out now during the drought.
2. From what I've read Patoka lake was designed with a 100 year life span till it fills in with mud. It's been 40 years so that leaves 60+ years left. So lets get industry to use it to capacity now so we can all go thirsty when the supply goes short.
3. Remember Solyndra and the other GREEN energy companies where there were payoffs and kickbacks and other corruption and the companies went bankrupt. Taxpayers were left on the hook for billions. You'd have a hard time convincing me that someone didn't didn't get a palm greasing to approve that green energy plant in Jasper with the way it got rammed thru.
4. In the end, Jasper would have a hard time shutting down that privately owned plant because of a water shortage. The citizens would have to cut back more. Love of the all mighty dollar rules you know!
I'd also like to bring up some issues that no one else has addressed.
The price of Corn, Wheat and Soybeans are going through the roof. There is a severe shortage of hay all across the USA. When the cost of feed goes up, so does the price of Beef, Pork and Milk.
So how many thousands of acres of land has to be removed from production to grow the wonder grass????
Where will all this grass be grown? Dubois County? Kentucky? Tennessee?
1 semi load of coal has x amount of BTU's. (that is a unit of heat energy if you don't know.) I semi load of wonder grass does not have anywhere near the amount of BTU's as a load of coal so it will require multiple truck loads to produce the same amount of heat. A semi gets 6 miles per gallon average. If this grass has to be hauled in very far and with the extra trucks to haul it, it will produce more pollution than what anyone has proposed it will. You may as well burn coal in the plant.
GREEN, when all things are considered, it is not as ecofriendly as first promised to be!