HomeMy WebLinkAboutThompson letter
Supervisor Bill Connelly;
July 30, 2012
The purpose of this letter is to bring attention to an impasse occurring at the county level that is
delaying agricultural use of fly ash by Butte County farmers and ranchers. The ash is being produced at
the Pacific Oroville Power Inc. (POPI) plant, and currently is being sent to a landfill operation near
Manteca.
The cost of transporting fly ash this distance, combined with tipping charges imposed by the landfill, has
reached a point that is threatening the continued viability of the POP! enterprise. This plant is a major
source of revenue for Butte County as well as a critical link in biomass usage from agricultural, lumber
and forest health activities. Without the cogeneration plant, these biomass industries will have na local
means of cost recovery from the sale of chipped woad products. It is estimated the POPI plant accounts
for more than $5D Million annually in redistributed revenue within this county and surrounding areas.
Using fly ash on farm and rangeland has received protocol agreement from the Sacramento Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board, with POPI and its parent company, Covanta Energy, and Sierra
Farms, as the applicator. In fact, fly ash from another Covanta facility, Mount Lassen Power, was
successfully contracted for land application by Sierra Farms in 2011 using these protocols, with no
concerns from County officials.
The current impasse apparently has origins in an ash disposal problem that occurred several years ago
which is not related to our agreement. We would like your help in separating these past mistakes from
future beneficial use and ending this stalemate. The future of the POPI facility is at risk, and we feel our
initiative to improve farming and ranching productivity is being held hostage in this squabble for
inexplicable reasons.
While we clearly agree with proper environmental practices with the use of fly ash, we fee[ greater
environmental harm, and other forms of economic damage are being carelessly ignored in this standoff.
Sincerely,
Mel Thompson
Sierra Farms
Orovilie, CA
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