Some Residents Concerned About Pollution
Read more: Local, State, Economy, Environment, Mancelona Biomass Plant, Wood Burning Plant, Mancelona, Deq
MANCELONA TOWNSHIP -- Plans for a new $170 million dollar wood-burning plant in Mancelona are moving along. The proposed plant would be built on US 131 near Elder Road. It would include a wood fire boiler to produce energy to 30,000 Michigan homes, a process that released gas into the air.
Thursday evening representatives from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality held a public hearing. Mancelona Township Hall was packed with concerned residents.
Using a computer model, the Michigan DEQ found the power plant to be safe when it comes to air quality. The DEQ completed is ready to approve an air quality permit that would allow the plant to start construction, but will make a final decision after taking public comments into consideration.
Mancelona resident Todd Oetting says “it wouldn't be so bad if they put a wind turbine in here but we don't want to smell smoke coming from a plant that's burning bio.”
Project Manager, Ben Brower who works for the Jordan Exploration Company in Traverse City claims the wood-burning plant would create 200-300 construction jobs and 30 permanent jobs inside the plant.
Brower says " there is no reason we can't hire from right here locally people are trained people have worked in the Dura Plant. I think it would be great for the community. A lot of people are struggling right now. We’d love to be a new company that comes in and hires a lot of people."
DEQ will make a final decision on whether or not to approve the air quality permit within the next few weeks.
