Anti-Biomass Incineration Campaign - National Conference Call
Thursday, December 5, 2013
TOPIC: "Exporting Our Forests and Economy"
[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"142","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"265","style":"width: 300px; height: 199px; float: left; margin-left: 7px; margin-right: 7px;","width":"400"}}]]RECORDING: Biomass Incinerator Noise – December 2013
We discuss the economic and environmental impacts of shipping logs, wood pellets, and other forest products overseas from the West and East coasts in the U.S.
Guest speakers:
-Roy Keene, Public Interest Forester
-Greg Pallesen, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers
- Rachel Smolker, Biofuelwatch
Facilitator: Josh Schlossberg, Energy Justice Network
Notes: Samantha Chirillo, Energy Justice Network
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Anti-Biomass Incineration Campaign
Network Conference Call Notes
Date: Thursday, December 5, 2013, at 7pm EST
Moderator: Josh Schlossberg (Energy Justice Network, VT)
Notetaker: Samantha Chirillo (Energy Justice Network, OR)
Attended: Glen Tyler, Gretchen Brewer (WA), Ernie Reed (VA), Carl Ross (DC), Greg Pallesen (OR), Roy Keene (OR), Bob Palzer (OR), David Tvedt (OR) Loretta Huston (OR), Samantha Chirillo (OR), Josh Schlossberg (VT), Karen Orr (FL), Denny Haldemann (TN). . . (freeconferencecall.com said 15 people attended)
Call Topic: "Exporting Our Forests and Economy" - the economic and environmental impacts of shipping logs, wood pellets, and other forest products overseas from the West and East coasts in the U.S.
Guest speakers:
-Roy Keene, Public Interest Forester
-Greg Pallesen, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers
-Rachel Smolker, Biofuelwatch
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Gretchen Brewer (WA): Exports from Tasmania to Australia/Japan have increased.
Rachel Smolker (VT): Yes, exports to and from Australia on the rise. They are using and exporting biomass energy.
Denny Haldemann (TN): What do we hope to get out of this call and what we can do?
Josh Schlossberg (VT): Yes, we've been working on an action to go along with this month's topic . . .
Denny: My thought is that we're operating under total green bullshit. The media is not getting the message. How can we fight industry/gov propaganda?
Bob Palzer (OR): I find it embarrassing living in a small university town in Southern Oregon that wants to put in a biomass facility.
Denny: Why are we not getting any attention?
Bob: Not any publicity because they know publicity will stop it. [Bob reported later experiencing phone service trouble on his end and having to drop off the call.]
Josh: I was going to have Roy start, but Greg can start first since Roy is not on the call yet. I will start recording. Press *6 to mute.
Roy Keene gets on call.
Josh: Roy can go first since he's here now. Josh introduces network, EJN, guest speakers. Roy?
Roy Keene (OR), Public Interest Forester: In 2013, exports doubled from the NW. Not just logs but also chips and pseudoprocessed material. Tax breaks to industry continue. it's a pleasure to have Greg here because he is knowledgeable about the whole thing. We both spoke at a town hall meeting in Newport, OR, which has an export proposal. Port of Vancouver does, too. All of these OR coast towns are pumping up their ports to export raw products - logs and chips. The whole region is working at expanding exports, rail lines included. Here's something I want to make sure you're aware of. Industry claims no raw logs can be exported from public forest. But in fact they can process as far as veneer, which then gets processed into plywood in China, then shipped back to the U.S. Exports are increasing rapidly, and it's not being addressed by elected officials. Not seeing any cry from enviro groups, even locally. This s concerning, because this whole wave of exports is historically what countries have experienced in the final declination of their forests. There's a drain on integrity as a nation when you export raw material and import the manufactured goods. We're exporting not just chips but factories too.
Greg Pallesen, Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers (OR): i worked in forest related industries for > 30 years and as international union VP of the AWPP for 11 years. Biomass makes more sense for some facilities than others, cogen particularly, which has existed at some some facilities for a long time. We do have concern for stand-alone power facilities, which puts pressure on raw materials that paper is made out of. I don't know anyone who doesn't use paper. We want the cleanest mills, best enviro practices, and laws should be stringent. In the last 1 years, there has been a mass exodus of pulp and paper facilities out of the U.S, same with other manufacturers. We know that unfair trade agreements, like NAFTA, have caused this because all employees who lost their jobs from offshored facilities received TAA benefits that only go to workers whose jobs are offshored due to 'free' trade agreements. The Labor Dept. determines the cause of job loss. Many counties arefacing bankruptcy, lost jobs, lost tax base for rural areas. Weyerhaeuser (W) closed its facility in Longview, where it was based. W sites how its equipment cannot complete in the world market, yet its 2 biggest machines in that facility are now in China. Blue Heron which was retooled to recover waste paper could not compete with China, filed bankruptcy. That paper mill was the largest tax payer in the county? W left North Bend, the equipment went to Taiwan. The International Paper facility in Albany went oversees. When it closed, IP closed its facility in the South (Virginia) on the same day. The day after they raised their product price. All due to shipping facilities and jobs to places where there's little accountability and illegal logging. We really oppose log exports. Economic and trade policies encourage it. We oppose the export of all raw resources (coal, natural gas). We have fewer facilities now than in the last 75 years, while demand is high right now. xports is a major factor from private, cutback in logging on public forests.
Rachel is delayed a moment.
Josh: I hoped Scott Quaranda from Dogwood Alliance could make it on the call, but he is not able to.
Samantha: Scott just got back from the EU, and I asked him what he learned. He said, "EU is driving demand... current projections are 18M tons at peak which means a lot more build out necessary in our [Southeast] region. Industry is starting to come out admitting predominant use of whole trees. Next market to really watch for is Japan and South Korea where west coast could also be implicated. Lots more but too much to summarize. You may see if their are individual questions on the call that you could put in the notes and I could answer." [Samantha read only about the first half of this statement while waiting for Rachel.]
Rachel Smolker, Biofuelwatch: Between 2006 and 2010, U.S.? pellet manufacturing rose 6-7 million tons. Much of that is going to Europe. Japan is a huge consumer, number of facilities operating is unknown. A few largest facilities have closed (Tilbury B). UK has fastest rate of growth and biggest user of pellets in 2012, although many of pellets going to UK are actually getting used by other countries. Netherlands and Belgium get more from US directly than through the UK. They also get pellets from Canada. There's discussion about ? leaving the EU. They? are least committed to renewables target by 2020 that EU has. UK role is significant but not the only player. Netherlands plans to double biomass energy. italy, France, Denmark also consumers. IAEA global biomass trade report gives consumption and production by country. Some cofIred with coal, a lot is CHP.
Josh: Thanks very much to our guest speakers. Who has a question or comment?
Loretta Huston (OR): This is for Roy - Weyerhaeuser is logging heavily near where I live. ???Mentions Starfire mill.
Roy: There's little timber left on industrial forestland that's over 80 years old. Starfire produces high-quality products, so it needs Douglas Fir 100 yrs old or more. This makes it reliant on purchasing public timber sales, like Elliott State Forest, or purchasing from the big boys that broker the sales, like Scott Timber. In contrast, the harvest from Weyerhaeuser tree farms is mostly exported and most of these trees 45-60 years of age.
Denny: Are you speaking of west coast timber?
Roy: Yes.
Loretta: Next board meeting of EWEB [barely public utility in Eugene, OR] about the mess they are in and filing lawsuit with JP Morgan Energy Corps due to surplus of electricity on the grid. Upheaval of laying people off, pushing smart meter technology, eroding more jobs. excess of power? same with seneca biomass contract? Is a possible strategy to attend the board meeting and address this export problem?
Roy: They are armored. Most useful thing in Lane County [where Eugene and Seneca facility are located] is to get commissioners who are not subservient to Big Timber. Biomass is already subsidized. It's a local political problem with Seneca.
Denny: It's a national problem. Never going to be green, sustainable, clean. Until we have ? . . .
Greg: It's a complex issue. There are many types of burners. I think to take an approach that all biomass is bad takes away credibility. For example, it makes more sense if tied to a manufacturing facility where they are burning black liquor. Based on specific location and type of operation and when new technology can replace old burner technology. The U.S. is growing more fiber each year than it consumes. When we put pressure on industry here, it shifts abroad. China is largest manufacturer now. In cases where there are permits, we push for fallback language that, if facility closes, tax breaks have to be paid back. has to be a study? that other closures won't happen. To take a position automatically . . .
Denny: Virtually all forestry in the U.S. is nonsustainable. . .
Greg: The TransPacific Partnership is NAFTA-style. It's doing away with environmental protections while protecting multinational corporations.
Samantha: I am concerned at the direction we're going in and would like to see us get back on topic. Those in our network spent a year ironing out our platform on biomass energy, and I'm sure the AWPP members spent as much time doing the same. I don't think we're on this call to try to change each others positions. So, in the interest of getting back on track, I'm interested in what any of the speakers make of the connection between Wyden's roles as both Chair of the Energy and Natural Resource Committee with his forest bill out and as Chair of the International Trade Committee, which plays a role in trade agreements, like the TransPacific Partnership. Seems like a connection to take note of.
[Samantha pauses in the middle, thinking she may have gotten disconnected.]
Roy: I want to follow up on something Greg said. That is - Where is most damage? That's what I focus on. Biomass burning has been going on for decades in the NW. Cogen plants, for example, are greener than other options. The problem I have is with the new trade agreement and shift of Japan from nuclear to other energies like biomass. Not talking about cogen in Japan, but rather stand-alone power plants. Japan cannot fuel itself. That's why Coos Bay, Newport, Vancouver are all opening up their ports. Think In terms of where the most damage is. This is what I encourage others to focus on.
Denny: The problem is that biomass is presented as the salvation of our energy problems. We are not addressing this adequately.
Josh: Roy, are you familiar with the wood chip slurry pipeline that Roseburg Forest Products (RFP) has proposed?
Roy: RFP is talking about building a 20-inch slurry line from the I-5 corridor to Coos Bay which can carry a water-borne mix of chips through a pipe to the coast. Like many of these proposals, it's kept quiet until the deal is already cut. Political shuffling. By the time we hear about it in the media, the deal has been made.
Josh: What is the slurry? Is it like a liquid?
Roy: Yeah, basically a mix of water and chips.
Josh: More people are opposed to pipelines.
Roy: Now there's also talk about a new highway to transport timber to the port.
Denny: Salvage logging is another big one right now.
Loretta: Does anyone know who Dave Cebur is? He has been very involved in the hemp industry, building material that can go from the source to the mills. Conservatives, liberals, libertarians all considering reintroducing hemp as a fiber source. Other countries can grow it. We could grow it as an annual crop like hemp.
Roy: Not in the near future.
Denny: I agree.
Greg: If it could be legally done then it would reduce the fiber needed from trees.
Loretta: Wyden is passionate about hemp, as are other politicians. Putting energy into supporting this would be a good strategy.
Rachel: To replace trees with hemp would require so much consumption of water, etc. Trees produce so much fiber per unit, fast-rotation trees are 3 years.
Josh: Hemp could be part of the solution but combustion would still be a problem.
Roy: Politicians support it because they know it won't move forward.
Denny: We all like hemp as a solution, but it's not going to fly.
Gretchen: Greg said when we offshore facilities overseas there are less enviro ergs. Also talking about burning something different. Might be useful to look at energy return on energy invested and some other parameters for hemp versus coal versus trees and the life-cycle costs of enviro damage. That would be useful,
Rachel: Often this just pushes demand elsewhere. Biofuelwatch has been involved in the global rainforest movement. Europe wanted to grow eucalyptus trees in Brazil for its biomass, land stolen, land already for pulp and paper. See "Chain of Destruction" report. Although MVP Power made a memorandum of understanding, they ended up canceling the project, but the negative impacts to people occurred anyway because the company claimed even more land in expectation of the project. The pulp industry has moved around the world.
Roy: As humans, it's natural for us to be concerned with our own backyards first, but then you realize you are going to impact somewhere else. But for me it's difficult living in Timber Central, watching fish numbers drop. . .
Loretta: Roy, will you join us for a panel at the Public Interest Environmental Law Conference?
Roy: No, I'm going to take the young law students out on a forest hike. I need to go. Good hearing from you, Greg!
Greg: Thanks. We all want improvements, to reduce carbon emissions. But sometimes we get distracted from things causing the worst problems. International Paper in 2 years received billions in tax credits, claimed it kept them here. Meanwhile invested in indonesia, russia, china, shifting to cheap labor, little laws. Dealing with the private forest, but Longview unemployment [Weyerhaeuser home base] is at record high. We're giving tax dollars to build a port to companies who want to export raw materials. Trade agreements set up these processes, sending raw materials abroad and then importing the manufactured product.
Denny: Why haven't I heard your perspective before?
Greg: I don't know. Why haven't I heard yours?
Denny: It's a beautiful one. Similar story with the TN Valley Association . . .
Greg: I think most people don't realize that 70% of U.S. wastepaper is exported.
Denny: We need to do messaging better.
Loretta: All of these deals are already made.
Denny: Industry hates people like Roy and the TN Valley Assoc.
Loretta: The TPP is right around the corner
Greg: Oregon Senator Merkeley just introduced legislation for all past and current trade agreements to undergo review, remove advantages to corporations for weakening enviro regs, etc.
Denny: ?
Rachel: Has anyone seen this TPP stuff that's relevant?
Greg: Speaking of TPP, not much has been released.
Rachel: Yeah, the enviro impact statement said there is none.
Samantha: I'll find out what the latest is and send it out.
Rachel: We're really late in the game.
Loretta: We're really fragmented to deal with growing problems. What do people think about using invasive species for energy. Scotch broom is full of oil. We have a lot of biomass out there, but we're not looking at how we can clean up ecosystems in the sourcing of biomass.
Josh: The problem is that burning anything causes pollution. Many people support pulling out invasives, but creating a facility is creating a permanent, large-scale consumption, studies have show that these facilities often need to find another fuel source.
Loretta: Scotch broom would make a good biofuel.
Josh: The timber industry wants to kill invasives when it sprays herbicides. So it's tough for us to do well arguing for removing invasives.
Greg: Are you familiar with cap and trade?
Several say yes
Greg: We want a carbon fee, a carbon tax. it's gaining momentum on the west coast. With it the industry would have to use best practices, drive their emissions down. On the west coast it would make sense to tax raw log exports to change financial incentives.
?: Great. is that gaining momentum?
Greg: Yes, able to show exports at record highs while jobs at record lows. Have to push economic incentive for anything.
?: How is it practical to spend all that money on infrastructure, like the slurry line?
Greg: I worked for RFP previously, but I don't know how that pencils out.
Josh: It's been about an hour. Thanks everyone for joining us. Many journalists don't understand the issue, so it's good to streamline and simplify our message.
Denny: We can kick ass on forests vs. jobs
Greg: I appreciate the opportunity to talk with you all.
Josh: Next call is January 2 when we will talk about jobs vs. the environment. I will send out recording and notes. Contact me at Josh@energyjustice.net.