Saturday, February 13, 2010
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The surrounding area, one resident noted, has the highest participation in the county's voluntary recycling program. There's even a local REI store, known for its earth-embracing vibe.
The idea of promoting alternative energy development by building a biomass-fueled electricity generating plant nearby might seem like something they would support.
They do - as long as it's not in their backyard.
The plant, proposed for a Briarwood Road site by developer Raine Cotton of Southeast Renewable Energy, would take unwanted waste wood from tree trimming and clearing operations and convert it into electricity through a gasification process. It would power 6,000 homes.
Opponents contend it would pollute the air, increase truck traffic in the neighborhood near I-85, raise noise levels and use large amounts of water.
All indications are that community opposition will cause Cotton to take his $23 million biomass project elsewhere. The project, which needed rezoning from industrial to heavy industrial use, was rejected by the local community council and county planning commission. DeKalb County commissioners deferred a final decision on the site until later this month.
Last week, Cotton said he is considering two heavily industrialized sites in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties instead.
Biomass is a renewable energy source that can come from multiple sources, including trees. Advocates say the use of biomass fuels can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions that emerge from the burning of coal to make electricity.
The Briarwood Road experience could be a sign, observers said, that renewable energy projects, for all the benefits they bring in energy and jobs, won't have an easy time finding a home in densely populated areas. That could push them to more remote locations where they might meet less public opposition.
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