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Jan 15, 2012, Longview, WA - Three Puget Sound-area conservation groups have dropped their
challenge to construction of a biomass energy expansion at Longview
Fibre Paper and Packaging, the largest of its kind in the
state.
According to a report on The Daily News, the road is now clear to build the plant, which would employ 15
to 20 contract workers and generate 54 megawatts for sale on the
open market.
The project will make the Longview plant more
profitable. The state's Department of Ecology had approved the company's permit application last June,
and the collected group No Biomass Burn appealed almost immediately. The group argued
that burning wood waste - a practice that has gone on for decades
under the term "hog fuel' - emits harmful particulates and high
levels of greenhouse gases that contribute to global warming.
Last spring, Longview Fibre officials submitted a plan to
increase the efficiency of a boiler and recovery furnace and
install additional steam turbines. The company also plans to shut
down two aging boilers, an old recovery furnace and an old
dissolving tank to increase efficiency. The company expects to complete the overall project in phases
sometime in 2015.
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