air pollution

- by Matthew Crane, April 21, 2014. Source: Dubois County Free Press

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"179","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 366px; height: 325px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;","title":"Photo: Dubois County Free Press"}}]]Dr. Norma Kreilein, her husband, Mike, Alec Kalla and Rock Emmert were all in session during the Jasper Utility Service Board (USB) meeting Monday night — the eve of Earth Day — when it was announced that Jasper Clean Energy would be terminating the lease to create a biomass power plant in Jasper.

John Rudolf, a freelance writer covering a story for Notre Dame Magazine about Dr. Kreilein — a Notre Dame alumni — and her organization’s battle against the City of Jasper for the past two-and-a-half years, sat by himself in the public seating. Rudolf’s pedigree includes the New York Times and Huffington Post, where his stories gravitated towards environmental and political issues.

- by Robert McClure, April 21, 2014. Source: The Tyee/Investigate West

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"178","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","style":"width: 445px; height: 480px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; float: left;","title":"Graphic: Indiana Joel"}}]]Nestled into a seaside forest on the University of British Columbia's lands, amid a carpet of sword ferns and salal, sits a gleaming industrial facility that's been hailed as a significant step toward a carbon-neutral future for B.C., Canada and even the world.

The wood-gas fired plant just off Marine Drive in Vancouver, the university boasts, "will reduce UBC's natural gas consumption by 12 per cent and campus greenhouse gas emissions by nine per cent (5,000 tonnes), the equivalent of taking 1,000 cars off the road."

"It's very exciting," said Brent Sauder, UBC's director of strategic partnerships, who helped shape plans for the plant. "It's not a research activity -- it's a mission."

That mission is to replace finite, climate-baking fossil fuel with renewable wood to generate electricity. It sounds so darn cool: UBC students charging their iPods on solar energy stored in wood.

- April 14, 2014. Source: KDUZ/KARP

- by Jeff Montgomery, March 22, 2014. Source: THOnline.com

[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_large","fid":"168","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"225","style":"width: 333px; height: 266px; float: left; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px;","title":"Photo: THOnline.com","width":"300"}}]]CASSVILLE, Wis. - Linda Hulst said she began noticing the soot shortly after a nearby biomass plant started operations.

For three years, the black, charcoal-like matter has sprinkled her property. "Every fresh snow is covered with it," she said. "It gets on our deck, on our furniture, on the hoods of our cars."

Hulst and her husband, Ron, have owned and operated Eagles Roost Resort since 1977. They also make their home on the property, 1034 Jack Oak Road.

Hulst said she is certain that the soot-like substance results from processes occurring at DTE Energy's Stoneman Station biomass plant, 716 Jack Oak Road.

Campaigners Challenge Environment Agency

- by The Breathe Clean Air Group 

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