:
Jennifer Allan
I
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
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S. 14(1), Municipal Freedom
Of information and Protect~on
of Privacy Act
Louis Bertrand
Tuesdav.. June 17 2@8 9:36 PM
clerks
Application by Farmtech Energy for ethanol plant
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Please forward to Planning Services committee and staff. Thank you
Re: Zoning application to permit Farmtech Energy ethanol
Louis Bertrand
124 Liberty St. North
Bowmanville ON
L1C 2M3
905-23-8925
I am opposed to the zoning change.
Thank you for the opportunity to ask questions and
public meeting Monday June 16, 2 0 0 8 . I was unable
allotted five minutes, so I am forwarding my comments in writing.
Sincerely,
Louis Bertrand
Questions for committee and staff to follow up:
The ethanol fermentation and distilling process uses large amounts of water. What
chemical contaminants are present in process wastewater before any effluent
treatment? What processing is done to remove the contaminants from the water as it
is returned to the lake? What standards apply to the quality of the wastewater
(MoE guidelines? Ont.
Regs? Durham region?)
The conventional ethanol distillation process from a water base can only achieve
ethanol purified to approximately 96% (the rest is water). It is common to add
another more volatile chemical such as benzene to the mixture to achieve a higher
concentration of ethanol, and then chemically remove the benzene. Another process
is called a "molecular sieve" to trap water molecules to separate them from the
ethanol.
Questions:
* What process will be used to refine the ethanol beyond the 9 6 % concentration
from distillation alone?
* What chemicals are introduced into the process?
* How much of those chemicals will be released from the plant?
* What is the resulting environmental impact?
Cellulose ethanol from switchgrass, forestry scrap, etc. is touted as a
replacement for corn should it prove unprofitable in the long run, as many studies
predict (see http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/papers/misc/switgrs.html) .
Questions:
* Is the Farmtech plant convertible to cellulose?
* The leftovers may not be marketable as cattle feed like distiller's grain, how
will they get rid of it?
* Cellulosic ethanol is not a mature technology, are there any full scale plants
in operation?
Comments and personal concerns
The plant is expected to process volatile materials at high pressure.
Toxic chemicals will likely be used and stored on-site. In the event of an
explosion or fire, the plant would be damaged but the harm would extend to the
adjacent sensitive wetlands. The plant, given sufficient investment, could be
rebuilt but any harm done to the wetlands can't be undone with a construction
crew. It could take years for the neighbouring ecosystem to recover.
Obtaining a certificate of approval from the Ministry of the Environment is no
guarantee that the facility will comply with it. MoE staffing levels have been
gutted in recent years and the ministry can no longer adequately audit facilities.
Inspection programs"
"Doing Less with Less
Video blog by Ont. Env. Commissioner Gord Miller http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9
-lUuj5iOIs
Full report:
http://www.eco.on.ca/eng/index.php/pubs/eco-publications/doing-less-with-less.php
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I agree with several of the deputations Monday evening: politicians and anyone
interested in the matter should see the site for themselves and appreciate the
natural beauty that could be lost.
The ethanol bio-fuel craze could be a boom and bust. Currently the basis price
peaks at $8/bushel (effectively $6 to $7 for local producers) but factors pushing
that price include speculation and a natural disaster (the Iowa flooding). Prices
may come down and make corn less profitable than it currently is. Another risk to
profitability is the rising price of nitrogen fertilizer, produced with natural
gas. The current price is over $500/ton, double the price in 2000.
Cellulose ethanol from switchgrass, forestry scrap, etc. is touted as a
replacement for corn should it prove unprofitable in the long run, as many studies
predict. Local growers may not be able to switch over, especially if the soil has
been depleted by intensive mono-cropping of corn.
This discussion should not be about city vs. rural, urban vs.
agriculture. One way the municipal government can help local agriculture is to
support a "buy local food" program (as Markham just did) and halt greenfield
development to remove the incentive for land speculation.
Ethanol is not as good a fuel as gasoline because it has less energy per litre.
Flex-fuel vehicles (FFV) are costlier and get poorer mileage on
E85 fuel (85% ethanol). FFVs are also costlier to buy because they are mostly S W s
and trucks.
Consumer Reports
"But after putting a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe FFV through an array of fuel economy,
acceleration, and emissions tests, and interviewing more than 50 experts on
ethanol fuel, CR determined that E85 will cost consumers more money than gasoline
and that there are concerns about whether the government's support of FFVs is
really helping the U.S. achieve energy independence."
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/newcars/news/2OO6/ethanol-10-O6/overview/1006~ethanol~ov1~l.htm
Nobody challenged the carbon sequestration claims by
They say carbon dioxide will be captured and sold to
processors. Realistically, how much can be used this
eventually will find its way into the environment as
the proponents.
soft drink makers and food
way? Also note that the C02
the drinks are consumed.
Much was made of the scare tactic of losing jobs at the GM truck plant.
While this is a real threat to the economic life of Oshawa and the region, keep in
mind there are other employers. Durham College and the UOIT are major employers in
their own right, and attracting talented faculty, researchers and staff would be
made easier if Oshawa shed some of its grimy industrial reputation. Physician
recruitment for Lakeridge Health and family practice would also be easier if
Oshawa had a reputation for a healthy and vibrant waterfront community.
Since the partisan card was played a few times during the public meeting, may I
add my own? Bill C-33 is what environmentalists call "greenwashing" - appearing to
be environmentally friendly while polluting like there's no tomorrow. The current
federal government has revoked Canada's commitment to the K.yoto protocol, denied
2
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the threat of global warming, approved new tar sands developments, gutted the
nuclear safety commission, muzzled scientists, and snubbed the UN FA0 conference
in Rome. Now it claims to be green by promoting bio-fuels? Please ...
Finally, may I ask why we don't like our lakefront? Historically, it made sense to
locate industry near waterways because water was the main shipping lanes for
materials. Nowadays, with the focus on highway transport it makes less economic
sense to locate near water, yet we persist in placing smelly and noisy facilities
on the lakeshore.
Commander Jacques Cousteau, the famous oceanographer, remarked during his 1978
exploration of the Great Lakes that they had become the "sewers of North America".
"Water and air, the two essential fluids on which all life depends, have become
global garbage cans."
-Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997)
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Louis Bertrand
Bowmanville ON Canada
!I
.
S. 14(1), Municipal Freedom
of Information and Protection
of Privacy Act