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Coal controversy on Sunshine Coast

SLRD joins voices opposing coal burning at pulp and paper mill
1452coal
Coal Controversy Howe Sound Pulp and Paper is burning coal on a trial basis. Could this lead to other B.C. pulp and paper mills, pictured here, burning coal too?

The province may have made a commitment to no new coal-fired power plants, but it appears it can’t prevent Howe Sound Pulp and Paper from burning coal in its Sunshine Coast mill.

According to a report compiled by the Howe Sound Community Forum, the mill has intermittently been burning coal in its wood residue boiler, despite the fact Howe Sound Pulp and Paper’s permit does not include coal as an approved fuel source.

The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District recently added its voice to those opposed to the coal burning, sending a letter to the Environment Ministry. However, because the mill’s permit doesn’t expressly prohibit burning coal the practice is continuing.

In November 2006 Howe Sound Pulp and Paper approached Ministry of Environment officials with a proposal for a one-week coal burning trial during the mill’s annual maintenance shutdown in early 2007. During the wetter months, coal would be added to their “hog fuel,” which is a mixture of bark and other chunks of woods typically used to fuel the boiler and create steam to run the facility.

But in order to burn coal, Howe Sound Pulp and Paper was told they would need to apply for a major permit amendment, which would require technical evaluation and public consultation.

A month later Howe Sound Pulp and Paper again approached MoE about the coal burning trial, but this time the company presented a legal argument that because the permit does not expressly prohibit coal burning, they have the right to burn it.

While MoE’s legal counsel agreed, the ministry maintains the permit was intended to authorize discharges from a wood residue boiler with a fuel source of low salt content wood residue and a limited amount of natural gas and oil.

“Our intent with the permit was to stick with the fuels and the situations that were described in the permit, but because it didn’t explicitly prohibit, there was a legal loophole,” said Jeff Fournier, who is with Environmental Management for the Ministry of Environment.

Fournier says the loophole means that HSPP hasn’t had to go through the proper procedures to receive a permit amendment.

“There’s a process — there’s technical evaluation, public consultation… prior to an evaluation of potential environmental impacts of changing fuel to something like coal or any other fuel that they may desire to burn.”

But the ministry is now taking steps to begin the permit amendment process, though Fournier couldn’t say whether or not they would amend the permit to include coal or new fuel sources, explaining they first need to get more technical information from the company.

Howe Sound Pulp and Paper began its one-week trial on Feb. 28, and met with MoE staff again in April, at which time they were asked to provide data from sampling completed during the trial, as agreed upon.

MoE officials want to monitor emission levels for things like particulate matter, carbon dioxide, and heavy metal outputs, like mercury vapour.

“The key is to have scientific information — data — from which we can make informed decisions,” Fournier explained.

But so far, Fournier says mill officials have not been as forthcoming with information and data as they had hoped.

On May 22 Howe Sound advised MoE staff that the mill planned to begin a nine-month coal trial on May 28.

According to the Howe Sound Community Forum’s report, “To date, MoE has only received limited data from the coal trial for the period of May 28, 2007 to July 21, 2007.”

The data received from HSPP showed elevated levels of SO 2 and particulate matter, though the company said the results were “…not indicative of results that would normally be found when supplementing coal in (the) boiler,” and explained that poor combustion was the result of “mechanical difficulties.”

In early October, after hearing concerns from a number of local communities, the MoE requested that Howe Sound consider not resuming the coal trial until public concerns are addressed and the proper permit amendments put into place.

Howe Sound Pulp and Paper responded that they planned to continue the coal trial.

“We’d hoped that they would have ceased the burning of coal and they chose not to, so we’re looking at whatever avenues that we have to deal with that,” said Fournier.

Contacted Dec. 10, Al Strang, manager of environmental and external communications for Howe Sound Pulp and Paper, declined to comment on the issue of coal burning at the mill, saying he felt it was inappropriate to comment because of the ongoing permit amendment process.

A press release issued by Howe Sound Pulp and Paper last March stated that the company has the second lowest greenhouse gas emissions per product tonne of all Canadian kraft pulp mills, according to a report by the Forest Products Association of Canada.

The release also stated HSPP has reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50 per cent since 1990 and lowered greenhouse gas emissions per tonne of product by almost 90 per cent.

Fournier said he believes coal is still being burned at the mill, and he isn’t sure what air quality monitoring, if any, is currently in place.

While an order prohibiting burning coal at the plant hasn’t been made yet, Fournier said it is something MoE officials are considering.

“We have the ability to at any time amend something like a permit, but again the important thing is that any decision we make is based on technical information,” he said.

MoE representatives are working with Howe Sound to find a solution, and hope to gather more information at their next meeting with the company.

The report by Howe Sound Community Forum points out that the mill’s coal-burning practices are not in-line with recent government commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality across all industries.