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Pellet plant decision hurts Chase economy

The opponents’ prime concern of Pinnacle Energy locating in Chase was what they believed would be air pollution

The opponents’ prime concern of Pinnacle Energy locating in Chase was what they believed would be air pollution. Their fears were based on assumptions derived from innuendo gathered from Pinnacle’s Williams Lake plant.

Since Domtar’s pulpmill sawdust digester in Kamloops has shut down, Interfor is forced to stockpile their sawdust waste on open ground.  The pile is building heat, burning on the top, fermenting on the inside.  Soon, the tannins and turpentine will leech out with rain and snow run-off sending these substances into Adams Lake. The contaminates will continue downstream into Little Shuswap Lake.  Guess what?

They will be entering into the potable water supply for the Village of Chase and I am sure that the new water treatment facility is not equipped to remove these substances from the water.  Have you self-righteous naysayers considered that?  Are you getting the picture yet?

The provincial maximum standard for pellet plant dryer exhaust is 60mg/m³ total particulate matter. The equipment that Pinnacle Energy was planning to incorporate in the proposed Chase facility is of European design, with an emission criterion of less than 10mg/m³TPM.  More than 80 per cent below the provincial standard,

Because of you naysayers, we will maintain “clean air.”  Because of you naysayers, we will lose the potential for members for our fire department, a less contaminated water source, medical practitioners and forced closure of businesses. More people will move away for lack of employment.

In closing, I suggest to you naysayers, buy the property. Put your money where your mouth is and show the rest of us how it is done. Show us your utopian dream.

We lost so much, we gained so little.

Dennis Youchezin