US Pellet Production

[Emmie]

This is disheartening: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/us/american-south-biomass-energy-invs/

 

[clancey]

It is disheartening and I do not believe that we should be shipping this type of product overseas and just keep for our own use...I can see both sides of the story here as well as other energies these large corporations just crams down people throats so to say...Its different worlds that people live in and they each have their own "bubbles" so to speak..I remember when I lived down south and they wanted to put life guards on the beaches and my husband and I looked at one another--"life guards" we just were not ready for this new way..Its a different world today and the only thing that I can say is vote for the people you know feel the same way that you do in order to bring our world together somewhat and yes --try to make it fair for everybody sometimes change needs to be welcomed but I do not like change so rapidly and I am old and not really ready for it to happen...I love birdies and there is something happening to the wild birdies..I used to see robins and sparrows and pigeons and blue jays and other birdies too but now I am lucky to see about 6 or 7 pigeons during the year..on the electric wires...All these topics are so highly debatable and I feel for your feeling on this and that's all we can do is vote for the right people and get informed and make the voting have credibility as well so that we can trust it..The video was a good one thanks..clancey

 

[bholler]

This is disheartening: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/us/american-south-biomass-energy-invs/

There is lots of inaccurate info in that article

 

[clancey]

Yea its like the media of today--not trustworthy...clancey

 

[bholler]

Yea its like the media of today--not trustworthy...clancey

That is nothing new at all. Everyone has always put their own spin on things. The difference now is that we are constantly bombarded with it from both sides and both are equally biased.

 

[Emmie]

There is lots of inaccurate info in that article

This is forcing me reconsider the use our pellet stove. I have previously seen information regarding the sale of pellets to Europe but this is much more graphic. I am curious as to what information you claim to be inaccurate?

 

[bholler]

This is forcing me reconsider the use our pellet stove. I have previously seen information regarding the sale of pellets to Europe but this is much more graphic. I am curious as to what information you claim to be inaccurate?

The claim that coal is cleaner. The implication that they are cutting lots of wood just for pellets. Most is produced from waste from logging. And many other things. The fact is the southern states allowing the factories to go in near residential neighborhoods without proper dust control or noise control are to blame. You don't see any of those issues with the pellet plants here in pa

 

[ABMax24]

This is forcing me reconsider the use our pellet stove.

Do a little research on where your pellets come from, my guess is your pellets are leftover wastes from another operation such as lumber or hardwood floor production. We have a few pellet mills in the area, all of them produce softwood pellets from residues left over from lumber production. Pellets are actually a benefit to these operations, in the past these residues were just burnt in large dirty burners that provided no additional income and polluted the air with a thick haze of blue smoke. Now my air is cleaner, the mill has an additional source of revenue, and you have fuel to heat your home.

Realistically though what's the alternative? Every method used to heat a house has an impact on the environment, and on the people of the area from which those resources originate. In my back yard I have logging, oil and gas extraction and coal mining. The impact on the environment of these activities is also listed from least to most, forests regrow, oil and gas wells can be capped and the land mostly returned to nature, but you can't reassemble the mountains that were blasted apart to mine coal. From my perspective I'm completely content that you heat with wood pellets, my second choice would be natural gas, coal I wouldn't even consider an option.

Industrial wood pellet production can be an issue, and logging trees strictly for fuel makes little sense to me, with some exceptions. We have extensive tracts of pine forest here killed off by the mountain pine beetle, these dead dry standing trees are of little economic value to most forestry operations with the exception of wood pellet production. I actually endorse the logging of these trees for fuel, because they just become fuel for forest fires anyway and then the smoke hazes over our city during the summer months.

The problem also becomes the polarizing nature of today's society, one side wants to allow all industry without restriction, the other wants to ban everything. The best answer should be "industry can operate, but here are the rules they must follow, and here are the fines for violating the rules, and here is the enforcement agency to enforce the rules and investigate citizens concerns". The world works best in shades of grey, or better yet a range of colors, not the black and white that so many try to paint the world as.

 

[bholler]

Do a little research on where your pellets come from, my guess is your pellets are leftover wastes from another operation such as lumber or hardwood floor production. We have a few pellet mills in the area, all of them produce softwood pellets from residues left over from lumber production. Pellets are actually a benefit to these operations, in the past these residues were just burnt in large dirty burners that provided no additional income and polluted the air with a thick haze of blue smoke. Now my air is cleaner, the mill has an additional source of revenue, and you have fuel to heat your home.

Realistically though what's the alternative? Every method used to heat a house has an impact on the environment, and on the people of the area from which those resources originate. In my back yard I have logging, oil and gas extraction and coal mining. The impact on the environment of these activities is also listed from least to most, forests regrow, oil and gas wells can be capped and the land mostly returned to nature, but you can't reassemble the mountains that were blasted apart to mine coal. From my perspective I'm completely content that you heat with wood pellets, my second choice would be natural gas, coal I wouldn't even consider an option.

Industrial wood pellet production can be an issue, and logging trees strictly for fuel makes little sense to me, with some exceptions. We have extensive tracts of pine forest here killed off by the mountain pine beetle, these dead dry standing trees are of little economic value to most forestry operations with the exception of wood pellet production. I actually endorse the logging of these trees for fuel, because they just become fuel for forest fires anyway and then the smoke hazes over our city during the summer months.

The problem also becomes the polarizing nature of today's society, one side wants to allow all industry without restriction, the other wants to ban everything. The best answer should be "industry can operate, but here are the rules they must follow, and here are the fines for violating the rules, and here is the enforcement agency to enforce the rules and investigate citizens concerns". The world works best in shades of grey, or better yet a range of colors, not the black and white that so many try to paint the world as.

Very well said

 

[tlc1976]

Yes I’ve looked into it and I’m pretty sure pro pellets are made from old pallets.

 

[creztor]

I stopped reading at "environmental racism".

 

[Vinelife]

This is disheartening: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/us/american-south-biomass-energy-invs/

CNN is the toilet can of information...so...

 

[Vinelife]

This is disheartening: https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2021/07/us/american-south-biomass-energy-invs/

And again, I wouldn't put my faith in anything CNN has to say..

 

[Havilcek stole the ball]

Not sure what I'm missing but any wood would seem to be a renewable energy source. I think some are looking harder for problems than they are for solutions.

 

[SidecarFlip]

Got a laugh on the 'coal comment. I'd burn coal in a minute if it was readily available anthracite rice coal. It's not here. Hard coal is clean, even heat and less fooling around than even a pellet burner, or in my case, a corn burner.

When we owned property in Eastern Ohio, we heated the house with coal and the hot water as well.

What you heat with is 100% dependent on fuel source and availability.

 

[SidecarFlip]

If you really want to go 'all out', I have a pellet extruder I bought about 10 years ago You can extrude about anything with it, not just wood. Problem is, it's slow and labor intensive. I've run sawdust, wheat straw and well dried hay through it. Easier to buy pre made or in my case basically free corn (which you cannot extrude anyway).

Here we are talking about bio mass heat and it' 90 here today...