Somehow, someone convinced the Kentucky Public Service Commission that burning wood on a scale massive enough to power homes and business is cleaner than coal.
In point of fact, it is not. A recent study shows that wood-fired power plants put significantly MORE carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than either coal or gas power plants. A Partnership for Policy Integrity study has found conclusively that wood-fired plants generate more CO2 than more conventional fuels. That's a problem because a company called ecoPower has proposed to build a wood-burning plant near Hazard, Kentucky.
This company should call itself ecoDisaster, instead. Its wood burning plant will add around $100 to the bill of the local energy consumer while also creating more pollution.
Dear Kentucky Public Service Commission:
We the undersigned are concerned that you have been duped into thinking that the wood-burning energy ecoPower proposes for Hazard, Kentucky is actually eco. Burning wood may, indeed, be rustic, but on an industrial scale is it much harder on the atmosphere and human lungs than burning coal or gas.
To generate the amount of power needed to fuel homes and businesses, wood-burning plants must release MORE carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, more even than a coal plant. The power plant proposed by ecoPower is a step backward in cleaning up the environment, not a step forward. Furthermore, it appears that this type of power will jack up the energy bills of local homeowners.
Please don't be misled by companies which are trying to make a profit by pretending to be friendly to the environment. ecoPower is not eco. That company should call itself ecoDisaster.
