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<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"> <FONT face="Times New Roman">This sent
to me by a friend. - bk</FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Times New Roman"><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT><BR>____________________________________<BR> From:
Biomass Magazine - ] Two California Biomass plants fined for air
violations</FONT></DIV>
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face="Times New Roman"></FONT><BR>_http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/5287/two-california-biomass-plants-<BR>fined-for-emissions-violations_
<BR>(<A
href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/5287/two-california-biomass-plants-fined-for-emissions-violations">http://www.biomassmagazine.com/articles/5287/two-california-biomass-plants-fined-for-emissions-violations</A>)
<BR> <BR> <BR>Two California biomass plants fined for emissions
violations<BR>By _Anna Austin_ (<A
href="http://www.biomassmagazine.com/authors/view/Anna_Austin">http://www.biomassmagazine.com/authors/view/Anna_Austin</A>)
<BR>| February 15, 2011</DIV>
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<DIV>After completing a joint investigation, the U.S. EPA and the San
Joaquin <BR>Valley Air Pollution Control District ordered two California
biomass power <BR>plants to pay combined civil penalties of $835,000 to
resolve alleged <BR>violations of the federal Clean Air Act and district
rules, including excess <BR>emissions of air pollutants such as nitrogen
oxides and fine particulates. </DIV>
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<DIV>The settlements require Ampersand Chowchilla Biomass LLC to pay a total
of <BR>$343,000 and Merced Power LLC to pay $492,000. The companies are
also <BR>required to go through multiple steps to ensure future
compliance, including <BR>installation of devices to improve monitoring
and reporting of air pollutants, <BR> enhancing automation of the control
systems for nitrogen oxides emissions <BR>and preparing more stringent
control plans to minimize emissions of air <BR>pollutants. </DIV>
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<DIV>Both plants have already made progress in complying with EPA orders.
The <BR>agency reported that so far, each have installed controls that
reduce <BR>emissions of nitrogen oxides by up to 180 tons per year and
carbon monoxide by up <BR>to 365 tons per year. EPA and the district will
continue to monitor both <BR>facilities for an additional two years to
ensure completion of all <BR>requirements, EPA said. </DIV>
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<DIV>Both Ampersand Chowchilla Biomass and Merced Power are refurbished
12.5- <BR>megawatt wood-fired power plants that began operating in 2008,
and are <BR>located within 13 miles of each other in the San Joaquin
Valley south of <BR>Sacramento. Owned by Global Ampersand LLC, the power
they generate is purchased by <BR>California’s Pacific Gas and Electric
Co. </DIV>
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<DIV>EPA spokeswoman Margot Perez-Sullivan said the plants were
investigated on <BR>a case-by-case basis so the agency could not presume
anything about Clean <BR>Air Act compliance of the biomass power industry
in general. She said due <BR>to the confidential nature of EPA’s
enforcement issues, it could not provide <BR>any additional details on the
investigation. </DIV>
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