PUBLIC NOTICE
MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
BUREAU OF WASTE PREVENTION
WESTERN REGIONAL OFFICE
436 DWIGHT STREET
SPRINGFIELD, MA  01103

Notice is hereby given that the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, acting in accordance with the provisions of Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30A, Section 2; Chapter 111, Sections 142A-142E and 310 CMR 7.02 of the Air Pollution Control Regulations, will hold a public hearing on a Proposed Conditional Approval to Construct concerning Palmer Renewable Energy, LLC, 40 Shawmut Road, Suite 200, Canton, Massachusetts (PRE).

The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit comments on the Proposed Conditional Approval to Construct. A copy of the Proposed Conditional Approval to Construct is available on the MassDEP's website at: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/publiche.htm. Copies can also be reviewed at the Department's Western Regional Office located at 436 Dwight Street, Springfield, MA during normal business hours of 8:45 AM to 5:00 PM by calling the Regional Service Center at (413) 755-1100.

PRE submitted a Major Comprehensive Plan Application (Transmittal No. X224282) to construct and operate a 38 megawatt (MW) (nominal net output) biomass-fired power plant to be located at 1000 Page Boulevard in Springfield, MA.  The stoker boiler will burn a maximum of 432,226 tons per year of wood fuel, which will include green (virgin) wood chips and a monthly average of 700 tons per day or 255,500 tons per year of construction and demolition (C&D) derived wood fuel as its primary fuel. Natural gas will be used as a supplemental fuel for startups, flame stabilization and flue gas reheat for the regenerative selective catalytic reduction (RSCR) system. 

The facility will consist of a complete fuel receiving and handling system, a 509 million British thermal units per hour (MMBtu/hr) water-cooled grate stoker fired boiler (stoker), associated air pollution control devices, a single steam turbine, an air cooled condenser, bottom ash and fly ash handling and storage systems, a 30 ton lime storage silo, a 10 ton powdered activated carbon storage silo and an aboveground 14,000 gallon double walled aqueous ammonia storage tank.

The exhaust gases from the stoker boiler will be routed through an extensive air pollution control  system which will include a carbon injection system, a dry circulating fluid bed scrubber, a fabric filter and a RSCR system.  The carbon injection system will use activated carbon for removal of mercury and dioxin/furans prior to entering the Babcock Power Environmental, Inc., or equivalent, dry circulating fluid bed scrubber.  The dry scrubber will be designed to remove acid gas constituents, including sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur trioxide (SO3), hydrogen chloride (HCl), hydrogen fluoride (HF), mercury (Hg) and other trace pollutants from the flue gas stream. The flue gas exiting the scrubber will be vented to a SP Environmental, or equivalent, pulse jet type fabric collector (or "baghouse") for particulate matter and metallic hazardous air pollutants control.    Following the particulate matter control device, the gas will pass through a Babcock Power Environmental, or equivalent, RSCR system comprised of four-canisters which will each have one layer of SCR catalyst and an oxidation catalyst to minimize nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compound emissions.  

At maximum operation, primary emissions to the ambient atmosphere from the facility including the biomass-fired boiler, lime storage silo, carbon storage silo and ash storage silo will consist of 45.73 tons per year (tpy) of particulate matter (including all filterable and condensable particulate matter having an aerodynamic diameter equal to or less than 10 microns, also known as PM10), 44.6 tpy of sulfur dioxide, 133.8 tpy of nitrogen oxides, 156.1 tpy of carbon monoxide, 13.4 tpy of ammonia, 0.0657 tpy of lead, 22.3 tpy of volatile organic compounds and 14.6 tpy of hazardous air pollutants.

The results from the air quality impact analysis has demonstrated that the facility's air emissions associated with the construction and operation of the source will comply with the applicable National Ambient Air Quality Standards and the Department's Threshold Effects Exposure Limits (TELs) and Allowable Ambient Limits (AALs) for ambient air.

The public hearing will be held on the following date, time and location to receive public comment, both oral and written, on the proposed approval:

Wednesday, December 2, 2009
7:00 p.m.
John F. Kennedy Middle School
Auditorium
1385 Berkshire Avenue
Springfield, MA 01151

The public hearing will be conducted in accordance with Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 30A. Testimony may be presented orally and/or in writing no later than December 4, 2009.  MassDEP requests that written testimony be submitted electronically via e-mail to: marc.simpson@state.ma.us.  Written testimony may also be sent to Marc Simpson, Air Quality Permit Chief, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Prevention, 436 Dwight Street, Springfield, MA 01103.

For special accommodations for this event, please contact Darren LaBonte at (413) 787-7318.  This information is available in alternative format upon request by contacting Donald M. Gomes, MassDEP ADA Coordinator, at (617) 556-1057, TDD Service (866) 539-7622 or (617) 574-6868, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108.

By order of the Department.
Laurie Burt, Commissioner