Williams Lake city council is asking the Ministry of Environment and Atlantic Power what additional measures will be taken beyond permit requirements to ensure burning shredded rail ties at AP’s power plant does not pose environmental or health risks to the community.
Presently the company is permitted to burn rail ties, but since it purchased the plant in 2010 has chosen not to.
In July 2015, however, the company submitted an application to revise its air emissions permit to increase the use of rail ties as fuel to a maximum of 50 per cent of the mix.
The company said the reduced allowable annual cut would limit the amount of available fibre.
After hearing from the company during a city council meeting, Mayor Walt Cobb, on behalf of city council, submitted a letter of support for the amendment in September 2015.
The letter stated council was confident that the proposed measures to be taken by Atlantic Power would address environmental, health and safety concerns.
In December 2016, however, council received approximately 20 letters from citizens and groups asking that it rescind its support for burning rail ties.
Council agreed to forward the letters to the ministry.
Following up, council now wants assurances, Coun. Ivan Bonnell said during Tuesday’s regular council meeting.
If council receives more information, Bonnell added, then it can make an informed decision and may even consider taking a different point of view.
“When we receive some feedback about what extra steps they could take, because there are some glaring omissions or absences in the government monitoring systems and overall management plan, that feedback needs to come out for public scrutiny,” Bonnell said.
The Environmental Appeal Board confirmed before Christmas 13 appeals have been submitted against Atlantic Power’s two permit amendment applications.
Nine of the appeals are against the company’s amended air emissions permit 8808 and four are against its ash landfill permit 8809.
To date the appeal board has not made any decisions on the appeals, confirmed executive director of the Environmental Appeal Board Colleen Smith Thursday.
