Evergreen studies greener heat

OLYMPIA — The Evergreen State College wants to eliminate the use of fossil fuels to heat the campus, perhaps substituting wood waste for natural gas to create steam.

The proposal, called a biomass gasification plant, is the subject of a $200,000 study set for completion in November to determine whether the roughly $10 million project makes technical, economic and environmental sense.

It's backed by students, the faculty and administrators working on a plan to make the college carbon-neutral by 2020, which means school activities wouldn't add to global warming.

The natural gas burned in campus steam boilers equals 40 percent of the college's carbon footprint, which is more than the fuel burned by the students, faculty and staff in their daily commutes, says college sustainability coordinator Scott Morgan.

Despite the good environmental intentions, the project finds itself in the cross hairs of the same group that is battling a wood-waste-to-energy plant proposed in Mason County by Adage, a biopower company.

The No Biomass Burn group spearheaded by Seattle activist Duff Badgley says the college biomass project would emit twice as much carbon dioxide as the gas-fired plant, and 20 percent more of other pollutants such as nitrogen oxides, particulate matter and carbon monoxide.

The critics' assessment of the project is completely inaccurate, said Evergreen professor Rob Cole, who specializes in environmental science, math, physics and sustainability issues.

As long as the wood waste used by Evergreen is replenished in the forest, the net effect is that carbon released in the atmosphere is equal to the carbon stored in the trees, Cole said.

On the other hand, burning fossil fuels such as natural gas adds to the greenhouse gas burden in the atmosphere, exacerbating climate change, he said.

Other pollutants from the biomass plant will be less than the natural-gas plant, college director of facilities Paul Smith said, adding that Badgley is jumping to conclusions that won't be clear until the feasibility study is complete.

If they contribute to deforestation, biomass projects run the risk of reducing the total amount of forestland and forests available in the Pacific Northwest to sequester greenhouse gases, said Pat Rasmussen, a member of the World Temperate Rainforest Network.

The Evergreen project will advance beyond study only if it promotes sustainable forestry, said Todd Sprague, college director of marketing, communications and college relations.

"If we can't do it well, it shouldn't be done at all," Sprague said.

Badgley also says project supporters have made up their minds to run with the project because they are already pursuing funding.

"They're bulldozing ahead — the feasibility study should be called the rubber stamp study," he said.

Project backers will ask the college trustees to submit a grant proposal to the state Department of Commerce for the 2011-13 state capital budget, Sprague confirmed.

But if the study identifies fatal flaws in the project, the budget request will be rescinded, Sprague said.