Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy Project Public Comment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents press Wood County commissioners to challenge OEPA permit for proposed Apollo gas plant
Summary
Two Bowling Green residents urged the Board to act on concerns about a proposed gas-fired Apollo power plant at the Meta site, citing potential air emissions close to regulatory thresholds and calling for rapid public comment and legal or municipal measures before the May 1 comment deadline.
Two Wood County residents used the meeting's open forum to urge the Board of County Commissioners to act on a proposed gas-fired power plant planned for the Meta site in Middleton Township.
Leatra Harper, managing director of the Fresh Water Accountability Project, told the commissioners she has spent years opposing large fossil-fuel projects and asked whether the county had advance notice or had supported tax incentives for the Meta plant. Harper said she fears the plant's Ohio EPA air permit may be deficient or politically influenced and urged local officials to submit comments and explore local options before the May 1 public-comment deadline.
Steve Jansto, a retired ASTM inspector with decades of industrial permitting experience, presented technical concerns. Jansto said the permit lists a maximum annual carbon monoxide (CO) emission of 250 tons and that Meta estimates 235 tons per year, which he described as very close to the threshold that would trigger more stringent regulation. He also noted that the permit allows up to 40 startups and shutdowns per year; Jansto said such events can produce elevated emissions during warm-up periods and questioned whether the permit adequately accounts for cumulative impacts and modern dispersion modeling.
Commissioner Craig LaHote responded that his research suggested the plant's CO emissions would be less than existing emissions from I-75 traffic in the county, and Commissioner Doris Herringshaw said the Board would take the information under consideration and consult legislators. Jansto urged faster action, saying the approach may be too slow and that townships had received prosecutorial guidance about moratoriums and other local options.
Neither the board nor staff took formal action on the project during the meeting. County officials noted the comment period and indicated they would review the information provided by residents and coordinate with elected officials and legal counsel as appropriate.
