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Non-profit action group urges citizens to make public comments on proposed ‘biogas’ facility

A proposed facility in Ottawa County that uses chicken waste to produce a methane-based gas, sometimes called “biogas,” is raising pollution concerns with LEAD Agency, Inc.

LEAD, a non-profit environmental action group, is urging residents to submit comments to Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) by midnight Wednesday, January 22.

The non-profit says a New Hampshire-based energy company has applied for an air permit which would convert chicken litter into bio-gas at the proposed facility inside the Ottawa Tribal nation.

The draft permit is pending and open for public comment until midnight on Wednesday, January
22. To make a public comment online, visit
https://applications.deq.ok.gov/permitspublic/comment.aspx?key=8884

“Every person’s voice matters in this fight,” said Rebecca Jim, executive director of LEAD
Agency. “We rarely have an opportunity to speak up, but we do this time. Oklahoma DEQ will
read your comments.”

Known as a poultry digester, the proposed facility would produce a methane-based fuel by
combining water with large volumes of chicken waste and bedding and running it through a
proprietary process, generally known as anaerobic digestion. This process produces numerous
byproducts including solid and liquid commercial fertilizers, and a suite of airborne pollutants.

“There have been fires in digesters around the country and there is more indirect risk of fire in a
poultry digester than other digesters,” said Gina Manders, LEAD Agency’s community organizer
and GIS professional. “There are risks with any digester, but it would be reckless for one to be
permitted in Ottawa County.”

LEAD Agency, Inc. is raising questions about how this large-scale plant and chicken waste will
affect the environment, as well as public health in an area already plagued by industrial and
legacy mining pollution. In other parts of the country where poultry litter has been used for
biogas, residents have complained about the smell and foul odor it emits. Jim is worried about
gases from the chicken waste polluting the air.

“We already know what hydrogen sulfide and ammonia smell like, and those are only two of the
elements this permit will allow,” she said.

The proposed facility would produce an estimated 619,000 MMBtu (One million British Thermal
Units) of renewable natural gas, 8 million gallons of liquid fertilizer, and 60,000 tons of solid
fertilizer per year, according to the permit.

“I have a lot of questions after reading this permit, and so will the public,” said Martin Lively,
Grand Riverkeeper. “Unfortunately, we have more questions than we do answers.”

If approved, the facility would import 164,000 tons of poultry litter annually. Poultry litter, made
up of manure and bedding material, would be used to feed an anaerobic digestion process to
produce pipe-line quality renewable natural gas (RNG) and commercial fertilizer.
“It’s time for people who live and work in Ottawa County to speak up,” said Earl Hatley,
president of LEAD Agency Board of Directors.

While the proposed poultry digester is marketed as renewable energy, the truth about its
emissions paints a different picture. The proposed permit would authorize significant air
pollution including:

● Nitrogen Oxides (NOx): Up to 61.7 tons/year — A key contributor to smog, acid rain,
and health issues like reduced lung function.
● Carbon Monoxide (CO): Up to 55 tons/year — A dangerous pollutant that affects oxygen
delivery in the body and air quality.
● Sulfur Dioxide (SO2): Up to 43.2 tons/year — Known to irritate the respiratory system
and cause acid rain.
● Hydrogen Sulfide (H2S): Up to 12.5 tons/year — Produces foul odors and poses risks to
both human health and the environment.
● Ammonia (NH3): Up to 7.1 tons/year — Contributes to water pollution and ecosystem
damage.

Aside from air quality, LEAD Agency is concerned for the chance of any poultry waste runoff to
pollute nearby waterways, including Garrett Creek, which flows into Tar Creek. Jim said they’re
also concerned about the excessive use of water pulled out of the Roubidoux aquifer from
Water District #4.

“We don’t need a facility that can harm our water, our air and our future,” said Grace
Goodeagle, vice-president of LEAD Agency’s Board of Directors. “Air and water are priceless.”

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