GEORGIA — The Georgia Public Service Commission has canceled plans to let tires be burned for generating electricity at various biomass plants in the state.
According to a release from the Southern Environmental Law Center, the change in plan means companies that would be burning the tires for fuel would be unable to do so, blocking them from then selling the energy to Georgia Power.
In April, shredded tires were added to materials the plants could burn by PSC commissioners, meaning that move has been reversed, for now. The vote passed 4-1, allowing the list of materials for burning to expand and include tires.
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“We appreciate the commission’s open-mindedness and willingness to give this issue the additional consideration that it warrants,” SELC Senior Attorney Jennifer Whitfield said in a statement. “Today’s decision gives Georgians a chance to share their positions and learn more about why utilities burning tires for energy would be a move backward —not forward.”
Jason Shaw, a PSC commissioner who had originally supported the move, said the biomass industry must petition for a formal public hearing to have the commission consider the issue going forward.
SELC, Georgia Interfaith Power & Light, and the Partnership for Southern Equity worked together to contest the April decision, arguing that Georgia law requires opportunities for public comment before approving the changes.
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“The commission’s vote to reverse this decision is a big win for low-wealth communities and communities of color in Georgia who are already disproportionally burdened by dirty and expensive energy,” Nathaniel Smith, founder and Chief Equity Officer of the Partnership for Southern Equity, said. “Communities, especially those who would be most impacted, deserve a seat at the table and to be part of the conversation before decisions like this are made.”
Typically, biomass plants burn wood pellets to create energy. SELC said the process is “incredibly inefficient, heavily relies on taxpayer funding, and emits more dangerous carbon pollution than burning fossil fuels, including coal.”
The organization said burning tires would have made them even more dangerous due to the amount of carbon dioxide that would be released through burning the tires.
Some of the materials used to manufacture tires also “emit pollutants known to cause cancer,” SELC continued.
Commissioners decided to reverse course on Thursday.
In a statement shared with Channel 2 Action News, the commission said the change was done in “the interest of full public input.”
“We always want to ensure everyone feels they have been heard,” Shaw said, speaking for the commission.
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