news
Amid Gloster Residents’ Health Concerns, Permit Board Denies Biomass Company’s Request to Scale Up Production A Mississippi permit board rejected global biomass manufacturer Drax’s bid to scale up production in a southwest Mississippi town, delivering a victory to residents who blame the company for worsening air quality in the area.
The Curative Power of Quieter Cities When Krystal Martin started surveying her neighbors in the southwest Mississippi town of Gloster about the impact of a local wood pellet manufacturing facility, she was focused on air quality. The facility has been fined multiple times for exceeding emissions limits, and Martin was worried about her neighbors’ health. From respiratory issues to eye and skin irritation, just about everyone in the town of almost 900 people felt some impact.
Pellet mills’ pollution raise health concerns In the October 2024 Pellet Mill Impact Survey, Dr. Krystal Martin sounds the alarm on the detrimental health impact of the DRAX Pellet Mill on the citizens of Gloster, Mississippi.
New Survey puts Human Face on Pollution Caused by U.S. Wood Pellet Mills Forest biomass companies working in the U.S. Southeast in 2023 produced 9.54 million metric tons of wood pellets for export at their 28 mills scattered across the region. That’s a 5.7% increase over 2022. And there’s no end in sight for the sector’s growth — with new U.S. mills planned for the Deep South and even California.
Pellet Plants Saddle Southerners with Nonstop Noise, Pollution A new, first-of-its-kind study surveyed families living near biomass wood pellet plants in the South, shining a light on the significant and long-lasting harm these facilities have on nearby communities.
Pellet Mill Community Impact Survey