Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Land Use
Any land use impacts would occur during construction, and no further impacts
would be expected to result from biomass facility operation.
Soils and Geologic Resources
During operation, the soil and geologic conditions would stabilize with time. Soil
erosion and soil compaction are both likely to continue to occur along access roads.
Within the project footprint, soil erosion, surface runoff, and sedimentation of
nearby water bodies will continue to occur during operation, but to a lesser degree
than during the construction phase.
Paleontological Resources
Impacts during the operations phase would be limited to unauthorized collection of
fossils. This threat is present once the access roads are constructed in the construc-
tion phase, making remote lands accessible to the public.
Transportation
Increases in the use of local roadways and rail lines would occur during opera-
tions. Biomass fuels for boilers and power plants would arrive daily by truck or rail.
Feedstock for biofuels facilities, such as corn, soybeans, wood products, manure,
and sludge, would also arrive by truck or rail, and ethanol and biodiesel produced
would most likely be trucked to the end user, who would blend or sell the product.
Depending upon the size and function of the facility, truck traffic could be on the
order of 250 trucks per day. Biogas facilities would either combust the gas at the
production plant or send it by pipeline to the user. Landfill gas would either be used
to produce electricity near the point of collection or be sent by pipeline to the user.
Visual Resources
The magnitude of visual impacts from operation of a biomass facility is dependent
on the distance of the facility from the viewer, the view duration, and the scenic
quality of the landscape. Facility lighting would adversely affect the view of the
night sky in the immediate vicinity of the facility. Plumes from stacks of cooling
towers might be visible, particularly on cold days. Additional visual impacts would
occur from the increase in vehicular traffic.
Socioeconomics
Direct impacts would include the creation of new jobs for operation and maintenance
workers and the associated income and taxes paid. Indirect impacts are those impacts
that would occur as a result of the new economic development and would include
new jobs at businesses that support the workforce or that provide project materials,
and associated income and taxes. The number of project personnel required dur-
ing the operation and maintenance phase would be fewer than during construction;
therefore, socioeconomic impacts related directly to jobs would be smaller than dur-
ing construction.
