Chamber Statement on Proposed Alpine Waste-to-Energy Plant

STATEMENT  BY

 ST. CROIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

IN SUPPORT OF

THE PROPOSED ALPINE ENERGY GROUP

WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT

JANUARY 11, 2009

            GOOD NIGHT. I AM MICHAEL DEMBECK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ST. CROIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. I AM HERE TONIGHT REPRESENTING THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ST. CROIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.

WE THANK YOU FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF ISSUING A GROUND LEASE TO THE ALPINE ENERGY GROUP THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ITS PROPOSED WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT.

 OUR SUPPORT FOR THIS PROJECT IS BASED ON INFORMATION AND DISCUSSIONS WITH REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ALPINE ENERGY GROUP IN MEETINGS WITH THE MEMBERS OF OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN 2011.

OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS ALSO MET WITH MR. PAUL CHAKROFF OF THE ST. CROIX ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION IN LATE 2011 TO DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS OF THIS PROJECT ON ST. CROIX.

NOW THAT THE ALPINE ENERGY GROUP HAS EXCLUDED PETROLUEM COKE AS A SUPPLEMENTAL FUEL IN ITS REVISED PROPOSAL, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ST. CROIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE BELIEVES THE PROPOSED WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT OFFERS ST. CROIX MULTIPLE ECONOMIC ADVANTAGES AND BENEFITS WITH NO SIGNIFICANT OR HARMFUL ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS.

WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CONVERT AN ESTIMATED 146,000 TONS OF HOUSEHOLD WASTE INTO LOW-COST ELECTRICITY, THE PROPOSED WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT OFFERS THE TERRITORY AN ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTALY SAFE SOLUTION TO THE DISPOSAL OF THE MOUNTAINS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE OUR BUSINESSES AND CITIZENS GENERATE EVERY YEAR.

THIS WILL ALLOW THE WASTE MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY TO FINALLY CLOSE FOREVER THE ENVIRONMENTALLY HAZARDOUS ANGUILLA AND BOVONI LANDFILLS AS MANDATED YEARS AGO BY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY.

IT ALSO WILL RESOLVE THE CONTINUING AIRLINE SAFETY CONCERNS THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION HAS EXPRESSED WITH THE ANGUILLA LANDFILL AND THE ACCOMPANYING BUT ALL-TO-REAL THREAT TO DE-CERTIFY THE HENRY ROHLSON AIRPORT FOR COMMERCIAL FLIGHTS. THIS ALONE WOULD DEVASTATE OUR TOURISM INDUSTRY NOT TO MENTION ELIMINATING ANY PROSPECTS FOR ATTRACTING NEW OR EXPANDING BUSINESSES TO ST. CROIX.

RATHER THAN SIMPLY DUMPING OUR MUNICIPAL WASTE AS WE HAVE FOR DECADES, THE ALPINE WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT WOULD ACTUALLY RECYCLE OUR THROW-AWAY WASTE INTO SAFE AND STERLIZED FUEL PELLETS THAT WILL GENERATE LOW-COST ELECTRICITY FOR SALE TO WAPA.

THIS WILL DISPLACE THE NEED FOR WAPA TO PURCHASE AN ESTIMATED 400,000 BARRELS OF HIGH-PRICED FUEL OIL EVERY YEAR WHILE CONTRIBUTING 16.5 MEGAWATTS TO THE ST. CROIX POWER GRID.

ADDING THIS LOW-COST ELECTRICITY TO THE GRID WILL ALLOW WAPA TO STABLIZE OR SLIGHTLY REDUCE THE LEAC AND ELECTRIC BILLS FOR BOTH BUSINESSES AND CONSUMERS.

. BUT MOST SIGNIFICANTLY, GENERATING ELECTRICITY FROM MUNICIPAL WASTE IS A FIRST STEP TOWARD REDUCING OUR TOTAL DEPENDANCE ON HIGH-PRICED OIL WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES.

FURTHER, UNLIKE SOLAR, WIND AND OTHER INTERMITTENT AND UNDEPENDABLE RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES, THE ALPINE WASTE-TO-ENERGY PROJECT WILL PROVIDE WAPA WITH ESSENTIAL BASELOAD ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION 24 HOURS A DAY, 365 DAYS A YEAR.

BY PROVIDING THESE BENEFITS TO ST. CROIX, THE ALPINE ENERGY PROJECT WILL STOP THE ENVIRONMENTALLY DANGEROUS DUMPING OF OUR MUNICIPAL WASTE, HELP STABLIZE OUR CONTINUALLY INCREASING ELECTRIC RATES AND HELP ENERGIZE OUR LOCAL ECONOMY THROUGH THE CREATION OF BOTH CONSTRUCTION AND PERMANENT JOBS WITH AN ESTIMATED $4.5 MILLION IN ANNUAL PAYROLL AS WELL AS GENERATE ADDITONAL REVENUE FOR EXISTING BUSINESSES PROVIDING ESSENTIAL SUPPORT SERVICES TO THE PROJECT.

NOT ONLY WILL THE ALPINE ENERGY WASTE-TO-ENERGY PLANT CONTRIBUTE NEGLIBLE EMISSIONS TO OUR EXISTING AIR QUALITY, IT ACTUALLY WILL RESULT IN AN ACTUAL NET IMPROVEMENT IN OUR AIR QUALITY ON ST. CROIX BY GENERATING CLEANER ENERGY THAN THAT CURRENTLY GENERATED BY WAPA, ACCORDING TO THE ST. CROIX ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION.

AS TO OTHER ENVIRONMETAL CONCERNS, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE ST. CROIX CHAMBER OF COMMERCE RESPECTFULLY ACKNOWLEDGES AND ACCEDES TO THE PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE OF THE ST. CROIX ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION.

WE RESPECTFULLY ENCOURAGE THE SENATE TO BALANCE THE EMOTIONAL RHETORIC AND THE UNREALISTIC ALTERNATIVES OFFERED BY THOSE OPPOSING THIS PROJECT AGAINST THE CONSIDERED, SCIENTIFIC ASSESSMENT PREPARED AND SUBMITTED BY THE ST. CROIX ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION IN ITS TESTIMONY.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY IN SUPPORT OF THE ALPINE ENERGY PROJECT.

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