InFocus featuring Gerry Martin (Springfield Biomass Plant)

From the 22 News Plus studio, this is 22 News In Focus with Patrick Berry. Hello, everyone, and welcome to this edition of In Focus. I am your host, Patrick Berry. Today, we are talking about... So modern energy, I guess, is a good way to describe it. You've got your basic oils, you've, you know, you've got gas pipelines and so forth, solar, wind, but there's a new type of power plant. I shouldn't even call it new, but there's a power plant that's been going around here in Western Mass. They've been trying to find a home. I live in Westfield, as most of you know, they tried to come into Westfield a number of years ago. And for the past 20 years or so, They have been trying to come into Springfield and I'm excited today because joining me across the desk from the Springfield City Council is Jerry Martin. He is a city councilor for Ward 7. Yes, I believe Ward 7. And also you're the chair of the Public Safety Committee, which is why you're here in the hot seat today. I appreciate you coming in and giving me some of your time. So thanks so much. Yeah, thank you for having me, Pat. I'm excited to talk. So when it comes to the biomass plant in Springfield, I got so many questions. How long has it been proposed here in Springfield? So as you had mentioned, it has also been targeted in other areas as well. In Springfield, Greenfield, Russell, this has been an issue since like 2000. Oh, wow. Yeah. So this was originally proposed by Palmer Renewable Energy 2008, and it's been an ongoing legal, political. Back and forth for now almost two decades. Where in Springfield are they looking to put it? So the proposed location is in the East Springfield neighborhood. Okay. Kind of bordering. Is that your ward? No, it is not. Okay. So that's, this proposed location is on the edge of Ward 2 and Ward 8. So again, East Springfield, Indian Orchard. There's been a lot of outcry from like Chicopee as well. It's those two neighborhoods, you know, neighbor Chicopee. So, yeah, there's been a lot of outcry. It's on 1000 Page Boulevard in East Springfield. So explain to everyone, what are they proposing? What is this plant? What do they want to do there? Yeah, so it's kind of like a complex, you know, new source of energy. So, you know, the Massachusetts, you know, either the state legislature or state agencies, You know, determined that a... You know, what they call a wood biomass incinerator would be considered like a form of, you know, clean energy, green energy. Yeah. Yeah. Production. Yeah. That, you know, whether it's actually, you know, as green or clean has been a very contentious, you know, debate or topic, you know, I, for one, you know, have my skepticisms, but essentially like how, how it works and what was proposed even all the way back in 2008. is that it would burn upwards of what they say, like 1,000 tons per day of like wood chips. That wood chips would, those, you know, burnt wood chips would produce like a steam that goes to a boiler that generates 35 megawatts. Okay. Of energy. And the idea is that that would help supplement or add as another... Uh, option for Springfield power sources. So, you know, you, I know Springfield already gets gas and oil and whatever. And so this would be an additional, an additional source. Yeah. The claim is that it would help kind of power and generate energy for, for hundreds of homes. Okay. Um, here in the city, again, you know, I'm, I'm not sure how that maths out or what the science is behind that, but. You know, a lot of the concerns are a lot with health and public safety. You know, I'm glad you brought it up because I remember, you know, when it was proposed in the Westfield area. And if you if you generally think about it, they're burning something, wood chips, pallet, whatever it might be. They have to burn some sort of wood. Think about, you know, doing a fire in your backyard or in your fireplace, in your house. It creates ash and smoke. And so I have to imagine. That's the biggest concern, right? It's just the health aspects of it? Yeah. I mean, you look at Springfield. We, for the longest time, were the number one asthma capital. In the world. I don't want to say that. It could have been the world, but I feel comfortable saying the United States. Yeah, exactly. I feel comfortable saying the United States. We've since kind of moved a little further down the rankings. But at the most recent public safety committee meeting, someone made a great point. It's probably not because our conditions are necessarily getting better, but other communities might be feeling the hurt more in their conditions. So the conditions and the environmental concerns that led to our asthma problem here in Springfield really haven't... Gone away. We still have a huge, huge concern about it. You know, it's funny you mention that because I have heard the same thing about at the asthma capital here. And, you know, the Wilbraham Mountains, Hamden, you know, and out there. And if you go a little bit further, the Holyoke Range. And then the Berkshires and, you know, Mount Tom. It just, everything comes down. The Connecticut River is in a valley. So everything sits there. Yes. You know, whether it's. You know, pollution or whatnot. And it's just, there are a lot of respiratory issues right up and down the Connecticut River Valley. Yeah, no doubt. And again, this is burning, what they say, at least, this proposed project, at least 1,000 tons. Seven days a week, 365 days a year. Right. That's a lot. That's a lot of smoke. That's a lot of carbon dioxide going up in the air. It's a lot. It's unlikely that it's really going to help improve the breathing conditions, the air quality, here in Springfield. And again, it's really tone deaf. I mean, we were the asthma capital of the country. And to think it's a good idea to put an incinerator and a pollutant in the areas is crazy. We are up on our first commercial break. We've got plenty more to talk about when it comes to the Springfield biomass plants. Stay with us. We're back in just a minute. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Berry. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Berry. Hello, everyone, and welcome back to this edition of In Focus. I'm your host, Patrick Berry. Sitting across from me from the Springfield City Council is Jerry Martin, Councilor. Thank you so very much for joining me. I appreciate you coming in to talk about this important issue, Springfield biomass plant. We didn't even talk about it. How long have you been a city councilor? Oh, my election was back in November 2025. So So you came into this and got handed this Magilla, not you specifically, but as a new city councilor, there's the good and the bad about that. You don't have the history of dealing with this over years. So you bring a new and different perspective to it from a younger generation as well Yes. And you know, that's, that's the truth. And that's the The reality of a lot of our current environmental concerns, it's people in my generation that are inheriting this planet, that's inheriting this environment. That's why we got to be extra diligent and careful with our decisions here. So what are you hearing from other people in your generation about energy, biomass plant and so forth? Were they even engaged at all in this project? You would be surprised. There's a lot of young friends of mine and peers who started to take a notice in local politics. And you see it in a lot of... You know, local engagement, civic associations. I mean, there's a lot of young people who realize the most important and impactful change happens right in your backyard. I love it. Yeah. I love hearing younger people getting involved. So you come in to city council. You get sworn in January 2026. Mm-hmm. Was this an immediate concern? Of the council or has this plant proposal sort of been stewing in the background for 20 years? And was there a trigger like, you know, they started bringing in construction equipment or whatever it might have been. That's the city council and folks in Springfield just said, all right, hold on a second. We got to we got to revisit this project. Yeah. So that's a that's a great question, Patrick. Overall, generally speaking, this project is what I've heard some of my colleagues refer to as a Frankenstein project. It just keeps coming back to life. Every year or a couple of years or even sometimes months, there's a new development, there's a new legal finding or a new update that's bringing this issue back to the forefront. Um, in terms of, of my, my recent tenure, I mean, As early as February, I want to say the February 4th, 2026, the permits were, you know, reissued as a result of an appeals court decision. So like the building permits and the air quality permits were then reissued for Palmer Renewable Energy. So this project isn't going away as we sit here, you know, this could. I mean, it's kind of just going through the motions, like you said, you know, February 2026, something happened, all of a sudden it started again. I mean, that could happen in three years, four years, five years again from now, correct? Just it could keep popping up like the Frankenstein. Yeah, right. Just keep rearing its ugly head. Yeah, that's, you know, again, maybe, that's a great term. Frankenstein project is really spot on. Because again, back in... 2008 is when this project first started. Then in 2013, the building permits were revoked by the city council for the project. Then we thought, okay, maybe this project will go away. Then in 2016 or 2017, there was a lower court decision, a land court decision that... You know, said that, oh, you know, because of our zoning laws changes, they were actually grandfathered in, reissued the permit. Then we brought it back to the Zoning Board of Appeals. They revoked them again. And then that recently is what got that overturned. So it's just like every so often it's just it's coming back. So let's talk about the zoning thing. Why? Why doesn't the zoning board, planning board, whoever creates all that? Why don't they just for once and for all say no? Or is that something that you, as part of the city's legislature, need to create those rules, laws, regulations to, you know, so that way maybe it's this particular project now or something 5 to 10 years from now? You know, how does it, why isn't, why don't you, does the city of Springfield just come up and say, no, this isn't happening? Yeah, so I mean, at the end of the day, no matter what decision is made for a project, there has to be certain grounds. I know from the city council perspective. Back in 2008, 2011, when the project was initially presented and when there was certain changes and sought after permits, there wasn't. a classification for a biomass incinerator. It was a new technology. So there was really no law on the books that would regulate or require permitting or anything of that nature, which is what caused us to change it in 2013. But again, at that point, those permits were issued. So there's a little bit back and forth. There wasn't necessarily a legal or ordinance basis. To revoke or, you know, even provide a permit back then. So why haven't you and your fellow council members or not even today, but 10, 15, 20 years ago, just said, say no or yes. Why not make a just make a decision? Or is it just that are there that many gray areas to this type of energy plant that. You can't just say yes or no. Because you said it's sort of newer technology for creating energy. You still got to kind of understand the process. So why is there no decision either way? So I guess to push back just a little bit, Patrick. So there was like decisive decisions made by the council back then, but then they either get overturned or, you know, then it kind of comes right back right on our doorstep. And so it comes down to just court issues. Yeah. So again, like 2008. Back when it was all, like, at-large city councilors. There was no ward representation like what we have. The 2008 city council, they said they issued out the permits to the biomass They said this is, you know, a good source of energy. We'll give them the shot to do it. But then in 2013, yeah, 2013, the city council then brought in the project again to revoke the special permit, which they did revoke. Okay. This was after the introduction of the ward counselor. So there's a lot of neighborhood pushback. They're hearing from a lot of neighborhood constituents. So this is what I think created the impetus to then pull the permit. Then it was brought into litigation. And then all these decisions and the issuing of permits, the revocation of permits, those were all being challenged. And then the courts ultimately decided that they were pulled illegally. So that's what then led us to bring it to the Zoning Board of Appeals. And I have to give the former council president and a friend and mentor of mine, Jesse Letterman, credit. He was the one who really pushed this back to the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2001. And they revoked the special permits that were then reissued as a result of the first. Court hearings. I know it's a lot. There's a lot of a lot of dates and a lot. Yeah, it's even hard for me to juggle all. But it's I have to. But it really boils down to just legal proceedings. Yes. You know, it's the city's attorneys and the the the folks from. From Palmer Renewable Energy, the attorneys from both sides just need to finalize how this is going to happen or not happen. That's pretty much what it boils down to, right? Okay. All right. We're up on our second commercial break. We've got plenty more to talk about. We're back in just a minute. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Berry. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Berry. Hello, everyone. Welcome back to today's discussion on InFocus. I'm your host, Patrick Berry. Speaking of today's discussion on InFocus, for close to 20 years, there has been, I'm going to read my notes, Palmer Renewable Energy is the name of the company. They've been proposing a... A biomass energy plant in Springfield and this is Springfield is one of many towns I shouldn't say many of a handful of towns that they have looked at it here in Western Mass but but for whatever reason, and we've been getting into that today. It hasn't happened in Springfield so sitting across the desk from me today from the Springfield City Council is their Ward seven city counselor, and also the chair of public safety Jerry Martin Jerry thank you very much for coming in today and talking about them. The biomass plant, I appreciate it. Thank you. You know, one thing we didn't talk about was, and as I mentioned sort of in that opening there, biomass has been proposed in a handful of small towns here in Western Mass. Is this something... That's happening in other parts of the state. So is the state legislature, are they aware of these types of proposals? And are they either putting the brakes on it to create uniform legislation across every city and town in the Commonwealth? Or are they like, hey, no, we need to do this because our energy bills are high and we need whatever we can do? Yeah, no, that's a great question, Pat. I do have to give a tremendous amount of credit to Our Springfield State Senator Adam Gomez and our state representative for the Ward 2 and Ward 8 area, Orlando Ramos, they've been working very diligently to close out what they call a loophole for the biomass in our state laws. When this technology was, you know, first introduced and, you know, initially studied, again, it was. Conceived or thought of by the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection that these biomass incinerators would generate sources of clean and green energy. And there is a certain chapter, Chapter 25A in the Mass General Laws that grants certain subsidies or state payments to these companies that… That, you know, again, create and build these biomass incinerators. So what the two previously mentioned legislature legislators are doing is removing the biomass incinerators from the list of green renewable energy that would receive those those state subsidies and that would kind of get the blessing of the state of Massachusetts. And in turn would basically eliminate them from Massachusetts. Yeah, it's funny because... You know, we've been calling it green energy production, but it seems anything but you got to chop down trees, you got to chip them, and then you pump and smoke and ash into the air. You know, there's nothing green about it. You know, at least on my as the way I look at it, have the you know, in any of your dealings in the meetings or whatever about this, has anybody from the company that's trying to create these plants? Do they recognize the health issues or is it one of those things where. The benefits of creating power and energy for the communities outweigh the health benefits. You know, there's some actuarial who probably did the numbers at some point in time. But what are you hearing from Palmer Energy? So, again, this project's gone on for quite a long time. So I don't want to, you know, speak on their behalf and say what they have or have not said in terms of, you know, health concerns. They may have addressed it. They may not have. I do not know. Um, but from my understanding is that they. They would probably operate on the premise that this is a green source of energy and that this is actually going to be beneficial and that the environmental risks are low. Because again, back in 2008 when it was originally pursued, at some point, I believe maybe even 2009 or 10, one of the requirements is that they would have to go to the Mass Department of Environmental Protection and get in certain... Air quality and pollution. Air checks, right? Yeah, those permits. They were initially granted to Palmer Renewable Energy, given like the levels and the construction project numbers they were given. But again, those permits were then brought into litigation and contested. They were revoked at one point and now recently re-administered. Again, they would probably say, and again, I don't want to speak on their behalf, but they would say that this is not as big as an environmental concern. And that's kind of why I phrased it the way I did is because I'm sure they recognize, you know, we're putting smoke and ash in there, but I'm sure they've run the numbers that the health risks aren't close enough to outweigh the benefits of I mean, we're hearing it all the time. Your energy bill's high. My energy bill is high. Everybody's energy bill is high. So if this is a way to bring it down, then so be it. Outside of the biomass, I don't know, are you privy to any other proposal to create new energy sources for Springfield residents to help? Reduce energy costs, you know, right now in consultation with like our planning department, anything I haven't heard of anything in terms of a new project that's that's being presented. But as they come and go, we'll look, you know, the city council will look on the merits of each project. And if it if it generates, you know, good, clean energy, and then we will we'll pursue that. But I have to also imagine that your recommendation to to. Not just constituents, but residents, even those folks who don't vote or aren't engaged, that if they have concerns or questions, get out to their ward counselor or check online the City of Westfield website and look to see if there's meetings coming up to get involved and just to learn more about it, correct? Yeah, absolutely. We did have a public safety meeting. Health and Human Services is well co-chaired by Councilor Brian Santanello a couple weeks ago. We do plan on having one in the near future, which will be posted and released from our city council office. So I encourage all members of the public to join us to express their concerns, even members from Palmer Renewable Energy. This is your project. We'd love to hear from you. Again, at the end of the day, we have to, you know, heavily consider and weigh out the health and well-being of our public over private interests. Fantastic. A great way to end. City Councilor Jerry Martin, thank you so very much for joining me today. Fantastic conversation. I wish you the best of luck in public life. Thank you so much, Patrick. I appreciate the time. This is 22 News in Focus with Patrick Berry.