Particulate Matter: Case Study
Beehive Burner Phase-out in the Bulkley Valley
By the 31 December 1997 Wood Residue Burner and Incinerator Regulation deadline, 44 of the 80 Tier 1 burners (five in Skeena region, including one in New Hazleton) were shut down.
The three highest-priority Tier 1 burners in Skeena Region remained in operation, all in the smoke-sensitive Bulkley Valley. Cabinet amended the regulation that month to extend operation of these burners for up to one more year, with a provision for further extension under certain conditions.
In June 1997, G.E. Bridges and Associates was commissioned by the BC Government and the Council of Forest Industries (COFI) to do a study of opportunities for the use of wood residue, and the phase-out of beehive and unmodified silo burners. It showed that few value-added uses of wood residue are currently viable. It also suggested policy options to remedy this and accelerate the phase-out of beehive burners.
In November 1997, a panel toured the province to receive input on the Bridges report and the phase-out of the burners. Three major themes emerged:
- public health impacts from wood smoke pollution is (still) a major concern;
- there is a need to protect jobs and economic prosperity; and
- there is a desire to see wood residue put to value-added uses, particularly co-generation.
In 1998, the three Bulkley Valley Tier 1 beehive burner operators submitted their phase-out plans for community review in Smithers and Houston. The plans, which required Cabinet approval, called for upgrading the burners and an extension of five years to develop alternative wood-residue disposal capabilities.
Not to minimize the importance of issues such as resource stewardship, the fundamental issue driving much of this process is the quality of air in the valley. Therefore, as part of the review process, the Ministry of Environment (MoE) prepared a report containing a comprehensive review of air quality monitoring data from the stations in Houston and Smithers.
A report was also composed describing the history of the phase-out issue in the context of the Bulkley Valley up to this point. Copies of these reports were sent to all those who expressed an interest or who were stakeholders in the issue. Copies were also uploaded to the Internet as a public service for others who may have been interested.
After reviewing all submissions, Cabinet agreed in December 1998 to a two-year extension for the Bulkley Valley beehive burners. MoE Skeena Region amended the burners’ air emission permits (CanFor Inc., Houston Forest Products Company, and Pacific Inland Resources) to maximize the pollution-prevention capability of burner operations. The permits require:
- one weekly start-up and shut-down, and burner temperature/emissions control optimization with continuous controlled-feed burning;
- ability to provide supplementary fuel as needed by a controlled fuel-addition system during periods in which less wood residue is produced (i.e., shift changes, breakdowns, and lunch breaks);
- capacity to divert wood residue to allow the burner to shut down for up to five consecutive normal production days for air-quality management purposes, in response to anticipated/actual adverse weather or air quality conditions;
- twice-per-year public reporting of beehive burner phase-out progress, and interim pollution-prevention and wood-residue utilization initiatives; and
- continuous real-time visual monitoring of emissions via a Webcam connected to the internet.
MoE continues to encourage mills to separate the various wood residue types as much as is practical. This is to facilitate better utilization of white wood in value-added applications, such as panel board manufacturing at the Newpro plant in Smithers. The twice- annual public reports should help track progress and diligence in this regard.
As of March 1999, all three burner operators appealed some or all of these amendments (and in one case other pre-existing permit conditions), as did a number of residents of the Bulkley Valley, represented by the Sierra Legal Defence Fund. These appeals were to be heard by the Environmental Appeal Board.
All parties to the appeal of the beehive burner permits met over the spring and summer months of 1999 in a process whereby a solution to the outstanding issues was mediated. A mediated settlement was not achieved by all parties. MoE notified the Houston burner operators that the appeals would continue. West Fraser and MoE have effectively resolved any differences they had and have negotiated a beehive burner episode management plan. The plan allows for the burner to be shut down when directed by MoE in response to periods of poor air quality and/or dispersion meteorology.
The appeals were heard by the Environmental Appeal Board on February 21, 2000 and March 3, 2000, at the Hudson Bay Lodge in Smithers. The Environmental Appeal Board ruled that the BC Lung Association could participate in the hearings for the purposes of providing medical and scientific evidence on respiratory health, and the risk to public respiratory health arising from, or contributed to, by the operation of beehive burners.
On April 25, 2002 the Environmental Appeal Board came down with a decision regarding the Houston burner operators. Results can be found at the EAB Waste Management Act Decisions for 2002, appeal 1999-WAS-06/08(d), 1999-WAS-11/12/13(d), 2000-WAS-01(d).
updated: may 2006
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