Wood pellets, made from compressed sawdust and wood scraps, are promoted as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels for energy and heating. However, the dust and pellets themselves are highly flammable; since 2010, over 52 fires have occurred at U.S. pellet factories. Notably, biomass giant Drax has witnessed major fires, including one in Louisiana in 2021 and spontaneous combustion in a UK storage port.
Despite this troubling safety history, Drax and Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR) aim to construct new pellet mills in Tuolumne and Lassen counties, California — areas already vulnerable to wildfires and near Yosemite National Park and Stanislaus National Forest. The companies argue thinning forests and converting excess wood into pellets will reduce wildfire risks. Yet local critics, including instructor Megan Fiske, question the transparency and efficacy of these claims. Many residents remain unaware of the plant proposals near their communities.
Under the plans, loggers could harvest "dead or dying" trees and woody material within 100 miles of the mills, purportedly to prevent fires. However, locals describe issues like inadequate training and over-harvesting, exacerbated by language and wage barriers among workers. Activists in Lassen and Tuolumne counties are mobilizing opposition against the plan over safety and environmental fears.
Community organizer Renee Orth charges Drax and GSNR with downplaying fire dangers and the environmental harm of widespread logging. The planned export terminal in Stockton has triggered similar protests, with advocates like Gloria Alonso Cruz pointing out that marginalized neighborhoods may lack resources to resist. Cruz asserts, "We are not going to let that happen."
Most pellets produced would be shipped overseas to Europe and Asia, where they are classified as renewable and heavily subsidized. Yet studies reveal burning U.S. wood pellets emits greenhouse gases equivalent to millions of cars annually, with forest regrowth taking decades or longer to offset the carbon footprint.
Some experts, such as Forest Service ecologist Kim Davis, endorse forest thinning and controlled burns to mitigate wildfire severity. Critics like climate scientist Dominick DellaSala argue these approaches neglect broader ecosystem and climate impacts — for example, removing large trees can increase wind and dry out undergrowth, potentially accelerating fires.
Drax’s troubled record, which includes over 11,000 U.S. environmental violations and a $25 million UK fine for sustainability misreporting, intensifies concerns. Over 185 community and environmental groups have called on California to reject the pellet mill projects, labeling their wildfire prevention claims as misleading and risky.
California already uses controlled burns and strategic thinning to manage wildfire risk. Critics worry new pellet mills would incentivize excessive logging, damaging healthy forests and worsening dangers they claim to reduce. As Orth summarizes, "It’s greenwashing through and through."
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Source: https://www.wired.com/story/in-california-a-biomass-companys-expansion-raises-fears-of-more-fires/