Green Energy's Dirty Secret: Southern Towns Bear the Burden

For years, Robert Weatherspoon was the heart of every gathering in Gloster, Mississippi. Known for his devastating one-liners and off-color game commentary, the 67-year-old was the man who supplied the laughs. But on a recent evening, the laughter was replaced by a strained silence.

Shuffling from his bed to the living room left him breathless. He took a puff from his inhaler, but his throat felt locked and his chest was tight. The usual aroma of bacon and butter beans drifting from the kitchen was overshadowed by the struggle for air.

"I thought I was dying last night. For 20 minutes, I couldn't get out of bed, couldn't move."

His condition represents a stark shift for a man who once jogged and tended a garden of okra and peppers. Now, he says, everything changed in 2014 when a massive mill opened in his town.

Across the Atlantic, European nations have championed wood pellets as a climate-friendly alternative to coal and gas. Made from sawdust and comparatively cheap trees grown in the American South, these pellets now power a large share of the United Kingdom's electrical grid.

The British energy giant Drax operates the mills fueling this demand. The company has transformed the UK's largest coal power station into what is essentially an immense wood stove, fueled by pine from Mississippi and Louisiana. The operation churns out billions of pellets each year.

Drax foresees substantial growth in the coming years, particularly in the U.S., where it plans new mills and an ambitious push into carbon capture and storage. The company rakes in billions in both profits and government subsidies for its sustainable biomass operations.

However, the supply chain has a hidden cost borne by Southern communities.

In Gloster, a mill town of 850 residents in southwest Mississippi, the Amite Bioenergy mill opened with promises of prosperity. When local pulp, paper, and lumber mills closed in the 2000s, the economy collapsed. Drax was seen as a godsend—a rejuvenator of jobs and pride.

Instead, many residents say they received little more than noise, dust, and toxic air. Helen Reed, a Gloster native, describes a daily struggle.

"When I go out, I can't hardly catch my breath. Everything is worse since Drax came here."

According to Environmental Protection Agency data, Gloster is exposed to more particulate matter and releases of toxic air than most parts of the country. The EPA lists the Drax mill as the region's only major emitter of toxic air pollutants.

While it is not clear whether Drax's activity has caused any specific individual's health problems, the mills release chemicals at levels federal regulators and scientists say can be toxic to humans. In living rooms and on front porches, it is hard to find anyone who believes their life was better before the mill.

The issues in Gloster are not isolated. Drax operates two other nearly identical mills in Louisiana—near Urania and Bastrop. Across all three facilities, the company has been forced to pay millions of dollars for hundreds of pollution violations over the past five years.

In Urania, a central Louisiana town, the penalties have had little effect on the daily reality of residents. Glen Henderson, who lives a mile from the LaSalle BioEnergy mill, describes a disruption to his retirement.

"I was born and raised in the area, and I love it here," Henderson said. "But if I get a chance, I'm definitely going to move." He notes that the mill's lights and noise at night, along with sawdust coating his car in the morning, are unlike the old mills he worked in after high school.

Despite the fines, Drax continues to expand. A spokesperson for the company stated that they are making strides to reduce pollution and prioritize the safety of their people and the communities in which they operate.

The disparity between European energy goals and Southern American health outcomes highlights a complex global trade. The biomass industry relies on the abundance of timber in the American South, where land is cheaper and regulations may differ from European standards.

For towns like Gloster, the economic revival promised by the mill has not materialized in the way residents hoped. Instead of a return to boom times, they face a new kind of industrial footprint—one that is invisible to the consumer burning "green" electricity in London or Paris but palpable in the Mississippi air.

The situation raises questions about the true sustainability of biomass energy when the full lifecycle costs are accounted for. As Drax plans its next phase of growth and carbon capture initiatives, the residents of these Southern towns wait to see if the air they breathe will ever clear.

The story of Robert Weatherspoon and his neighbors in Gloster is a stark reminder of the disconnect between energy policy and local impact. While Europe moves toward a greener future, the foundation of that transition is built on the health of communities thousands of miles away.

The wood pellet industry represents a significant economic force, but one that leaves a trail of pollution violations and respiratory distress in its wake. As the demand for sustainable biomass grows, the pressure mounts on companies like Drax to prove that green energy does not come at the expense of human health.

For now, the residents of Gloster and similar towns continue to navigate the trade-offs of a global energy economy, hoping that the next chapter brings not just jobs, but cleaner air.