A biomass facility planned for Springfield, Mass., would pump more smoke into neighborhoods already grappling with asthma and air pollution. Photo by David Masaka.
May 27, 2025 (Boston, MA) – The Springfield City Council and Springfield Zoning Board of Approvals, represented by the Conservation Law Foundation, asked the state’s Supreme Judicial Court to review a decision that revived building permits for the controversial Palmer Renewable Energy biomass facility in Springfield. The permits – first issued in 2011 – have been at the center of legal battles for years, and a recent Massachusetts Appeals Court decision reversed an earlier ruling that found them expired.
“Springfield families have spent over a decade fighting to keep this polluting project out of their neighborhood, and now the legal seesaw continues,” said Alex St. Pierre, Director of Communities and Toxics at CLF. “But what’s never been up for debate is that pumping more smoke into neighborhoods already grappling with asthma and air pollution is a bad idea – plain and simple.”
For years, the Palmer project has faced tireless opposition from residents and city leaders. One court dubbed the project a “franken-permit” – a patchwork of outdated approvals and legal loopholes stitched together to avoid compliance with today’s environmental safeguards.
“We are hopeful that the SJC will hear our case and put an end to this seemingly interminable dispute,” said Springfield City Council President and Attorney Michael A. Fenton. “The law in Massachusetts says a building permit is only good for 6 months, but the developer contends that a building permit from almost 14 years ago is still valid. Allowing such an old permit to avoid expiration would be, in my opinion, the definition of an absurd result. It’s time to let this bad idea go.”
Added St. Pierre: “This fight isn’t just about permits stamped in 2011. It’s about setting a dangerous precedent – letting polluters pretend it’s still 2011 while ignoring today’s science and silencing community voices. We won’t let a zombie permit crawl its way into an already overburdened community.”
Earlier this month, CLF joined over 86 organizations in urging Massachusetts lawmakers to end public subsidies for biomass energy. The groups warned that taxpayer support is propping up outdated and harmful projects like Palmer’s, under the guise of clean energy.
The application for review can be read here.
Experts are available for further comment.
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