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Biomass Plant Faces Federal Fines For Worker's Death

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A wood-burning power plant in Springfield could face more than $125,000 in federal fines after a worker died on the job last November.

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that a 23-year-old plant employee died after being pulled into a conveyor.

Inspectors found a lack of safety guarding on that conveyor and other machinery. And they say employees weren’t trained to keep equipment from accidentally turning on.

In a statement, officials say the worker’s death was a tragedy the plant’s owner could have prevented.

That owner, New Jersey-based EWP Renewable Corporation, has two weeks to respond to the federal penalty.

The 16-megawatt plant has been online for more than 30 years.

Annie has covered the environment, energy, climate change and the Seacoast region for NHPR since 2017. She leads the newsroom's climate reporting project, By Degrees.
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