Jan. 11—ADEL — A Cook County activist group has reached a settlement with a manufacturer intending to build a wood pellet plant in the city.

On July 8, the Georgia Environmental Protection Division issued an air quality permit to Spectrum Energy to build a wood pellet manufacturing plant on Cook Street in Adel, according to the settlement with Concerned Citizens of Cook County, a nonprofit organization.

Concerned Citizens challenged the permit and the settlement deal allows Spectrum to move forward with the plant.

Concerned Citizens opposed the permit because of "its concerns about the protectiveness of the permit and the legacy of industrial development patterns in Adel and their effects on minority communities," according to the settlement.

Treva Gear, an activist with the Concerned Citizens group, said the plant would be built near the Black and Hispanic parts of Adel.

"We've been fighting (the plant) since 2020," she said. "We want the community to understand the oversight it has over the contaminants coming out of the stacks."

The settlement includes the following safeguards:

— Quarterly reports from Spectrum to Concerned Citizens during the plant's construction;

— Having an independent engineer review the operation of the plant's biofilter;

— Establishment of a public hotline phone by Spectrum;

— Regular sessions where members of the public can air their concerns to Spectrum;

— Noise abatement rules and limits on the hours heavy equipment can be used;

— Donations by Spectrum to Concerned Citizens of six outdoor air quality monitors.

Spectrum Energy had not responded to a request for an interview by time of publication.

Terry Richards is the senior reporter for The Valdosta Daily Times.