"Residents of Gloster, Mississippi, are suing plant that exports wood pellets to UK and Europe. Company says it is reducing emissions"

"When Helen Reed first learned about the bioenergy mill opening in her hometown of Gloster, Mississippi, the word was it would bring jobs and economic opportunities. It was only later that she learned that activity came with a cost: the Amite Bioenergy mill, opened in 2014 by British energy giant Drax, emits large – and sometimes illegal – quantities of air pollutants, including methanol, acrolein and formaldehyde, which are linked to cancers and other serious illnesses.

“When I go out, I can’t hardly catch my breath,” Reed said. “Everything is worse since Drax came here.”

The facility churns out billions of wood pellets each year to meet surging overseas demand for “sustainable biomass”, a renewable alternative to coal.

Now, Gloster residents are suing Drax, alleging that the company unlawfully exposed people to “massive amounts of toxic pollutants”, according to the October filing."

Tristan Baurick for Verite News with photographs by Kathleen Flynn December 17, 2025. [2]