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Questions raised at Cilion informational meeting
Cilion Corp. held an informational meeting about the ethanol production facility they have proposed to construct at the Commodity Resource industrial site located on Route 5 west in the Town of Caledonia. The plant would be built on 14 acres of land there. Enjar Knudsen, Cilion Executive Vice-President for Business Development and Matt Cole, CRC Director of Business Development, conducted the meeting attended by about 165 people. Representatives from other companies and agencies, including the Livingston County Economic Development Office, WNY Farm Credit, the Town of Caledonia Planning Board, project engineers and others, were also on hand to answer questions. Knudsen opened the meeting by saying his company would like to bring the $80 million ethanol plant to Caledonia, but, only if the community supports it. He told the group gathered at J.W. Jones Hall that Cilion selected Caledonia for three simple reasons: the cows are here, the railroad is here and the dairy market is here for the wet and dry distillers grain, a byproduct of ethanol production. The ethanol production process, also relatively simple, was explained. Ethanol is produced with corn through stages of grinding, fermenting, distilling and then mixing with gasoline. It is estimated to produce about 55 to 60 million gallons of ethanol per year. About 20 percent of the corn used at the facility would be supplied by local growers, Knudsen said. The resulting byproduct of ethanol production, distillers grain, would be marketed to dairy farms in the region as a nutritious feed for cattle. Knudsen listed questions and concerns raised by the crowd and responded to each one. Topics covered included increased truck traffic, onsite security and emergency response, the water source, Cilion’s commitment to use local construction labor, increased lighting at the site, expected lifespan of the plant, waste, noise, discharge, fire/explosion risk, odors and of course, the environmental impact to the area. Specifically, there were questions about the DEIS (Draft Environmental Impact Statement), which can be reviewed at the Caledonia Town Clerk’s office and the Caledonia Library or click on the link below. As lead agency in the environmental review process, the Town Planning Board will receive and consider public comment on the proposed ethanol plant through February 28, 2007. Richard Thomas, a Town of Caledonia resident, raised many serious concerns about the environmental impact the ethanol plant may have on the air, water, health and safety of those living in the community. Specifically, Thomas is concerned about the location of the proposed facility. "The proposed plant will be sited adjacent to planned industrial facilities with a combined storage capacity of over 8 million gallons of liquid fertilizer and tens of thousands of gallons of diesel fuel. The ethanol plant will add another million gallon facility for ethanol, plus 60,000 gallon storage for gasoline, 20,000 for sodium hydroxide, and 9,400 gallons of sulfuric acid. It will sit on top of ground characterized by bedrock relatively near the surface. Although modern secondary containment systems will be in place to keep spills in check, it is still a significant industrial site sitting squarely on a shallow aquifer that is not only the source of Spring Creek, but also the source of drinking water for village residents," Thomas explained. Thomas is equally concerned with the potential storm water runoff associated with industrial sites like this and its possible contamination of Spring Creek, the unique fresh water that feeds the Caledonia Fish Hatchery and the Village of Caledonia municipal water supply. In addition, Thomas says people should be concerned with the contaminants that the plant will emit into the atmosphere that will affect the air people breath. Knudsen noted Thomas’ concerns and was able to answer some of them, others he referred to a company representative with expertise in environmental matters. He said he would get specific answers to some of Thomas’ points that he couldn’t answer that evening. The informational meeting also included facts on the economic impact the Cilion plant would have specifically on the town, school, county, village, fire district and the local farmer. There was discussion of the broader economic impact the Cilion plant would have on local labor, the railroad company, and the local merchants. Estimates are that the Cilion project would bring about $1.5 million is payroll to the community. Cilion would pay between $700,000-$800,000 in taxes on the facility. As an alternate fuel project, Cilion is eligible for Empire Zone status and therefore New York State would reimburse the company’s property taxes. The estimated local tax revenue in one year looks like this:
Most of the questions raised were answered by Knudsen and Cole, but a few had to be held until the public hearing so that an accurate answer could be obtained. With the comment period over, Knudsen asked for a show of hands to determine the overall public support of the project. Only Town of Caledonia residents could participate. Results are as follows:
Robert Sturm, Caledonia Town Planning Board Chair told the crowd that his agency is, after numerous hours of investigation and consideration, in full support of the Cilion project. The Town of Caledonia will hold a public hearing on the proposed Cilion Ethanol project on February 14, 2007 at the Town Hall, 3109 Main Street, Caledonia.
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