Plans nixed for Caledonia corn ethanol plant

   Cilion Corporation, a California based company once looking at the Town of Caledonia to build an $80 million corn ethanol production plant, has officially backed out of the project.

   Caledonia Town Supervisor Daniel Pangrazio says Cilion has not notified his office of their action; he found out about it when a Rochester television news reporter contacted him for comment.

   "The town knew about six months ago that Cilion had put the project on hold indefinitely due to rising corn prices, but I haven’t received a call from either Cilion Corporation or Les Cole of Commodity Resource Corporation," Pangrazio said.

   CRC is an industrial park located on LeRoy-Caledonia Road in Caledonia that is home to a dry fertilizer production plant. CRC President Leslie Cole had been working cooperatively with Cilion’s management team to obtain the necessary permits from the Town of Caledonia to move the project forward. Cilion had also worked with the offices of Livingston County Economic Development and WNY Farm Credit.

   Cilion and Cole hosted a public information meeting in January 2007 and shortly thereafter, publicly announced that the plant’s production was on hold. The public voiced concern at that meeting about the viability of corn ethanol production and its impact on agriculture and the environment.

   It is uncertain whether CRC will seek an alternate investor for the project. Cole, could not be reached for comment.