May 12, 2006
by Jaime Bumbarger
Mo Valley Bureau Chief
Reproduced with permission.

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NORTH PHILIPSBURG -- As fuel costs continue to soar, alternative energy sources are becoming more and more popular. Currently, there is a proposal for an ethanol plant in the Curwensville area, and now, Rush Township is proposed as a possible site for a bio-diesel plant.

At last night's Rush Township Board of Supervisors' meeting, Jack Shannon, chairman, announced that Resource Recovery LLC, the Lancaster-based company proposing a landfill and industrial park in the township, is preparing to submit plans to the state Department of Environmental Protection for a two-step bio-diesel plant on a parcel of property that straddles Rush and Snow Shoe townships.

He said both townships have been approached about the possibility, but as of yet, no decision on location has been made.

"This is the beginning of industrial development in this area," said Mr. Shannon. Opponents of the proposed development have been skeptical that a proposed industrial park at the site would ever garner any interested parties because of its proximity to a landfill and its relatively secluded location from other development.

Mr. Shannon explained the plan is to take a vegetable material, such as soybean, grind it down and remove its oil at one plant. It would then be transported to a separate plant and combined with diesel fuel. The residual product would be used as feed stock for livestock, he said.

Although he acknowledged plans are "very preliminary" at this point, he and fellow supervisor Pat Couturiaux are excited about the prospect. Among the many benefits, they said, farmers in the area could benefit from the bio-diesel plant.

Plus, the two plants are expected to cost $30 million and $20-25 million, respectively.

Mr. Couturiaux said this could help school districts through real estate taxes, but Mr. Shannon cautioned the project, if approved, will involve a lengthy process that could take years.

According to Mr. Shannon, the plants would utilize methane gases produced by the landfill, as well as its sewage system. However, none of these have been constructed, let along approved by DEP as of yet.

In fact, RRLLC's landfill permit application was submitted to DEP one week ago and is in the process of being reviewed to determine if it is "administratively complete." That review is just the first step in the process.

If considered "administratively complete," DEP will schedule an LMIP, or Local Municipal Involvement Process, meeting with the developer, host municipality, adjacent municipalities and the county to provide information on the applicable regulations and policies used to review a landfill permit application and for the permit applicant to provide the specifics of the proposed project.

Supervisor Steve Knowles said he has mixed feelings about the proposal. He said a bio-diesel plant is a good idea, but questioned why it has to go hand-in-hand with the landfill. "It could always go someplace else. It can happen without it," he said. "But if it (the landfill) ends up going through, we'll have to make the most of it probably."

Since taking office in January, Mr. Knowles has consistently voted against anything related to the proposed landfill. "A lot of people put me here (in office) for a reason, the landfill," Mr. Knowles said. "I'm against it."

Last night, he cast the lone dissenting vote on a motion to accept an operation and maintenance agreement with RRLLC for its on-site sanitary sewerage and sewage treatment facility. Mr. Shannon said the agreement is required by DEP and in essence states that RRLLC is responsible to operate and repair the system and plant.

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