Village Leader ‘Pretty Excited’ About Biodiesel
By Cahalan, Steve
CASHTON, Wis. – Two area legislators and Cashton Village President Bob Amundson said Thursday they support a proposed biodiesel plant that BEST Energies Inc. of Madison wants to build in the Cashton Greens Business Park.
State Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse; state Rep. Lee Nerison, R- Westby; and Amundson told the La Crosse Tribune they support the company’s plans to begin making biodiesel from soybean oil about April 1, on the west side of Hwy. 27 on the village’s far south side.
They were among about 20 people at the Cashton Community Center for the state Department of Natural Resources public hearing on proposed construction and operation permits for the facility.
Tony Janowiec, BEST Energies vice president of operations was the only person who spoke at the brief hearing.
“We are extremely excited” about the project, Janowiec said at the hearing. The plant will be able to make about 12 million gallons of biodiesel a year and will employ about 15 people, he said.
Initially, the plant is expected to produce about 8 million gallons a year, he said in an interview.
“We’re pretty excited as a village to have BEST Energies building this facility, Amundson said. “We know they’ll be good neighbors.” Amundson said he knows of no opposition to the project.
“I think it’s a great project for the area and for the village of Cashton,” Nerison said. He added he supports renewable energy and reducing dependence on foreign oil.
“With the rural economy, there’s so much potential out there,” Kapanke said. “This is just another example. We’re talking about 15 jobs that will be good-paying jobs.”
Kapanke said projects such as the biodiesel plant and the Organic Valley distribution center under construction in the same business park help keep people in rural areas.
“So the school systems stay filled instead of losing numbers,” he said. “Main Street Cashton is going to benefit from this. And we’re in an exciting age as far as biofuels ethanol and biodiesel.”
BEST BioEnergy Park of Cashton, a subsidiary of BEST Energies, will operate the plant and sell the biodiesel to distributors who will blend it with petroleum diesel fuel. Blends of biodiesel and petroleum diesel fuel can be used in most diesel engines.
BEST also hopes to begin producing electricity by late 2007 using synthetic gas made from manure and sawdust at a pyrolysis unit that would be built near the biodiesel plant. The unit is expected to have about 12 employees.
Copyright La Crosse Tribune Nov 17, 2006
(c) 2006 La Crosse Tribune. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.