[news forwarded by Mark Stechbart]
Published: Monday, April 13, 2009
Snohomish County's next phase in biodiesel plan is new seed crusher
By Noah Haglund <mailto:[email protected]>
Herald Writer
EVERETT -- Snohomish County's plan to dry and store canola seed for biodiesel production is chugging along, despite a tanking alternative-fuels market.
A 24-ton machine that crushes canola seed is expected to arrive any day. Next month, the county's public works staff hopes to test the machine by smashing leftover seed into oil. If that goes well, it should be ready for the fall harvest.
"I think the project's going forward," Councilman Dave Somers said. "It's still going to be good for us."
Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning version of petroleum-based diesel. It can be made from a variety of vegetable oils, including corn and rapeseed, which is commonly known as canola.
In September, the county unveiled a $1.2 million* <http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20090413/NEWS01/704139948#correx> center at Cathcart for the project, part of a plan to support local farmers and help switch the county over to more renewable energy.
The county also secured a $500,000 grant last year from the Washington State Department of Community Trade and Economic Development to buy the crusher. In August, the County Council approved a $464,000 bid from Whole Energy Fuels Corp. of Bellingham to procure the equipment, install it and train county employees to use it.
The machinery was supposed to be in place in February, but the company missed the deadline because it couldn't make a final $68,000 payment to the manufacturer, Insta-Pro International of Des Moines, Iowa. To avoid losing the grant, the County Council on April 1 voted to make the final payment directly to the manufacturer and to subtract that amount from Whole Energy's original contract.
The crusher is to be housed at Cathcart instead of another location in the Stanwood area because of concerns that the canola seed would cross-contaminate cabbage seed, county public works director Steve Thomsen said.
Whole Energy CEO Atul Deshmane said the county's payment helped his company with near-term cash-flow. Whole Energy has been waiting for payments from many of its own business partners hit by the overall economy and a plunge in commodity prices, Deshmane said.
Noah Haglund: 425-339-3465, [email protected].
"I suppose the trigger-happy few who want to find unending fault with popularly elected officials need another non-issue." - Todd Bray
I'm going to save this quote for every instance there is ever any criticism of our City Council. It's a beauty.
Posted by: Jeffrey Simons | May 26, 2009 at 11:33 AM
can we please have an update on the plant by someone on the City Council or Ms. Hall.
Posted by: jim alex | May 26, 2009 at 09:02 AM
La La La La La...Jeffy, we can't hear you!
Posted by: Lois Rogan | May 19, 2009 at 12:21 PM
if only someone had said Whole Energy didn't have the resources or technical expertise to build the project, we would have been spared this debacle. oh wait, we did.
Posted by: Jeffrey Simons | May 19, 2009 at 12:13 PM
The silence surrounding the Vree-Hall Biodiesel Refinerey is deafening.
Is this project dead?
Will Pacifica get a refund of $160,000 taxpayer seed money?
Who will pay the fines for work done without permits?
Who will pay for remediation of the site?
What do we do with all of the used vegetable oil currently being stored at the old Waste Water Treatment Plant and who pays for the handling?
Are we, the taxpayers, being stuck with the cost of this "pet" science project?
Posted by: mike bell | May 19, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Interesting.
Posted by: Lois Rogan | May 15, 2009 at 09:09 PM