At Length, CT Biodiesel Makes Its Case

Let's build it, we need it. The cry of not in my town is bogus, would these same people say the same thing if it was to be built in Enfield or Windsor Locks, I doubt it? Suffield is not the same as it was 30 years ago, no small town is, they all grew and changed, in fact there is more commercial development in this area than there is in most small towns.

I was there. The company on a thorough presentation, as well they should for a major project such as this - more than $70 million dollars. They showed in detail exactly how what they plan fits with the Town's regulations. The opposition, by contrast, showed a You Tube video of a small plant fire, to scare people once again. They failed to address the fact that more people died in car accidents on Suffield roads in the last year than have ever died in biodiesel accidents, including the one they showed where the plant was across the street from homes, as opposed to nearly half a mile for this plant.

The lawyer representing the opposition did not know her material, or anything specific about the project - disappointing

I read the Courant article, based on this alone, the opposition was upset because the developer took too much time to explain the project? I am confused, in order to properly present a $70 million dollar project I would think it would be at least an hour presentation of the project, then a Q & A with the P & Z in town. Then if time allowed public audience. Some towns do not allow public audience on the same night as a major presentation for this reason alone.

Now, I am not sure if processing vegatable oil is considered a chemical process legally. I hope an environmental lawyer can answer this one. But, I do know in construction equipment it is rare to get a piece of equipment that still uses hydraulic oil. They have been retrofitted with vegatable oil. This is so that if a hose goes, it is NOT considered a "release" to the environment.

I'll tell you what, I would retrofit my home system to accept product out of this plant! May be since, they are doing the processing I would not need a retrofit at all!!!!

Excellent presentation by the developer. The video presented by the attorney was a joke...sadly it will not taken in context by the people it targets...those who will not do the research, learn the facts, and not react emotionally. The OH fire was at a plant less than 10 percent the size of the proposed Firestone drive facility. This means that the OH facility was too small to be subject to a whole host of safety regulations that the Suffield project would be subject to. Do you think a top rate insurer like FM Global would touch an operation like the OH facility? No way. The OH fire happened because: 1) a hatch was left open on a tank. The Suffield tanks will all have nitrogen blankets, it will not possible to leave hatches open without upsetting the process, and 2) because an explosion proof motor was NOT used for the garage door opener. As the developer's consultants testified last night, the whole processing area will be outfitted with explosion proof equipment. That video was really a shameful way to present opposition to this project.

Suffield's future undevelopable brown field coming up. This whole controversy just emphasizes the problem with CT being split up into 150+ little fiefdoms. Traffic, pollution and possible economic gain or loss effect the entire region, not just the small area of Sheffield.

The first residents who spoke all had their facts jumbled up as well. If one more moron gets up spouting misinformation about biofuels I will scream. BIODIESEL IS NOT ETHANOL. Biodiesel has a positive energy balance. Biodiesel is NOT made from a food source. It is NOT a trade off of fuel for food. Biodiesel is made from a BYPRODUCT of a food process. The more soybeans that are grown to make biodiesel, the more food will be available. Unlike corn-based ethanol. Soy beans are grown and crushed for the food product, which is soy meal. The soy oil is a BYPRODUCT of this process. The meal is the actual food stuff.

If Suffield doesn't want it, send it down the river to us! We'd love more business's in town to off set our property tax. I don't want our town to become a bedroom community of Hartford, where all the taxes are paid by yours truly, Joe Homeowner. Without an industrial base Suffield will keep building of more McMansions for the workers of Springfield & HTFD. If you thought your property tax is high now, wait it can only go one way with this kind of attitude.

The plant will get approved. Money talks, or have you all forgotten?

What you need is a group that is for this plant. I suggest the town people who want this, get together, get a fact sheet penned, start talking to your friends and neighbors. Get all the facts out there! People are starting to be "informed" by the opposition, don't let that mind set be entrenched!!!

Facts will continue ring true over suggestive videos!!!

A Portland native wrote:

If Suffield doesn't want it, send it down the river to us! We'd love more business's in town to off set our property tax. I don't want our town to become a bedroom community of Hartford, where all the taxes are paid by yours truly, Joe Homeowner. Without an industrial base Suffield will keep building of more McMansions for the workers of Springfield & HTFD. If you thought your property tax is high now, wait it can only go one way with this kind of attitude.

I live in Windsor Locks, about 2 miles from the proposed plant. I would love it if they would consider our town instead. The old Montgomery Wire Mill on the CT River is a complete eyesore (and already contaminated). Seems like a perfect location to me!

A Portland native wrote:

If Suffield doesn't want it, send it down the river to us! We'd love more business's in town to off set our property tax. I don't want our town to become a bedroom community of Hartford, where all the taxes are paid by yours truly, Joe Homeowner. Without an industrial base Suffield will keep building of more McMansions for the workers of Springfield & HTFD. If you thought your property tax is high now, wait it can only go one way with this kind of attitude.

I wish it would come to my town in Lebanon. We have lots of room and plenty of good workers. Suffield is out of their mines to not want this.

A couple of things to consider is. Currently Suffield CT. and surronding towns still grow Tobbacco. Tobbacco is very labor intensive so most of the workers are migrant workers. How many of those migrant workers go back to thier country of orgin? Tobbacco use is on the decline but all those workers have not declined. So image all those soy plants and cannola flowers being grown in town. Without the aid of all those migrant workers.

Suffield wants to be rural--so let it. No more state aid for the schools or town employees. Pay your own way for everything. This proposal should be given a fair chance based on facts and not hindered because the locals who still commute on horse and buggys want their Currier and Ives town free of commerce that is safe.

1) You won't grow soybeans in New England. Far more money in horse hay and dairy then commodity grains that can be grown on single fields in the midwest that are bigger then entire Connecticut farms.

2) I have to believe that a major part of this will be to render waste fat from stores / restaurants along with the soybeans. Why else ship the beans in from the midwest to process here?

3) Lots of room along the P&W railroad tracks in Thompson, Putnam, Killingly, and Plainfield you could put project in.

Matt from CT wrote:

1) You won't grow soybeans in New England. Far more money in horse hay and dairy then commodity grains that can be grown on single fields in the midwest that are bigger then entire Connecticut farms.

Yes you are correct. This is probably good news since the majority of environmental issues reported about facilities in the midwest deal with the CRUSHING facilities, and NOT the biodiesel production itself.

Matt from CT wrote:

2) I have to believe that a major part of this will be to render waste fat from stores / restaurants along with the soybeans. Why else ship the beans in from the midwest to process here?

No, this project relies not at all on yellow grease. The facility appears to be designed to allow for processing of yellow grease as a supplement, but the reality is that there isn't enough yellow grease around to be a major feedstock component of this size. As for shipping from the midwest...its 6 of one, a half dozen of another. You either make the biodiesel in Iowa and then ship it by rail here, or you ship the refined soy oil feedstock here, make the fuel here, and then sell it locally. Either way, we need the biodiesel here due to upcoming mandates...and I'd rather it be made here with our workers, generating tax revenues here.

Matt from CT wrote:

3) Lots of room along the P&W railroad tracks in Thompson, Putnam, Killingly, and Plainfield you could put project in.

Yes this is true, and with the upcoming mandates we will need more plants in the state (even if this one is built) to avoid having to purchase our biodiesel from other states.

camelina appears to grow well in northern climates—and better yet, on marginal lands. In “Crazy for Camelina,” Zeman points out that this low-input, high-yielding oilseed contains a high amount of antioxidants that may give the plant oil—and perhaps biodiesel derived from that oil—a longer shelf life.

Experts say camelina could be an ideal crop to rotate with spring wheat, which can only be grown on the same ground every other year. That, too, could give this would-be U.S. biodiesel feedstock even greater appeal. Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer, a B100 user himself, thinks camelina is a miracle crop and a potential boon to his state’s farm economy. He’s wasting no time trying to jump-start efforts to help Montana farmers get involved in small-scale production. The down-to-earth governor tells Biodiesel Magazine,“We don’t need ExxonMobil—we can do it ourselves.”

Wendy wrote:

The plant will get approved. Money talks, or have you all forgotten?

You are so misinformed it is almost funny. How about the fact this is a proposal for an industrial use in an industrial zoned area. I guess Suffield shouldn't have any industrial zoned land if they don't want any industy in their town. But then they'd just build houses next to the airport and the morons that buy them would complain about the planes.

I find it interesting that the 17 current comments here on this issue are ALL from people not living in Suffield. Guess there is no news in your towns... no killings in Hartford ever, Manchester just loves their malls and traffic, and Wallingford is "anytown" USA.

Anyway,

I live in town and in fact not far from where the plant will be. Like most of my neighbors we are neutral on the whole idea. I do not feel the plant will be some sort of death trap, the few jobs promised sound great but lets see just how much they pay and if current residents are considered first, and I surely do not believe my taxes will be reduced by a nickel.

Mike wrote:

I find it interesting that the 17 current comments here on this issue are ALL from people not living in Suffield. Guess there is no news in your towns... no killings in Hartford ever, Manchester just loves their malls and traffic, and Wallingford is "anytown" USA.
Anyway,
I live in town and in fact not far from where the plant will be. Like most of my neighbors we are neutral on the whole idea. I do not feel the plant will be some sort of death trap, the few jobs promised sound great but lets see just how much they pay and if current residents are considered first, and I surely do not believe my taxes will be reduced by a nickel.

LOL...you might want to look next to your name, it says you are posting from Battle Creek MI. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and asume that you are traveling today. For your information, this posting system automatically logs the ISP where you are posting from...in my case I work in Manchester, so that's where it says I "live".

Mike wrote:

I find it interesting that the 17 current comments here on this issue are ALL from people not living in Suffield. Guess there is no news in your towns... no killings in Hartford ever, Manchester just loves their malls and traffic, and Wallingford is "anytown" USA.
Anyway,
I live in town and in fact not far from where the plant will be. Like most of my neighbors we are neutral on the whole idea. I do not feel the plant will be some sort of death trap, the few jobs promised sound great but lets see just how much they pay and if current residents are considered first, and I surely do not believe my taxes will be reduced by a nickel.

Please don't pander us with your country "charm". If you don't want it, stop begging for money from the state for your schools and other municipal expenses. If you only want residential, fine. Pay your own way. We all have a few "industrial" areas in our towns because it makes fiscal sense for our residents.