On balance, plant will be a positive (06/08/06)

Chances are, sometime today you had a conversation about the ethanol plant planned for construction southwest of Portland.

It’s on everyone’s mind, and the pros and cons are being hashed out.

Questions abound, but some answers are beginning to take shape.

Would Premier Ethanol LLC’s plant be an economic boon to Portland and Jay County?

The answer’s pretty clear that it would be, though it’s sometimes difficult to measure such things. About 40 jobs would be created, with an annual payroll of about $2 million. That’s undeniably a benefit to the local economy.

For farmers in the region, the plant would also provide a significant up-tick in the price of corn. That translates into more farm income and more income for absentee landowners whose land is farmed by others.

The company estimates a regional economic impact of $300 million a year. Even if a skeptic cut that figure in half, the numbers are enormous.

Will the plant have a negative impact in terms of odor and the environment?

The answer there is less clear. Folks near a similar plant, also built by the Broin Companies, in Michigan acknowledge there is an odor, depending upon which way the wind is blowing. Most also insist that the odor isn’t disagreeable. (A sugar beet processing plant in the same community is responsible for a pungent odor which could be mistakenly attributed to the ethanol plant.)

The plant will produce air emissions which will require permitting and monitoring by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. A number of other industries in Jay County, including some in the same neighborhood as the proposed plant, also produce air emissions and are under IDEM regulation. The very fact that things are regulated, of course, doesn’t guarantee pollution won’t occur; but it’s not an “anything goes” situation.

Will the siting of the plant have a negative impact on nearby residential property values?

Obviously, many of the owners believe it will. That’s one reason they were out in force at recent meetings of the Portland Planning Commission and the Portland City Council.

But the fact is, no one knows what effect it will have. After all, the area surrounding the proposed plant site includes — in addition to residential properties — a stone quarry, a truck depot, a propane gas bulk plant, a rail corridor, and a state highway department garage. A couple of confined feeding hog operations aren’t very far away. In other words, it’s what zoning officials refer to as a “mixed use” situation.

Has the re-zoning process been rushed?

It sure looks that way, but ethanol companies are in a horse race to establish the first plant in east central Indiana. So while local officials have been trying to make sure they protect the interests of area citizens, they’re also very aware that this opportunity could evaporate if they don’t move swiftly.

Ideally, however, a planned unit development is crafted over a period of weeks, even months, with lots of give and take between local planners and developers. The landfill planned unit development, for example, took about six months to win approval.

It probably didn’t help to have Indiana Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman on hand for last Thursday’s announcement by Premier of its plans. Her “celebration” comments undoubtedly struck neighboring property owners as presumptuous and premature.

On balance, then, is Premier’s proposed plant a plus?

We think so. The Broin Companies’ track record is outstanding.

With more than 20 years experience with ethanol and 23 other plants constructed, these folks know what they’re doing. It’s in their interest to do this the right way. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]