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Highlands Today

County Mulls Bio-Fuel Refinery Zoning Change

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By Jim  Konkoly | Highlands Today

Published: February 6, 2008

SEBRING — A Tampa-based bio-fuels refinery company told Highlands County commissioners their proposed $40 million plant in the southern end of the county would be virtually pollution- and problem-free, while providing an economic boon to local farmers.

In addition to reducing Florida's dependence on a shaky foreign oil supply, said Bradley Krohn, this new generation of bio-fuels operations also would provide millions of gallons of clean water to a nearby nursery as well as other benefits to local companies.

Krohn is president of U.S. EnviroFuels, which needs a change in the county zoning code to build a sweet sorghum bio-fuels refinery, of which none exist in the United States.

The closest operating sweet sorghum bio-fuels refinery is in Brazil, while a few also are operating in China and India, Krohn said. One such plant is being built in Louisiana, he added.

Opposition to the plant was expressed chiefly by Hillary Swain of Archbold Biological Station, who said even a well-intentioned, environmentally clean industrial operation could severely damage Archbold.

Swain repeatedly called Archbold Biological Station a "national treasure" and said even if the sweet-sorghum bio-fuels plant doesn't damage the environment, it would hurt Archbold by bringing in more truck traffic and putting an ugly industrial complex outside of Archbold's southern entrance.

Louise England, executive director of the Highlands County Economic Development Commission and Industrial Development Authority, said she respects Swain and Archbold but disagrees with Swain's position.

A $40 million investment in an environmentally clean, cutting-edge, alternative-energy technology should not be turned down for this county despite concerns at Archbold, England said.

"We all treasure Archbold," England told the commissioners after Swain voiced her objections. But, England added, "a lot of times we overreact."

Commissioner Guy Maxcy said Archbold is a respected and important part of Highlands County. But, he added, if the zoning isn't changed to allow the sweet sorghum bio-fuels plant next to Archbold, the current zoning allows the existing ornamental-plants nurseries there to expand.

If the nurseries expand, Maxcy said, Swain could very well see the additional 100 trucks per day going past Archbold on Old State Route 8, which she said would create huge problems for Archbold if a bio-fuels plant generated that much more traffic.

Swain said that even if the company's claims about the plant not polluting and creating no odor or noise problems are true, it would still hurt Archbold in two ways.

In addition to up to 100 more trucks a day rumbling past Archbold's entrance, she said there also would be "the unsightliness issue."

Any agri-business or industrial plant near Archbold's south entrance, she said, would hurt this science research institution, especially since the north entrance already has unsightly surroundings.

Swain also said that the county commissioners should not forget that Archbold is an "economic driver" in the county. With between 50 to 60 employees, Swain said, Archbold brings millions of dollars into the county's economy.

Swain pointed out that an event next week at Archbold will bring in 70 people from 17 countries.
Krohn said his company will pay 85 percent of the $40 million cost of the plant while the state of Florida will pay 15 percent, up to $7 million, awarded by the Department of Agriculture to promote alternative, non-polluting, biologically based, "green energy."

Local growers can convert from citrus or other crops to sweet sorghum, as this plant will buy about 1 million tons of that crop, which will take about 25,000 acres of farmland to produce, Krohn said.

In producing 20 million gallons of ethanol from sweet sorghum per year, Krohn said, the plant will use no local water. In fact, he said, all the water for the refining process will be drawn out of the sweet sorghum, and from that up to 200 million gallons of "high quality" water will be available to local growers for irrigation.

Krohn said the energy plant also will: produce electricity that can be used by local growers; produce a carbon dioxide byproduct which can be used by local beverage makers; and produce other by products that can be used as animal feed and liquid fertilizers.

"It will use zero fossil fuels," Krohn said, and instead of being a water consumer, the plant will be "a water producer."

The plant also will produce "zero waste," Krohn said, including no discharge of sewer effluent and no solid waste that would have to be carted off to a landfill. Unlike the old ethanol refineries that were built in the 1980s to refine corn in the Midwest, this plant will give off no odors and won't cause any noise problems, either, Krohn said.

Maxcy told Krohn he was making "a lot of promises" and asked if the company would pay for an annual environmental audit, conducted by an independent third-party company, to verify whether the plant met the promises Krohn made.

"Yes," was Krohn's answer.
That wasn't acceptable to Swain, who said environmental audits of the plant's performance wouldn't help Archbold.

That type of environmental audit is useless, Swain said, because "it's too late once it (plant) is already built."

Swain said U.S. EnviroFuels is a company with a "good idea" that is "trying to do the right thing," but the company picked the wrong location right next to Archbold.

Krohn said his company surveyed all of Highlands County before choosing the best location that will give the company the best chance of succeeding.

Commissioners agreed to put the issue on hold while county staff finds more information on which the county commission can base a decision.

None of Maxcy's fellow commissioner argued with him when he put the commissioners' stance on the sweet sorghum bio-fuels plant this way: "We need to slow-walk this for a couple of weeks."

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