Approval of ethanol plant in Mayfield is moving ahead

A similar plant is proposed for Wayne County

By TOM KANE

MAYFIELD, PA - Despite intense opposition to a planned ethanol plant, the first round of required permits is in final review.

Opponents of the plant succeeded in defeating all the members of the Mayfield Borough Council who supported the plant in the election this November 6. Voters unseated four council members by using the write-in option at the polls. A fifth incumbent councilman, who opposes the plant, was reelected.

However, all their efforts may have been in vain, since most of the permits are already being processed.

“The review of the application for air-quality permits from Northeast Ethanol and Renewable Resources should be completed soon, though there is no timetable,” said Mark Carmon, spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).

The plant will produce 60 million gallons of ethanol a year.

Carmon added that the environmental approval process is separate from the municipal approval process, which deals with items like zoning and land-use issues. In a previous action by the Mayfield municipality, a zoning change for the property was already approved.

“The company must still get permits for its storage tanks and water usage,” Carmon said.

Mayfield residents who disapprove of the plant have centered on the environmental impact. Supporters of the project argue that manufacturing ethanol is no worse than having a brewery in town.

Because the planned bio-refinery is not a federal enterprise, nor does it involve significant public funding, it does not require a full environmental-impact study, Carmon said. Aspects such as noise pollution are up to the borough but the state permits are sound in their health standards.

It is unclear if the new council members will be able to stop or modify the project once they are in office.

The Northeast Ethanol Company, which is owned by Dunmore businessman Louis DeNaples, plans to purchase the property south of Meredith Street now that the environmental permit process is nearing completion.

A similar ethanol plant is planned on 90 acres in Wayne County at a site near the Route 6 Mall and property owned by businessman Rusty Palmer. Efforts to purchase the land and begin the construction are being pursued by the Wayne/Pike County Farm Bureau.