Ethanol Plant Could go to Brock

[Jack]

Osahwa Mayor John Gray confirmed this week he has been speaking with Brock Mayor Larry O`Connor about the possibility of taking FarmTech Energy`s proposal to build an ethanol plant at the Oshawa port and moving it north. In December 2004, councillors in Brock passed a resolution saying that Township is willing to play host to an ethanol plant, and Mayor O`Connor said that invitation is still on the table. "I have talked to (FarmTech president) Dan O`Connor and to John Gray about this, but it`s just been informal conversations so far," he said. "We are certainly open to entertaining this idea." There isn`t a specific site in Brock that`s being considered, but Mayor O`Connor said the north end of the municipality would be ideal because it offers access to a CN rail line and Hwy. 12. To ensure FarmTech can still adhere to its business model, which includes importing corn by ship, Mayor Gray said Oshawa would be willing to support construction of grain silos at the port. "This way, we keep business at the port, we get this proposal away from our harbour lands, and Brock gets a facility that they want," he said. FarmTech is hoping to build a 12-hectare, $185-million plant at the Oshawa port -- a proposal that has sparked intense controversy in recent months. Waterfront advocates and some politicians, including Mayor Gray, argue it will destroy the city`s vision for a people-friendly waterfront area, while environmentalists worry about the impact on the Second Marsh, which sits adjacent to the proposed site. On the other side of the issue, local farmers say an ethanol plant close to home will give them a much-needed market for their product, while the Oshawa Harbour Commission welcomes any additional business at the port. Mayor O`Connor said he expects a proposal to build a plant in Brock would elicit some opposition, too, but likely not as much as in Oshawa.
(Metroland-Durham 081023)

 

[joeiannuzzi]

Hi Jack. I posted it this morning under Ontario REIN updates.