Proposed biodiesel refinery near Dunmore faces opposition

If the project is approved, the company hopes to produce 33 million litres of renewable fuel per year.

Nearby residents, however, have their concerns about the proposal citing issues with traffic, odour and possible contaminants.

“Renewable U stated in their letter to council that they would be housing any feed-stock within storage containment tents thus addressing environmental and odour impacts but that was all that was said they didn’t go into it further. My concern would be how that feed-stock would be leaching into the ground,” resident Denene Mastel said.

Renewable U is a partner in the project and provides the capital and project management for the initiative.

“The bottom line is this is a fully green facility there is no waste products there is nothing that goes into the ground and into the air. The little there is, is flared and incinerated, “ said Renewable U spokesperson Ryan Jackson.

Mastel also raises an issue with land use. The parcel of land is currently deemed a waste disposal site under Cypress County’s Agricultural IDP District 1, but Mastel believes it should be considered industrial due to the nature of a refinery. She also argues the project is in direct contrast to the Gasoline Alley Structure Plan.

Mastel is not the only one expressing concerns, with adjacent Paterson GlobalFoods also opposed.

In a letter to Cypress County, the company questions the impact of the facility on their some 68,000 metric tonnes of grain stored at their grain terminal regularly.

“Given that various forms of waste and garbage will be brought to the proposed facility for processing, the potential for bad odours to be released is of great concern as odour affects the quality of the grain. Fresh clean air is essential when the grain is unloaded into the terminal, stored and loaded into rail cars as any odour or contaminants present in the air at that time will degrade the quality of the grain,” a section of the letter reads.

Stuart Mccormick vice-president of regulatory affairs said the impacts are unfounded.

“The process is completely enclosed so once the railway ties are ground and put in, everything happens in an enclosed process all of the– including the tanks that include the used motor oil and the finished products everything that vents from the process is vented through a flare which will combust any residual odours,” McCormick said, adding the only odours that may be associated with the proposed refinery would come from the receiving and storage of the railway ties. McCormick said Cielo Waste Solutions is working with CP Rail on a mitigating solution.

The project encompassing a $75 million investment still requires operational approval from Alberta Environment and Parks and Cypress County Council.

by Tiffany Goodwein

Proposed biodiesel refinery near Dunmore faces opposition

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