Buffalo Ethanol Plant

[300miles]

Ethanol May Fuel Buffalo's Future
Sunday, July 30, 2006
"A group of area investors has purchased an 18 acre plot of land along the Buffalo River near the Ohio St. lift bridge to construct an ethanol plant. Riverwright's $80 million-dollar project will begin this September and is hoped to be fully functional in one year. Plans for the plant will include the utilization of four grain elevators on site as well as rail lines for distribution. Once completed, the plant will employ 65 workers and is hoped to produce 110 million gallons of ethanol annually."
http://www.wben.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=05467


Ethanol Production in Buffalo- A Natural
RiverWright Energy LLC, headed by businessmen Rick Smith and Kevin Townsell, is planning an $80 million ethanol production plant that is expected to employ 65 when completed in 2007. The facility will be located off of Childs Street and utilize four vacant grain elevators plus construction of an 80,000 sq.ft. production facility. In April, RiverWright also purchased a warehouse and mill located at 139-157 Buffalo River Place off of South Park Avenue for $120,000. The facility will utilize up to 40 million bushels of corn annually, much of it arriving from the midwest via lake freighter.
http://www.buffalorising.com/city/ar...ion_in_buf.php

[300miles]

Ethanol Plant for Buffalo Gaining Speed
Joyce Kryszak

BUFFALO, NY (2006-12-14) A proposed ethanol plant for the city of Buffalo is getting a little push from an Erie County lawmaker.

District 2 legislator Tim Kennedy said the plant - that would convert corn to ethanol - would also help fuel the local economy. A presentation was made to the legislature's economic development committee Wednesday by Smith and RiverWright Energy, the company proposing the Childs Street plant.

Kennedy said the former Con Agra property in his district is ideal for the project.

But some Old First Ward residents are worried about pollution and harm to the environment.

The company is currently waiting for the results of an environmental impact study filed with the city. Kennedy said although the project doesn't require legislative approval he will be advocating for residents to prevent any negative impacts.

He said that includes making sure modern technology is used to minimize odors, and that precautions and procedures are in place to guard against chemical spills.
Kennedy also promotes the use of locally grown corn to increase the economic benefit. He said if all proceeds as expected, the company expects to begin construction early next year, with the plant coming on line as soon as 2008.

http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wb...93&sectionID=1

[Timmy]

How long do we have to wait for them to consider a Biodiesel plant?

We have more industrial sites and more silos?

Barilla Pasta should have located in Buffalo ....we would have been a much better location for them.

[DelawareDistrict]

Kennedy is an idiot. Probably the only reason he is supporting an ethanol plant is because unions jobs will be created to build it. Ethanol plants rely on massive government subsidies to keep the price of the inferior product competitive with gasoline.

[nickelcityhomes]

Ethanol plants rely on massive government subsidies to keep the price of the inferior product competitive with gasoline.

Hmmm...those agricultural subsidies already in place aren't enough to appease us corporate farmers. We're already making more than the market warrants for "farming" activities, but I need a new BMW and the old lady needs a titty-lift. How will I find the cash? No worries, we'll just use our political leverage to find a new boogie man. How about if we call it Global Warming? No, no...better yet, we'll call it "Peak Oil". That should get them voting idiots good and scared. We'll produce an inferior fuel at twice the cost and the government will subsidize us. Brilliant! (clank of Guinness bottles)

Let’s take the very rosiest assumptions for corn ethanol, from the paid PR flacks who lobby for the subsidy. They claim that it takes 35,000 BTUs of energy to make 77,000 BTUs of ethanol from corn. No one else gets a ratio anywhere near that good; some calculations show that corn ethanol actually costs energy to make (and fuel ethanol only has 76,100 BTU per gallon according to the EPA). But even this most unrealistic case assumes that about half the energy in a gallon of subsidized ethanol has to come from somewhere else. For comparison, it takes around 22,000 BTU to make a gallon of gasoline. Gasoline contains about 114,000 BTU per gallon, so there’s a clear energy profit.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/walker/walker23.html

Most ethanol apologists like to use the example of Brazil. Unfortunately, I live in Brazil and I see no ethanol revolution here. In fact, the heavily subsidized ethanol program (Pro-Alcool) used to be an ecological and social disaster. From 1975 to 1989, the Brazilian government spent nine billion dollars in subsidies for ethanol production (and that's not counting special loans, that were never paid, from state-owned banks): Nine billion dollars in a country like Brazil (where one can buy a can of soda for less than fifty cents of a dollar) is a pornographic amount of money.

http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig7/desousa1.html

So the kids they dance, they shake their bones
While the politicians throwing stones
Singing ashes, ashes all fall down.

[MarkLV]

What is the status of this ethanol plant? Still on hold, or progressing?

[Truthdetector]

I think that the ethonal plant construction is scheduled to begin as soon as the new peace bridge is complete, which is to occur right after the skyway is torn down, which will happen as soon as Bass Pro is complete, which will happen when the Erie Canal Waterfront project is complete, which will happen immediately after traffic is returned to Main Street, which will happen...... NOT IN OUR LIFETIME!!!

[300miles]

This was in the Buffalo News about three months ago:


ECIDA approves tax credits for three Buffalo projects
Plans involve RiverWright plant, Curtiss Building, and a former Wendy’s

11/11/08

... The Erie County Industrial Development Agency on Monday approved an application for federal tax credits for a new hotel planned by developer Mark Croce for the Curtiss Building, the RiverWright ethanol plant, and a project to convert the former Wendy’s restaurant on Main Street into offices for an advertising agency.

... RiverWright, which is building a $214 million ethanol plant on a 20-acre site at the intersection of Childs and Ohio streets, will receive $5.7 million in tax credits through the program.

... The deductions allow developers to accelerate the depreciation on the cost of acquiring, renovating and constructing buildings in those targeted census tracts as an incentive to attract investors.

The building owners can depreciate their property over 10 years, rather than the standard 39 years, or to deduct half of the project’s expenses from their gross revenues during the first year the building is in use and then depreciate the rest over 38 years.


http://www.buffalonews.com/145/story/490233.html

[leftWNYbecauseofBS]

I think that the ethonal plant construction is scheduled to begin as soon as the new peace bridge is complete, which is to occur right after the skyway is torn down, which will happen as soon as Bass Pro is complete, which will happen when the Erie Canal Waterfront project is complete, which will happen immediately after traffic is returned to Main Street, which will happen...... NOT IN OUR LIFETIME!!!

Sure as hell hope so.

This plant is a stupid as it gets.

[WNYresident]

http://www.riverwrightllc.com/index.html

[therising]

Corn ethanol is a scam.

[FMD]

If your vehical is properly tuned to run E85, you WILL get BETTER mileage with E85 than with gasoline. I know this for a FACT.

However, most vehicals use a generic E85 tune, and therefore get less mpg than gasoline. As a result people complain about the inefficiency of E85.

However, if a person could/would spend the money to get their particular vehical properly tuned (via the onboard computer in the car) they would be surprised at the results. I have seen the difference between 93 octane and E85 first hand, and e85 blows 93 out of the water for power and mpg.

[mesue]

I thought they wanted people to go to the waterfront? That's just what we need down there, a stinky plant.

[WNYresident]

Why make an ethanol refinery? WHY not make a gasoline refinery and lower the cost of gasoline for all businesses and people in erie county. They say we pay more because of the distance from a refinery. Put one right in buffalo somewhere where for the most part people can deal with it.

Wouldn't that lower the cost of gas we all pay? There is a market here for gasoline...how many refineries are in erie county now?

[mesue]

Why make an ethanol refinery? WHY not make a gasoline refinery and lower the cost of gasoline for all businesses and people in erie county. They say we pay more because of the distance from a refinery. Put one right in buffalo somewhere where for the most part people can deal with it.

Wouldn't that lower the cost of gas we all pay? There is a market here for gasoline...how many refineries are in erie county now?

How about River Road where there already are refineries?