Evansville out front in bid for plant
(Published Thursday, July 13, 2006 10:48:11 AM CDT) REPRINTED BY NPP WITH PERMISSION

By Gina Duwe, Gazette Staff

EVANSVILLE - There's no ink on paper yet, but there's no reason to believe Evansville won't be the site of a $42 million biodiesel production facility, said an executive with the company that will build the plant.

Vice President Jeff Pieterick said North Prairie Productions is negotiating with Landmark Services Cooperative in Evansville, but he expects an announcement next week.

"We just need to make sure it's a good fit," he said Wednesday.

Larry Swalheim, CEO of Landmark, declined to comment until next week, saying more will have developed by then.

North Prairie Productions plans to build a biodiesel production facility in south-central Wisconsin. It has held off on a site-selection announcement until the Wisconsin Soybean Association releases its study on the feasibility of if and where a soybean crushing facility could be built in Wisconsin.

Such a plant would crush the beans and extract the oil to be processed at the biodiesel plant. Co-locating a crushing facility and a biodiesel facility would reduce costs, particularly for transportation, company officials have said.

The feasibility study has yet to be released, but Pieterick said the results have been discussed.

"Given that, Evansville certainly is an acceptable site and will fall within the parameters of what the study says," he said.

Rock County is the state's largest soybean producer, according to state agricultural statistics. In 2004, the county produced 3.8 million bushels of soybeans.

The south-central district was also the top regional producer in 2004 with 15.2 million bushels, or 28 percent of the state's soybean production.

Before leaving as city administrator last week, Bill Connors said signs were pointing to Evansville as the plant site.

"We're extremely optimistic that they are going to select Evansville as their No. 1 site," he said.

North Prairie Productions entered a pick-up truck with a biodiesel advertisement in the city's Fourth of July parade, he said.

"I don't think they'd be doing those things if they weren't serious (about Evansville)," he said.

North Prairie Productions also announced in its July 6 newsletter: "Evansville leaders appear very receptive to North Prairie Production, LLC, plans for a biodiesel facility in their community … Publicity this process has generated is stimulating interest from several municipalities in our primary target area and we're still looking at site options in several south-central Wisconsin cities."

Representatives from North Prairie Productions and Landmark presented preliminary plans to the city's plan commission and economic development committee last month. City leaders were receptive and asked developers what they could do to help.

Pieterick said the company will be open with the community through the process.

Landmark would be an investor in the facility and would sell land for the new plant near its facilities on County M on Evansville's east side, Swalheim has said.

The facility will be capable of producing up to 45 million gallons of biodiesel a year, Pieterick said. The plant would create about 25 jobs with a $50,000 median income, he said.

Biodiesel is a cleaner-burning diesel replacement fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as new and used vegetable oils and animal fats.