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Liberty bows out gracefully -IVPRESS article by Eric Galvan |
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Written by truth
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Thursday, 27 March 2008 |
Liberty Energy will not move forward with its sludge plant in Niland and it has nothing to do with Measure X, a Liberty official said Tuesday.
Due to rising fuel prices Liberty has pulled its application for the waste-to-energy plant in Imperial County’s Northend, Liberty spokesman Luis Plancarte said.
“Due to changing market conditions and the added cost of transporting to Niland, Liberty has made a business decision to withdraw its application,” Plancarte said.
Bakersfield-based Liberty Energy had proposed a waste-to-energy plant that would have taken biosolids and biowastes known as sludge and converted them into renewable energy. The sludge would have been trucked to Niland from throughout Southern California.
However, in February voters passed Measure X, an ordinance that bans the importation of sludge into Imperial County.
An environmental impact report had yet to be released on the plant and following the vote Liberty Chief Executive Officer Wilson Nolan said the project would continue to move forward.
Plancarte said Tuesday, Liberty had invested “hundreds of thousands” of dollars into the project.
But he said because the price of diesel gasoline is about $4.20 a gallon, about $1.20 more than it was last year, transportation wouldn’t be cost efficient.
He did say Liberty still owns the property in the Niland area and maybe down the road will consider looking into a solar energy plant. He said it was likely Liberty will not build a sludge plant in that location.
Monique Lopez, an opponent of the sludge plant and a proponent of Measure X, said she and other residents were pleased to hear the news about Liberty pulling out.
“This has been an issue we’ve been working on for a year and a half,” Lopez said. “And regardless of the reason, we’re pleased they decided to bow out.”
Not everyone in the Northend was happy with Liberty’s decision to pull out.
Doug Kline, superintendent of the Calipatria Unified School District, said by the plant not moving forward the school district loses as much as a million dollars in property tax money.
The school district receives money from the state and from property taxes. If the district reaches $7.5 million in property taxes annually, the state would not need to give the district funding. The school district would get the full $7.5 million gained through property taxes and it would not be subject to state budget cuts.
So, to Kline, those extra million dollars was going to move his district closer to “basic aid,” not needing state money.
“We were potentially getting a million dollars from that plant,” he said. “When I’m a couple million dollars away, it makes a big difference.”
Kline said there are other projects in the area that potentially could lead to his district receiving more in property taxes. Until then, he said it’s a wait and see.
Liberty will now focus its attention on the Banning area where it has a plant and will be moving sludge from the Colton area.
“It’s a big decision,” Plancarte said of pulling out. “But, it just really comes down to it being a business decision.”
>> Staff Writer Eric Galvan can be reached at 337-3441 or at
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 27 March 2008 )
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