©The Ripatti Group 2006

Pike County Projects FAQ

Q. What kind of projects are planned?

A. We are currently planning a 30 Mw renewable energy biofuel combined heat and power (CHP) plant and a 50 million gallon ethanol production facility.

Q. Where are the projects located?

A. Three miles west of Arthur, Indiana at the Columbia Mine site just North of Indiana State Highway 64. Click here for a satellite view of the site, http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?T=1&S=11&Z=16&X=1184&Y=10611&W=1&qs=%7coakland+city%7cIN

Q. Isn’t that near the Patoka River National Wildlife Refuge?

A. Yes. Projects of this type have co-existed with wildlife refuges for decades. One example is the Honey Lake biomass power plant in Northern California. As we all know, California has some of the most strict environmental protection laws in the nation. The 3,569-acre Fleming Unit, a wildlife refuge located near the Honey Lake project, provides important habitat for several threatened or endangered species, including the bald eagle, sandhill crane, bank swallow, and peregrine falcon.   The Honey Lake power facility has operated harmoniously next to the refuge since 1989.

Q. What sort of renewable fuels will be used in the biofuel CHP plant?

A. It will utilize a number of fuels, specially blended for high Btu output and emissions reduction. Our intent is to use corn stover (the stalk that is left after the corn is harvested); clean construction and demolition (C & D) lumber (the boards that are left over from housing and commercial construction); used poultry bedding; sawdust; and wood chips from existing sawmills, forestry management and our own tree plantation.