We have exciting Oregon clean fuels news to share!
Governor Kate Brown has authorized $245 million in state bonds to support the development of a new biofuels plant in Lake County, Oregon. The Red Rock Biofuels facility would convert waste forest products, like fallen branches and forest dead floor materials, into jet fuel. Materials would be gathered from regional forests. Agricultural waste and local sawmill bi-products would also be converted into biofuel. Waste materials would generate an estimated 12-16 million gallons of fuel annually.
While construction hasn’t even broken ground, Red Rock has already secured supply contracts with FedEx and the U.S. military. The addition of a biofuels plant is great news for Lake County — over 100 renewable jobs will be created as a result of the plant, helping Southern Oregon‘s economy and providing a boost to rural communities.
In parts of Lake County, timber was the backbone of the local economy for many generations. In the 1990s, major changes in forestry production shut down four of the community’s five sawmills, resulting in hundreds of jobs lost. Things only got worse in 2008 when the recession hit. It has taken a long time for Lake County to bounce back, and some say that the community has still not yet fully recovered. The Red Rock Biofuels plant can help these recovery efforts. And, the project is good for Oregon as a whole, helping further establish our state as a place where clean fuels thrive. Read all about it here!