Amador County – Cogen owners the Oneto Group, attended an open house last Wednesday at the plant, hosted by Buena Vista Biomass Power. The company plans to reopen the plant and sell electricity, in effect, bringing power, jobs and a lot of money to Jackson Valley and Amador County. Rux Oneto said the Oneto Group is working on a lease/purchase agreement with Buena Vista Biomass Power. The latter partners and staff hosted the open house last week. One of the nearest neighbors, if not the nearest, attended. That was John Tang, spokesman for the Buena Vista Rancheria of Me-Wuk Indians, who’s 40-acre Rancheria is just down the road from the plant, across Coal Mine Road, and could be the closest beneficiary of the 18 megawatts of power generated there, when it opens its casino. Tang said they hope to break ground on their casino project in October. Managing partner of Buena Vista Biomass Power, Mark Thompson, said the company has taken over the Cogen plant and has spent 6 weeks “testing all of the 1,650 pumps, motors and valves.” He said they “want to understand the condition of the project as they try to generate capital.” They are looking for a $20 million capital investment. During construction they will have anywhere from 30 to 50 people on staff. And in full operation, they’ll have 20 full-time workers and an annual salary over $2.3 million. They have already put $2 million in the plant, and have qualified for a federal grant of between $1.5 million and $3 million. Thompson said they also hope to go for some of the state firefighting money, as a industry that will burn fuel for wildfires in a controlled combustion chamber and generate power. He said the state last year spent $800 million in fire suppression. Thompson said the Cogen plant “is in good condition because of numerous people trying to reopen it.” He said: “We will reopen it.” Buena Vista Biomass Power was issued a permit from the Amador Air District in early July. Amador Air District Officer Jim Harris said the facility has already undergone 2 Environmental Impact Reports, including the initial one in the 1980s and a Supplemental EIR in the 1990s. He said: “In essence, it’s a facility that’s not running.” The existing facility meets legal environmental requirements, but people have questioned what is happening, so the Air District board of directors is holding a public meeting August 25th, to let people know what is happening there and to take public comment. Harris said his consulting engineer reviewed the permit application and no rules or regulations required any special EIR. Harris said the permit includes burning lignite and rubber tire fuel – pellets – and wood byproducts. Buena Vista Biomass Power plans to burn only wood byproducts. Harris said its emissions will be reduced by 50 percent, “so in operations, it is predicted to be very clean.” Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.