Neighborhoods Fighting Plans for Biofuel Plant West of Delray Beach
by Andy Reid (Sun Sentinel) A biofuel plant offering renewable energy could become a never-ending headache for neighborhoods west of Delray Beach, worried residents argued Thursday.
Pressure from residents helped persuade the county Zoning Commission Thursday to vote against a proposal that would open the door to allowing a biofuel plant on 5 acres set aside for farming in the county Agricultural Reserve.
…”It’s a great idea, just in the wrong location,” Zoning Commissioner Sam Caliendo said.
…”This is an oil production facility,” said Michael Feuerman, one of more than 50 neighbors who Thursday turned out to fight the project. “Why is this being allowed [near] a residential neighborhood?”
Teri Gevinson countered that her proposed biofuel plant offers the chance for local farmers to tap into the push for alternative fuels, encouraged by the state and federal government as a way to develop renewable energy sources.
The process of crushing and squeezing the seeds from jatropha plants to produce a yellowish oil —similar to vegetable oil — would bring no foul smells or dangerous chemicals, Gevinson said. READ MORE and MORE (Ag-Oil update 11/25/10)
