Augusta Biofuel Plant on Hold as Commissioners Want More Discussion with Neighbors

August 16, 2023

Print This Article Share it With Friends

(WJBF) – A biofuels plant in South Augusta sounds like it could be a community asset: turning trash into natural gas. “It probably is. It probably can be a good project, but there again let us find out more about it,” said Commissioner Tony Lewis.

Two weeks ago, commissioners were prepared to give approval to the plant, but after strong opposition from the nearby historic Spirit Creek Baptist Church, commissioners are voting to table the issue and are directing the company to hold a town hall meeting.

“I think the town hall is a good thing so that they can get the information out, bring it back, and we can make a decision on the information that we get,” said Commissioner Bobby Williams.

“The more information we have, the better informed we are. So, we want to give these folks a chance to hear from the company what it does and how it operates,” said Commissioner Lewis.

Having a potential biofuel plant so close to one of the city’s most historic churches has prompted the call for the city to adopt an environmental justice ordinance,

Commissioners are voting to hold a work session to look into creating one. READ MORE

Related Articles

'We don't want this here': South Augusta residents oppose proposal for biofuel facility (Augusta Chronicle)
Augusta Native, Climate Doctor Voices Concern Over Biofuel Plant (Dr. Earl Stewart, Jr., Family Foundation/ EIN News)
Biofuel firm still drawing foes to Augusta leaders’ meetings (WRDW)
Augusta leaders say biofuel plant needs research and new location (WJBF)
Commission votes down proposed biofuel facility in south Augusta (Augusta Chronicle)

Excerpt from Augusta Chronicle: South Augusta residents and community leaders are rallying to oppose a proposal for the construction of a renewable energy biofuel facility near their homes and a local church.

Rev. Ellis Godbee Jr., senior pastor of Spirit Creek Baptist Church, said a recent town hall on the issue left concerned residents with more questions than answers due to a lack of transparency.

“We had over 100 people in attendance at the town hall,” said Godbee. “They all stood up in opposition to Renovation Solutions coming in and building a biofuel facility near our church.

...

In June, Renovation Solutions LLC submitted documentation stating that the proposed waste to energy (biofuel) production operation would potentially improve the environment, according to public records. The sole purpose of the facility will be to convert organic and biomass waste into renewable natural or compressed gas.

...

Commissioner Tony Lewis said he understands why residents are concerned about the proposed biofuel facility.

“I worked for the Savannah River Site for 32 years,” said Lewis. “I know a lot about how this process works. There are people that don’t and it scares them when they hear terminology like biofuel. The first thing they think is, ‘What am I going to be subjected to?’

...

“If they meet all the requirements required by the planning and zoning, engineering and utilities department, they will be treated like any other applicant that wants to do business in Richmond County,” said Lewis. “Upon completing all requirements, they will have to come before the commission.”

...

“We’re worried about the health and safety of the members of the community,” said Godbee. “We’re also concerned about the environment and how the plant is going to impact the air quality. We already have a lot of heavy industry in the area. We don't want more pollution coming into our community.”

...

“We're worried about our community that's already at high risk for health concerns like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD),” he said. “We have a lot of war veterans in our community, such as myself. I'm a disabled war veteran. We have about 15 disabled war veterans that have already been exposed to toxic waste in the military, such as myself. And we don't want additional waste exposure.”

...

Gloria Ricks, president of Mt. Zion Community Outreach and member of the south Augusta community agrees that the biofuel facility will have a negative impact on the community.

Mt. Zion Community Outreach is an Augusta nonprofit dedicated to educating marginalized communities about the effects of climate change.

...

Spirit Creek Baptist Church has historical significance to the community.

“We're a historic church made up of predominantly African American people,” said Godbee. “We started in the 1800’s. We have graves of enslaved people on our property. We're trying to preserve that.”

Godbee said one of the questions asked during the town hall was: "Why build this facility in this neighborhood?"

“We asked officials and they really didn't have a good answer,” said Godbee. “They said the property at 1680 Dixon Airline Rd. was available. I asked, ‘Which of you wants this plant next to your church?’ None of them answered, 'Yes.'”

...

"Officially it has been tabled for now. It was sent back to the (commission's) Environmental Committee for further research.” READ MORE

Excerpt from Augusta Chronicle: Augusta commissioners on Tuesday unanimously denied a motion that would’ve allowed construction and operation of a renewable energy (biofuel) facility in south Augusta.

“The motion was denied in full by all 10 commissioners," Commissioner Tony Lewis said on Wednesday. “They (Renovation Solutions LLC) cannot come before the commission with said proposed project for one year. They do have the option of locating a suitable location anywhere else and bring that before the commission before the year.”

Prior to the commission meeting, the city Environmental Services committee voted 3-1 to oppose issuing a letter of consistency for the project.

In June, Renovation Solutions LLC submitted documentation stating that the proposed waste to energy (biofuel) production operation would potentially improve the environment, according to public records. The sole purpose of the facility would have been to convert organic and biomass waste into renewable natural or compressed gas.

...

Lewis said his reason for voting against the proposed biofuel facility project was due to lack of information.

“There were a number of environmental concerns,” said Lewis. “I would’ve preferred those that were proposing to bring this project to Augusta offer more information on other projects in locations whether in or out of the country, to offer input on how those projects are doing in those communities. In the end, they came to us without enough information.”

...

Rev. Ellis Godbee Jr., senior pastor of Spirit Creek Baptist Church, said there were still some questions left unanswered.

“None of them (Renovation Solution representatives) have experience in operating a plant like this,” said Godbee. “... So there was no history of how this type of plant performs.”

...

When asked about major concerns regarding the project, Godbee said, “We were very concerned about the risk of this plant to human health and safety and also the risks to the environment.” READ MORE