North Carolina biodiesel plant gets green light after opponents’ lawsuit fails

May 1, 2008

In North Carolina, Iredell County Superior Court Judge John L. Holshouser Jr. denied an inunction to opponents of a local biodiesel plant, clearing the final hurdles before facility construction. Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life and 23 other plaintiffs had opposed the plant on noise and emissions grounds.

In January, a Superior Court judge ruled that Iredell County farmer Phil McLain may proceed with plans to produce 500,000 gallons per year of biodiesel from soybeans, canola and sunflowers. Iredell Neighbors for Rural Life had sued over environmental, traffic and safety issues but the court’s said that individuals, not the group, had no standing to sue. The venture has been approved for as much to 4 Mgy in capacity to date by Iredell county commissioners.

North Carolina continues to position itself for US biofuels leadership through research into advanced feedstocks. In September, the General Assembly appropriated $5 million for a state biofuels center in Oxford. The center will research cellulosic ethanol. North Carolina’s Strategic Plan for Biofuels Leadership called for $25 million in biofuels research funding as well as an annual appropriation of $500,000 to fund biofuels workforce development and public education programs.