AN EMERGENCY ITEM was added to the Sierra County Board of Supervisors’ agenda on Tuesday, April 18th in Loyalton to approve a letter in support of American Renewable Power’s (ARP) tax credit request to assist with their investment of the Loyalton Biomass. Supervisor Paul Roen said as of last Friday a Purchase Agreement was signed by ARP. He praised Tracy Holt, stating she had really stepped up and helped. Roen said it wasn’t a done deal but the Loyalton Biomass is in escrow. Sierra County Planning Director Tim Beals commented on this issue by saying it was great news and wanted to underscore how significant the news was. He said it has been a long road since the initial discussion about the reopening of the plant and a lot of work has gone into it.
The supervisors approved the letter to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBIZ) unanimously. In part, it stated, “This significant investment by American Renewable Power is an environmentally important renewable energy generation resources we need to encourage at this time in the State of California, particularly in regions with high unemployment and poverty.
“ARP-Loyalton Biomass intends to make a major investment in our community and to create more than 75 full-time, high quality jobs. The timing for this investment is important due to the need for more renewable power in the region and the fact that this plant will have a 20+ year expected commercial life once it is placed back into commercial service this coming September.
“The approval of this Tax Credit Application will be a substantial incentive for American Renewable Power to fund and restart the biomass plant in Loyalton this summer. The plant will require 21 full-time jobs plus another 50+ full time independent contractor jobs required to deliver residual biomass from within an hour’s drive of the plant. The bulk of this fiber will be sourced from nearby national and private forests to remove high fire hazard waste biomass that otherwise would be left in the forest.”
The supervisors approved the letter to the Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GoBIZ) unanimously. In part, it stated, “This significant investment by American Renewable Power is an environmentally important renewable energy generation resources we need to encourage at this time in the State of California, particularly in regions with high unemployment and poverty.
“ARP-Loyalton Biomass intends to make a major investment in our community and to create more than 75 full-time, high quality jobs. The timing for this investment is important due to the need for more renewable power in the region and the fact that this plant will have a 20+ year expected commercial life once it is placed back into commercial service this coming September.
“The approval of this Tax Credit Application will be a substantial incentive for American Renewable Power to fund and restart the biomass plant in Loyalton this summer. The plant will require 21 full-time jobs plus another 50+ full time independent contractor jobs required to deliver residual biomass from within an hour’s drive of the plant. The bulk of this fiber will be sourced from nearby national and private forests to remove high fire hazard waste biomass that otherwise would be left in the forest.”
