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| Tax Credit Will Help Build Collins Sawmill | ||||||||
| 11/06/2007 | ||||||||
LAKEVIEW—The Collins Companies’ new small diameter sawmill received a pre-certified Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) November 1 during a ribbon cutting ceremony held in Lakeview. Oregon Department of Energy Director Michael Grainey made the presentation to Collins with over 100 in attendance. The event also marked the kickoff for a new Lakeview Biomass Plant that will utilize smaller woody material for the production of renewable energy. “This small diameter sawmill is essential for forest health and biomass recovery in the Lakeview area,” Grainey said. “This sawmill, along with the planned biomass plant, will demonstrate the viability of combining merchantable products with woody biomass collection as a model for other communities around the country.” According to the Lake County Resources Initiative, a county founded non-profit development agency, the newly built sawmill will process small logs (less than 10 inches in diameter) from the 80,000 acre Forest Stewardship Council certified Collins Lakeview Forest, in addition to logs from private timber owners, the U. S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. The plans are to build a $20-million biomass plant next to the sawmill. Marubeni Sustainable Energy of Japan will develop the plant that will generate steam for wood drying at the Collins plant and generate electricity under a contract they have in place with PacificCorp. It is expected to annually produce about 13 megawatts of renewable energy. The two facilities are also estimated to retain 80 jobs, according to development officials in Lakeview. The Department of Energy worked with multiple agencies, Collins and Lake County officials, through the state’s Community Solutions Program, to help develop this project. |
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