Heaven Hill and its partner STAR BioEnergy have proposed a $35 million methane plant near Heaven Hills Bernheim Distillery in downtown Louisville, KY. The plant will take the spent grains from the distilling process and send them underground from the distillery to the plant to be converted from waste to energy and fertilizer. Today, part of that waste is picked up by 30-40 trucks per day while the remainder is flushed down the drain for the local sewer district to deal with. The trucks that pick up the waste are primarily farmers who use the mixture of corn, rye, and water to feed to their livestock. In the proposal, 85% of the waste for the proposed methane plant would come from Heaven Hill and the remaining 15% will arrive from other sources such as food waste, fats and oils and other organic material.
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S.T.O.M.P – Starting Today Ownership with Monetary Possibilities
A group known as S.T.O.M.P which originally stood for Standing Together Against Methane Plants which once picketed against the methane plant has changed its position and now supports it. Since the shift, the group has renamed itself, Starting Today Ownership with Monetary Possibilities. Ray Barker, known as Sir Friendly C, was once one of the leading critics of the plant. He says that now that he’s been educated about the plant and the process, that he now supports the project.
S.T.O.M.P Now Supports the Heaven Hill Project
wave3.com-Louisville News, Weather
$5 Million Gift to the Community
Contributing to the change of heart is a deal between Heaven Hill and Star BioEnergy to gift the community $5 million dollars over the next 10 years. You can read more about how the money will be paid out over the 10 years in this related story.
Not all community leaders are in agreement that the biodigester plant is safe for the families that live in the neighborhoods. Rev. Dr. Wilbur Browning, Sr. of Centennial Olivet Baptist Church in the California neighborhood released an open letter to local Councilman David James & Mayor Greg Fischer. You can read the details of that letter here thanks to Phillip Bailey.
STAR BioEnergy is expected to go before the Louisville Board of Zoning & Adjustments on December 7, 2015. If the plan is approved, construction will begin in early 2016 and the plant will be operational before the end of the year.
You can learn more about the bio energy making project from these related stories.
Heaven Hill $40 Million Plan to Convert Spent Grain into Biogas Runs into Opposition
School Board Endorses Biogas Digester at Heaven Hill Distillery
Heaven Hill vs. Toyota: 2 Stories of Renewable Energy – 1 is BullSh*t
What is an Anaerobic Digester & How Does It Create Renewable Energy?
Heaven Hills Bio Digester Partner to Gift Community $5 Million
What is a Bio Digester?
