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About The Blue Mountain eagle. (John Day, Or.) 1972-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2018)
A5 NEWS Blue Mountain Eagle Wednesday, December 19, 2018 Torrefaction plant could be operating by next June $15.5 million project and 15-18 jobs By Richard Hanners Blue Mountain Eagle A $15.5 million torrefac- tion plant could be in opera- tion at the Malheur Lumber Co. mill in John Day as soon as June. As the plant ramps up toward full capacity by the end of 2019, Restoration Fuels LLC could hire 15-18 employees, including local management, Matt Krume- nauer told the Grant County Court on Dec. 12. Krumenauer represents the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Com- munities, which devel- oped the Matt local proj- Krumenauer ect. Resto- ration Fuels is a subsidi- ary of the endowment. Joe Koerner will be the plant’s operations manager. The plan is to rely on Mal- heur Lumber for mainte- nance staff and Iron Triangle for trucking. Krumenauer said the endowment has a strong relationship with the Forest Service, which could consider the torrefac- tion plant as a tool for for- est manage- ment. The U.S. spends bil- lions fi ght- ing wild- fi res, but Joe spending Koerner millions to manage for- ests to prevent wildfi res is not sustainable without a revenue stream. The ques- tion has been what to do with low-value biomass and non-saw wood material from stewardship projects on the Malheur National Forest. One solution is to chip and roast this biomass to produce a torrefi ed wood product to burn in coal- fi red plants. Up to now, the endowment’s focus has been on refi ning a torrefaction process for the John Day area and developing mar- kets, Krumenauer said. Japan — which has imposed tariffs on power produced by nuclear and coal, making torrefi ed wood competitive — has shown interest in torrefi ed wood mass, he said. The endowment is will- ing to take on the initial investment risk with hopes the private sector will even- tually take over the enter- prise. The torrefaction pro- cess has been successfully tested at a large scale in Mississippi, Canada and the Boardman plant, Krume- nauer said. The endowment had con- sidered locating the new plant at the Prairie Wood Products property and other sites in Grant County but chose Malheur Lumber because of its existing infra- structure, wood handling and processing facilities, state air quality permit and experienced on-site staff, Krumenauer said. The plan calls for replac- ing the existing boilers with a larger and more effi cient one, replacing the exist- ing belt dryer and rotary kiln used for making pel- lets with larger units, and adding a briquetting system while keeping the existing pelletizer. The replacement equip- ment is commonly found in timber plants around the world, Krumenauer said. The plan is to avoid dis- rupting ongoing mill oper- ations, but the pellet plant will shut down temporar- ily while key equipment is replaced. Krumenauer said the plant will start operations using log chips and not slash from stewardship projects. As the plant proves itself and ramps up production, it will turn to slash material and even trucking in chips produced off-site. A town hall meeting to present the project will take place at the Canyon City Community Hall on Jan. 10. John Day. Dec. 13: Dispatched with Dayville fi re to Franklin Street in Dayville for a man with dif- fi culty breathing. Dec. 14: Responded to a mobile home park on West Main Street in John Day for a woman with diffi culty breathing. Dec. 14: Dispatched with Long Creek ambulance to the post offi ce in Long Creek for a 90-year-old woman. Dec. 15: Responded with John Day police to Screech Alley in John Day for a 70-year-old woman who had fallen. Dec. 15: Dispatched with Monument fi re and ambulance and sheriff’s deputies to Cot- tonwood Road in Monument for a 40-year-old man with chest pains. Dec. 16: Dispatched to South Humbolt Street in Can- yon City for a 28-year-old man with diffi culty breathing. • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife Dec. 11: Advised of a cou- gar sighting at Highway 26 and La Costa Road west of John Day. • John Day fi re Dec. 12: Responded to a fl ue fi re on Southeast Franke Lane in John Day. Dec. 14: Received a report of smoke inside a business on East Main Street in John Day. C OPS AND C OURTS Arrests and citations in the Blue Mountain Eagle are taken from the logs of law enforce- ment agencies. Every effort is made to report the court dispo- sition of arrest cases. Grant County Sheriff The Grant County Sheriff’s Offi ce reported the following for the week of Dec. 12: Concealed handgun licenses: 0 Average inmates: 16 Bookings: 10 Releases: 10 Arrests: 1 Citations: 0 Fingerprints: 6 Civil papers: 17 Warrants processed: 1 Asst./welfare check: 1 Search and rescue: 0 Oregon State Police Dec. 10: Responded to a noninjury crash on Highway 395 near Starr Ridge summit. During a search of the driver and the vehicle, the trooper found cocaine, LSD, meth- amphetamine, Valium, nitrous oxide charges and a dispenser. Daniel J. Heuston, 39, Rich- land, Washington, was arrested and charged with driving under the infl uence of intoxicants, reckless driving and possession of cocaine, LSD, methamphet- amine and a Schedule IV con- trolled substance. Dec. 10: Responded to a crash on Highway 395 south of Canyon City. The northbound vehicle slid on black ice across the southbound lane and rolled onto its top in Canyon Creek. The 28-year-old female driver from Burns pulled her 3-year- old son from the vehicle and called 911. They were trans- ported to the hospital in John Day and released. Dec. 14: Investigated a fi re- arms denial complaint at a store in John Day. Dec. 15: Assisted the Grant County Sheriff’s Offi ce and Forest Service in the search and rescue of a bird hunter in a remote part of the South Fork area 16 miles south of Day- ville. The hunter had dislodged a large boulder in steep rocky terrain and was injured when the boulder rolled over him. A helicopter was used to trans- port rescue personnel to the site and to transport the hunter to a hospital in Bend. Justice Court • Violation of basic rule: David W. Aimone, 58, Wash- ougal, Washington, Nov. 17, 69/55 zone, fi ned $165; Sydnee R. Bybee, 21, Bend, Nov. 17, 75/55 zone, fi ned $100; Kevin L. Clemens, 44, Portland, Nov. 10, 73/55 zone, fi ned $140. • Exceeding speed limit: Trevor M. Widder, 21, La Grande, Nov. 30, 79/65 zone, fi ned $265; Beau J. Car- lon, 19, Hines, Nov. 30, 75/65 zone, fi ned $165; San- tos Cortes Valle, 31, Medford, Oct. 1, 76/65 zone, fi ned $265; Michael R. Lighter, 71, Sen- eca, Nov. 28, 48/35 zone, fi ned $165. • Violation speed limit: Audrey R. Johnson, 40, John Day, July 20, 59/35 zone, fi ned $225; Angela J. Smith, 36, John Day, Nov. 26, 73/65 zone, fi ned $115. • Driving uninsured: Serena O. Pace, 18, John Day, April 27, fi ned $265, May 1, fi ned $265; Steven M. Warrington, 29, John Day, Nov. 17, fi ned $300. • Driving while suspended: Steven M. Warrington, 29, John Day, Nov. 17, fi ned $500. • No Oregon operator’s license: Scott L. Drinnon, 51, John Day, Nov. 14, fi ned $135. • Expired registration sticker: Steven M. Warrington, 29, John Day, Oct. 16, fi ned $115, Nov. 17, fi ned $150; Audrey R. John- son, 40, Clackamas, July 20, fi ned $115. • Open container of alco- hol: Lars A. Johnson, 45, Eagle, Idaho, Oct. 13, fi ned $225. • Hunting outside a con- trolled hunting area: Austin B. Collins, 25, Molalla, Oct. 24, fi ned $115. • Katie Watt, 32, John Day, was convicted Dec. 5 of keep- ing a dog as a public nuisance. She was sentenced to $5,609 in fi nes, fees and restitution. Dispatch John Day dispatch worked 152 calls during the week of Dec. 10-16, including: • John Day Police Department Dec. 10: John W. Grant, 40, John Day, was arrested at a mobile home park on West Main Street in John Day and charged with domestic assault. Dec. 13: Received a call about a possible burglary at an apartment on Southwest Brent Drive in John Day. Dec. 13: Responded with state police to a report of domestic menacing on North- west Bridge Street in John Day. Dec. 14: Following a traf- fi c stop at South Canyon Boule- vard and Fifth Street, Tiffany N. Davis was cited for speeding, 38/20, in a school zone. Dec. 16: Advised of a hit- and-run crash on West Main Street in John Day. Dec. 16: Following a traf- fi c stop on Highway 26 in east John Day, Paul Roark, 22, Mt. Vernon, was cited for speeding, 46/35 zone. Dec. 16: Following a traf- fi c stop on North Canyon Bou- levard in John Day, Tylor J. Gifford, 24, John Day, was cited for driving with a sus- pended license, no insurance and displaying license plates improperly. Dec. 16: Responded to Main Street in John Day for a report of an intoxicated person falling into the street. • Oregon State Police Dec. 10: Dispatched to Highway 395 near the Paulina Road junction for a noninjury vehicle crash. Dec. 10: Advised of an unauthorized use of a motor vehicle on South Ingle Street in John Day. • Grant County Sheriff’s Offi ce Dec. 10: Advised of a non- injury crash on Highway 395 near Magone Lake Road. Dec. 10: Responded with state police and John Day ambulance to Highway 395 south of Canyon City for a crash resulting in a vehicle in Canyon Creek. Dec. 11: Advised of a theft on North Washington Street in Prairie City. Dec. 11: Advised of phone harassment on Victorian Lane in John Day. Dec. 13: Advised of crimi- nal mischief on Izee Highway. Dec. 15: Received a theft report from Mt. Vernon. Dec. 15: Responded with state police, Forest Service law enforcement and John Day ambulance to a search and res- cue incident on Forest Road 26 near Bates. • John Day ambulance Dec. 10: Dispatched with Long Creek ambulance to East Main Street in Long Creek for an elderly woman. Dec. 10: Responded to South Canyon Boulevard in John Day for a woman who had fallen. Dec. 10: Dispatched to Northwest Fourth Avenue in John Day for a 76-year-old woman with diabetic issues. Dec. 11: Transported a patient to the airport in 04893 The Grant County Chamber of Commerce reminds you to shop these local chamber members! Restoration Fuels, LLC Open House On Thursday, January 10, 2019 from 5:30 pm to 8:30 pm, representatives from Restoration Fuels and Oregon Torrefaction invites the community to an informal open house. The opportunity will be held at the Canyon City Community Hall at 104 S. Humbolt St, Canyon City, OR 97820. The meeting will have information stations on Restoration Fuels installation of a 12 ton/hour torrefaction facility at the Malheur Lumber Company mill in John Day. Please join us for some light refreshments and an informative evening to answer any questions you may have about this first, U.S. large-scale, commercial effort to help restore forests and create economic oportunity in the region. Advantage Dental Airlink Critical Care Transport America’s Best Motel Bank of Eastern Oregon Benchmark Land Surveying Berry Creek Ranch Bisnett Insurance Blue Mountain Care Center Blue Mountain Chiropractic Blue Mountain Custom Homes Blue Mountain Eagle Blue Mountain Hospital Canyon Mountain Center Chester’s Thriftway City of John Day City of Long Creek City of Mt. Vernon City of Prairie City City of Seneca Claws & Paws Pet Sitting Columbia Power Co-op Community Counseling Solutions Costco Wholesale of Bend Country Preferred Realtors Debbie Ausmus Insurance Agency, Inc. t Torrefied Wood Pellets 96063 Doug’s Motor Vehicle Repair Driskill Memorial Chapel Duke Warner Realty Eastern Oregon Realty Ed Staub & Sons ER Printing and Graphics Families First of Grant County Ferguson Surveying & Engineering, Inc. Field’s Tree Service Fossil Shift Bike Shop Grant County Farm Bureau Grant County Geneological Society Grant County Historical Museum Grant County People Mover Grant County Snowballers Grant/Harney County CASA Heart of Grant County John Day Farmer’s Market John and Linda Shelk Foundation John Day Elks Lodge John Day Golf Club John Day Senior Center Juniper Press KJDY Land Title of Grant County, Inc. Madden Brothers Malheur National Forest Malheur Employees Association MD Enterprizes Mossy Oak/Cupper Creek Land Company Nomad Sign Art North River Electric Northfork John Day River Watershed Council Old West Federal Credit Union Oregon Telephone Company Oregon Trail Electric Oregon Trial Well Service LLC OSU Extension Service Solutions, Inc. Portrait Connection Prairie Springs Fish Farm Robert Bagett PLS, CWRE Silvies Valley Ranch State Farm Insuarance Sunrise Construction Specialties TEC Copier Systems Town of Canyon City Valley View Retirement Center Virginia McMillan D.D.S. Grant County Chamber of Commerce 301 W Main St. John Day, OR 97845 541.575.0547
