South Peace Historical Society

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    • About Dorthea Horton
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  • Table of Contents

    • Part 1: First Nations of the Peace River Region
    • Part 2: The Fur Trade Era
    • Part 3: Transportation and Communication
    • Part 4: Old Timers and the Price of Land
    • Part 5: Dawson Creek: The Story of the Community
    • Part 6: Mysteries, Adventures and Indian Legends
    • Part 7: Arts, Crafts and Recreation
    • Part 8: Agriculture
    • Part 9: Church Histories
    • Part 10: Schools
    • Part 11: Health Care
    • Part 12: Industries and Enterprises
    • Part 13: Policing the Peace
    • Part 14: Pouce Coupe, Rolla, and Other South Peace Communities
    • Part 15: Chetwynd and the Fort St. John Area
    • Part 16: The Alberta Peace
    • Part 17: Natural History of the Peace River Region
    • Part 18: Interviews with Old Timers
    • Part 19: Remembering Our Veterans

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BN08-70: Ethanol Opportunities Focus of Conference

Recent History – 2002

April 11, 2002

DAWSON CREEK — The possibility of building B.C.’s first ethanol plant will be the focus of a conference later this month.

Entitled “An Ethanol Industry Opportunity for Your Community,” the event will be held on Saturday, April 27 at the George Dawson Inn, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Beginning at 1 p.m., a proposed grain food ethanol project for Dawson Creek will be showcased, touching on the project description, capital costs, products and a marketing strategy. Plant financing plans, that include a proposed Peace-based owner co-operative, will also be outlined.

EnerGreen Power Inc. president Bill Vanderland will be present, while Norm Marek of the Illinois State Department of Commerce has been invited. Also on hand will be B.C. Energy and Mines Minister Richard Neufeld and Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom.

The conference is sponsored by the Peace River Regional District (PRRD) which has been working with Vanderland since 1992 to bring such a plant to the Peace.

PRRD chair Karen Goodings said that recent events are making renewable resources like ethanol more viable than ever.

“These include reduction of toxic air and water pollution, the Kyoto Agreement and global climate change, energy security and diversification,” she said.

“Farming giant John Deere has announced engine and emissions testing for ethanol diesel blended fuels. Last week, Saskatchewan announced legislation that will mandate the use of ethanol in gasoline.”

Lekstrom who chaired the PRRD’s ethanol committee before he was elected MLA, has been an ardent supporter of an ethanol plant and development of a B.C.-wide ethanol industry. On Tuesday, he brought the issue up in the legislative assembly.

“Not many people know that Henry Ford built the first Model T to run on pure ethanol,” he said. “Production of ethanol creates new permanent jobs in British Columbia, which will benefit all of us in the future as we strive to improve our economy and diversify our industries in our province today.”

He also noted that British Columbia is now the only province west of the Maritimes that does not have a producing ethanol plant.

This article is taken from the Peace River Block Daily News, Dawson Creek, with the permission of the publisher. The Daily News retains all rights relating to this material. The information in this article is intended solely for research or general interest purposes.

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