Courtesy Email on the Draft of the Proposed Order and Written Comment Period for the Port Westward Renewable Fuels Request for Exemption Project Description: The Port Westward Renewable Fuels Project is a proposed renewable fuels production facility capable of processing up to 50,000 barrels per day (BPD) of renewable biomass feedstocks, to be located at the Port Westward Industrial Park in Columbia County, Oregon. At full capacity the facility will be designed to produce up to 46,500 BPD of renewable diesel and 2700 BPD of renewable naphtha. Exemption Requirements: Certain projects may qualify for an exemption from having to obtain a site certificate from the Energy Facility Siting Council (Council). NEXT Renewable Fuels, LLC (NEXT) is seeking an exemption under Oregon Revised Statute 469.320(2)(f) for the following type of project: A plant which converts biomass to a gas, liquid or solid product, or combination of such products, intended to be used as a fuel and if any one of such products is capable of being burned to produce the equivalent of six billion Btu of heat a day. In order to qualify for an exemption, this type of project must meet the following requirements: (A) Exclusively uses biomass, including but not limited to grain, whey, potatoes, oilseeds, waste vegetable oil or cellulosic biomass, as the source of material for conversion to a liquid fuel; (B) Has received local land use approval under the applicable acknowledged comprehensive plan and land use regulations of the affected local government and the facility complies with any statewide planning goals or rules of the Land Conservation and Development Commission that are directly applicable to the facility; (C) Requires no new electric transmission lines or gas or petroleum product pipelines that would require a site certificate under subsection (1) of this section; (D) Produces synthetic fuel, at least 90 percent of which is used in an industrial or refueling facility located within one mile of the facility or is transported from the facility by rail or barge; and (E) Emits less than 118 pounds of carbon dioxide per million Btu from fossil fuel used for conversion energy. Schedule: On March 31, 2022, the applicant, NEXT Renewable Fuels, LLC (NEXT), submitted an updated Request for Site Certificate Exemption. On April 6, 2022, the Department determined that the Request for Exemption was complete and issued a Notice of Filing as required under Oregon Administrative Rule 345-015-0370. On April 20, 2022, the Department issued a draft of the Proposed Order on the Request for Exemption. Within 60 days of the Notice of Filing, the Department is required to review the request, prepare a proposed order, and bring the matter before the Energy Facility Siting Council for action. The Department anticipates that this matter will be brought before the Council at its May 27, 2022, meeting. Written Comment Opportunity: The Oregon Department of Energy requests written comments on the draft of the Proposed Order (staff's initial evaluation and recommendation) from April 20, 2022 through May 11, 2022. Written comments must be received by the comment deadline of May 11, 2022. Written comments must be submitted by mail, email, fax, or hand-delivery per below before the close of the comment period: Wally Adams, Operations and Policy Analyst Oregon Department of Energy 550 Capital Street NE Salem, OR 97301 Phone: 971-273-9778 Fax: 503-373-7806 Email: Walter.Adams@energy.oregon.gov The Department provides this notice as a courtesy and may, at its discretion, cease providing such notices in the future. By providing this notice the Department is not creating a basis for any cause of action asserting a right to continuous or future receipt of such notices. Additional Information: The complete Request for Exemption and draft of the Proposed Order are available on ODOE's webpage at: https://www.oregon.gov/energy/facilities-safety/facilities/Pages/PWB.aspx
You received this notice either because you previously signed up for email updates through GovDelivery/ClickDimensions related to specific siting projects, all Energy Facility Siting Council activities (the "General List") or Rulemaking activities. You may manage your subscriptions to updates on various ODOE and Energy Facility Siting Council projects by logging in to our ClickDimensions page at: https://tinyurl.com/ODOE-EFSC If you have any questions or comments about ClickDimensions please feel free to contact please contact Nancy Hatch at 503-428-7905, toll-free in Oregon at 800-221-8035, or email to nancy.hatch@energy.oregon.gov | 
