I want to publicly thank Senator Brandon Smith for his support and passing of Senate Bill 46 which will further encourage the development of biomass generating plants like the one ecoPower plans to build in the Coal Fields Industrial Park. An essential element of the bill is the effect on job creation and the economic impact in Perry and surrounding counties.

With regulatory hurdles more clearly addressed, ecoPower believes it can move forward with the sale of the power under a long-term contract. Upon contract execution, ecoPower will undertake final development steps and construction should begin within months. Over 200 construction jobs will be created, and when in operation the plant will sustain over 500 jobs in the area. Loggers, truckers, and others in the timber industry will have a stable, long-term market for timber resources for which there is currently a very spotty market. The annual economic impact in the region will be over $18 million.

We are excited about the opportunity to build this plant and others in the region. So thank you, Senator Smith, for helping create a framework to make this dream a reality. I encourage readers of this letter who will benefit from this forward-looking approach to thank Senator Smith and others who supported and guided this legislation through the House and Senate without a single dissenting vote.

Let’s get started.

Gary Crawford

ecoPower Generation