PORTLAND, OR – Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley applauded today’s U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) announcement that ZeaChem Inc. has been selected for a $232.5 million USDA loan guarantee to help the construction of ZeaChem’s first commercial scale cellulosic biorefinery in Boardman, Oregon. The state-of-the-art facility will turn woody biomass and agricultural waste into fuel, putting Oregonians back to work through construction and ongoing operations jobs.
“ZeaChem’s investment in Boardman is a bright spot for the future of biomass in our state and a needed injection of jobs for Eastern Oregon,” said Merkley. “I’m excited about what this investment means for the future of renewable energy in our state and the help it will provide for Oregon’s economy.”
ZeaChem’s development of the first commercial biorefinery is already underway at the Port of Morrow in Boardman, Oregon and the facility is expected to have capacity for 25 million gallons-per-year of cellulosic ethanol. The new facility will create 188 construction jobs and 65 full-time operations jobs in Boardman. The USDA’s announcement of the $232.5 million loan guarantee comes from the 9003 Biorefinery Assistance Program.
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