A draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for the Great Valley Ethanol plant is available for public review at Hanford City Hall. The city also set the public meeting on the project for Oct. 17. A 45-day public comment period began Sept. 27, according to the notice mailed out to various agencies, neighbors and the media this week. The review period ends Sunday, Nov. 12.

A Bakersfield-based company proposes to build and operate the new ethanol plant on a 112-acre parcel at the southwest corner of Iona and 10th avenues in the Kings Industrial Park in the southern end of Hanford.

The company's plan came to light earlier this year, as Pacific Ethanol, a Sacramento-based company, also filed paperwork with Kings County to build a plant nearby. But Pacific Ethanol has since pulled the plug on the project, citing ethanol market volatility.

The issue of the draft EIR this week indicates that the Great Valley Ethanol project -- although its initial plan to break ground this summer has obviously been delayed -- is on track.

With the EIR circulating, the public will have the opportunity to learn about and comment on the corn ethanol plant. The document provides an analysis of the project's potentially significant environmental impacts.

"Traditionally, a project like this would have been processed with a negative declaration, but because the project is so complex, vast and important, the staff decided it needs an EIR to assess the full implications of the project and present it to the public," said Barbara McCurdy Marty, Hanford's economic development manager.

If built, the Great Valley Ethanol plant would produce 63 million gallons a year of corn ethanol that would be used as a gasoline blend stock.

About 20 percent of the grain used for the production of ethanol will be locally produced corn, but the company says the rest would be shipped in from the Midwest.

The production of ethanol from corn involves grinding of the grain and mixing with water and enzymes. The mash is cooked and mixed with yeast and allowed to ferment. The final product is mixed with 5 percent gasoline to "denature" the product before shipping.

Grain by-products from the distillation process -- a product of high nutritional value -- will be sold to area dairymen as livestock feed.

Copies of the draft EIR are available for review at the city community development department, 317 N. Douty St.

Comments may be mailed to the same address within the 45-day period, which ends on Oct. 12.

The reporter can be reached at 582-0471, ext. 3059.

(Oct. 2, 2007)