Months after Fibrowatt LLC announced that it would burn chicken litter to make electricity in Surry County, a group of residents is organizing to fight the placement of the company's $140 million power plant along the Yadkin River near Elkin.
Residents say that there has been a lack of public awareness, and they are concerned about air pollution.
"I'm worried about this," said Sam Tesh, who lives in State Road about six miles north of the site. "Also, I know this pollution which is going to be put out might hurt some of our young folks."
Tesh and about nine other people met Monday night at the Foothills Arts Council in Elkin.
In June, Fibrowatt selected a 60-acre tract along the Yadkin River next to a Duke Energy Corp. substation, and Interstate 77 and N.C. 268. It's also close to the region's poultry producers.
The plant would bring at least 80 jobs, and it would be the largest single investment by any company in the history of Surry County, officials said.
At the time, members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League criticized the project, but there was no visible local opposition.
Residents say they plan to meet again at 7 p.m. Monday at the arts-council building.
"It's always time for people to be involved and get more information," said David Mickey, the zero-waste coordinator for Blue Ridge. He attended Monday's meeting and plans to work with the group.
Blue Ridge compared an air-quality permit for Fibrowatt's existing plant in Minnesota with a proposed permit for Duke Energy's Cliffside plant, a new coal-burning plant under construction, and found that some of Fibrowatt's emissions are higher.
Fibrowatt has not applied to the state for an air-quality permit and is limited as to what it can do at the site until it has the permit, said Terry Walmsley, Fibrowatt's vice president of environment and public affairs.
The company also has not completed a power-purchase agreement. Fibrowatt officials said last year that they were negotiating for a contract with Duke Energy.
Fibrowatt will continue to answer questions about the proposal, Walmsley said.
"The amount of review and regulatory evaluation that will go into this is quite extensive. Frankly, we will not be able to build a plant unless we can demonstrate in great certainty that we won't have a negative impact on the environment," Walmsley said.
The Surry site could be under construction sometime in 2010.
Fibrowatt is also planning to build a plant in Sampson County. The company is still considering a third site in Moore, Montgomery or Stanly counties.
■ Sherry Youngquist can be reached in Mount Airy at 336-789-9338 or at syoungquist@wsjournal.com.
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