RYAM takes 'first step' for bioethanol plant with City

Rayonier Advanced Materials (RYAM) has applied to have the city's Technical Review Committee examine plans for a bioethanol production plant at its Gum Street complex.

The application is the first step in the process with the city's Planning and Conservation and Building Departments before obtaining city permits that would allow construction of the project.

 

RYAM's $50 million-plus project is projected to produce 7.5 million gallons of bioethanol per year. The alternative fuel would be stored on site and then trucked to other locations.

 

But RYAM faces numerous obstacles in obtaining city building permits for the plant.

Bioethanol chemical manufacturing is prohibited in the city under regulations stated in the Comprehensive Plan and Land Development Code. The city previously paid an outside land use expert for an opinion on the RYAM proposal. The expert determined the plant would be engaged in chemical manufacturing and thus not allowed in Fernandina Beach.

 

However, RYAM officials said they will challenge that ruling with arguments to the city that the bioethanol plant uses a fermentation process and not chemical manufacturing and as such is allowable.

 

The ultimate decision whether to grant RYAM a building permit for the facility lies with new City Manager Sarah Campbell and not the city commission. Campbell, former city manager of Orange Park, has been on the job for two weeks. City officials said they will contract with an outside chemical processing expert to render an opinion on RYAM's bioethanol methods. After reviewing all materials submitted for the project, Campbell will then issue a decision to grant or deny the building permit. The decision likely will not happen until well into 2025.

 

RYAM submitted its Technical Review Committee application on Dec. 5 seeking a pre-application conference and stated the facility would be located on 2.5 acres at its Gum Street location. It described the project as a 2G bioethanol process addition.

 

Taina Christner with No Ethanol Fernandina, a community group organized in opposition of the RYAM plant, said they were notified about the meeting by the city.

"A Technical Review Committee (TRC) "first step" meeting was held yesterday (12/12) at the Airport conference room in which the attached RYAM documents were submitted for a 2G bioethanol project. City Manager Campbell was not in attendance (this is customary practice; previous City Managers did not attend TRC first step meetings)," a city official email stated according to Christner.

 

Interim City Manager Jeremiah Glisson confirmed the meeting took place.

 

The city's Technical Review Committee reviews applications and provides compliance reports for construction site plans, rezoning, amendments to the Land Development Code, preliminary subdivision plats, final subdivision plats, and amendments to previously issued local development orders. TRC members include city department staff from Planning and Conservation, Utilities, Building, Facilities Maintenance and the Fire Department.