As we have heard from Chairman Johnson, on Monday May 17, 2010 the Surry County Board of Commissioners voted to end negotiations with Fibrowatt regarding the development of the FibroHills Biomass Power Plant within the county. This action came as a result of a long and very contentious debate over the future direction of Surry County and pressure from residents in nearby Elkin.

It is unfortunate that the Commissioners had to endure so much pressure over their support for this project. We believe the county’s invitation for Fibrowatt to locate in Surry County was the right decision and would have brought about a number of important benefits for the county. Amongst the benefits would have been jobs and significant tax revenue and local spending. Furthermore, the FibroHills project would have helped support an important local industry, by providing the local poultry growers with a long-term alternative option for litter management and would have provided an important and needed new source of locally-generated renewable energy. Regrettably, Surry County and the local poultry industry will not be able to reap the benefits of this project.

It is also unfortunate that the Board’s decision was made without the full benefit of information that would have been provided as a result of the project’s permitting process, a process that would have directly responded to the rhetoric raised about the FibroHills project. Fibrowatt and the Benson community are proud of the performance of the Fibrominn plant and we continue to work on the next generation of plant design for our projects in Sampson and Montgomery County, North Carolina. These new plants, like all past Fibrowatt developed plants, will include our latest design improvements – including increased energy efficiency, reduced reliance on local water resources, and reduced emissions – improvements that further demonstrate our commitment to protect and improve the environment.

While we are disappointed with Surry’s decision, we nonetheless recognize that Surry has made a decision which they believe is best for their community – and we wish them success as they follow this path.