Too much risk and unpredictability for Yates to gamble on biodigester project
Editor:
There are Town of Yates residents who are concerned that the biodigester project in Yates is a huge failure waiting to happen. John Riggi and the Town Board should stop pursuing the project before anymore taxpayer funds are wasted.
1. NY State comptroller Thomas DiNapoli did an extensive audit of the Village of Walton when they were pursuing a biodigester project. The audit found that if that village were to continue to pursue the biodigester project, it would be considered a misuse of taxpayer funds, as it exposes the village to significant risk well beyond the normal services provided by a local government. The Walton Village Board wisely voted unanimously to abandon the project even though Walton has a Kraft Foods plant, a much larger facility to contribute waste to the biodigester than anything in the Town of Yates.
2. A biodigester in Waunakee Wisconsin had numerous malfunctions causing 400,000 gallons of manure to leak into the local watershed. In 2014 an explosion in the biodigester tank destroyed the tank roof. The Wisconsin Dept. of Natural resources reported the operator had lost $2.8 million in the 4 years the biodigester operated.
3. On April 17th 2011 Noblehurst Farms in Genesee County lost their biodigester in a fire.
4. On June 8th 2021 a worker in Stockton Iowa, died trying to make a repair on a biodigester.
5. The town of Grimsby Ontario, a town like ours on Lake Ontario, broke ground for a biodigester in 2015. The town officials boasted it was a breakthrough and it was the first of its kind in Canada. By 2019 the town was $18 million in debt due to the biodigester and filed a lawsuit against the former mayor for mismanagement of funds. When the town was finally able to sell the facility to a private company, the new mayor said it was outstanding news for Grimsby to be out of the biodigester business.
6. Vermont Technical College got a $1.5 million grant and took out $4.2 million in debt through bonds to finance a biodigester, which was touted as a new day for energy in Vermont. By 2019, even though Vermont subsidizes the energy for biodigesters which NY state does not, Vermont Tech shut down their biodigester because they were losing money operating it.
7. Per the Owen Sound Sun Times, The Townships of Georgian Bluffs and Chatsworth in Ontario combined to install a biodigester, and it has caused each town to lose $100,000 a year. In April 2022 Chatsworth informed Georgian Bluffs of its desire to withdraw from the partnership. The towns are trying to find a private company to form a new partnership, but they have not been able to find any interest
8. A biodigester in the town of Lowell, Michigan went on line in 2015 causing horrible odors in the town for months. The town ordered the shutdown of the biodigester but prior to the shutdown, on Nov. 27, 2016, the biodigester nearly exploded due to gas build up, causing a fire and spilling thousands of gallons of waste. Despite the cost of $6.5 million, the biodigester operated for about only a year and has not been restarted.
9. Just a short time ago on Sept. 20, 2023, the Dayton Daily News reported that after years of citizens’ complaints, EPA violations, fines of $100,000, and a lawsuit filed by the Ohio Attorney General, a biodigester in Greene County Ohio will be shut down.
10. E & E News reported on July 28 2021, that despite having invested large sums on money constructing biodigesters, several NY dairy farmers are shutting them down because the income they generate can not cover the high operating costs.
11. Cornell did a study on 7 biodigesters in NY State. The average biodigester studied only ran at a 57% efficiency.
State Comptroller DiNapoli’s biodigester analysis is summarized as follows: Biodigesters subject significant risks to local governments and therefore taxpayers. If the 3rd party users discontinue operations, move operations, reduce their size, or opt not to use the biodigester, local governments will continue to incur substantial costs without significant income. Biodigester projects should not be considered unless local governments can secure firm agreements with local companies for waste disposal. Otherwise pursuing a biodigester does not warrant the significant risks and sky-high costs involved with the project.
Per information that I have received, the Town Board does not have the support of key farmers with operations in the Town of Yates. I was told by a Yates farmer that one of the largest farmers needed to supply waste to the biodigester opposes the project and has personally gave this message to the Town Supervisor in September.
Even if there are farms that will use the facility, will these farms operate in the same fashion for the next 25 years? If we go back 25 years, Crosby Whipple had their gas station and repair shop where the Dollar General is. We had a drug store in town, Bowman Apple was making apple sauce on West Avenue and the Penny Saver Market was open.
Things change over time and we don’t need our town gambling on a project that has this kind of risk. So until the Town can produce written commitments from the local farmers then not one more darn dollar should be wasted on this – $7,500 already.
This is a complete waste of taxpayer money. We think it’s time to cut the losses and get out of this entirely. Folks, it’s a bad Idea. One of the many bad ideas that Mr. Riggi and Mr. Simon have planned for this town should he get re-elected.
All of this because he does not like the smell of his neighbors, the dairy Farmers.
Elections have consequences and keeping the incumbents in power could end up being a great liability for the town. Steve and I will not support any of this crazy spending and ludicrous ideas. We will always put the taxpayers first.
Thank you for your Support.
Paul Lauricella Jr.
Steven A. Colon
Yates
