Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities
Managing editor
Natural Chem CEO Robert Salazar sent a letter to state officials Tuesday asking them to keep an open mind about their New Mexico project.
The company interested in building a biodiesel plant in Portales has been trying to negotiate with Abengoa to purchase its ethanol plant to include as part of the facility for producing biodiesel and liquid and compressed natural gas with an add-on business of refining pharmaceutical, food-grade glycerine.
Portales city councilors and a Roosevelt County Community Development Corporation board member had expressed concerns at the Jan. 20 City Council meeting.
Salazar had addressed the letter to officials at the New Mexico Partnership and the New Mexico Economic Development Department, asking RCCDC Executive Director Stan Livengood to forward the letter to Portales city officials.
New Mexico Partnership helps businesses that are looking to locate in New Mexico and NMEDD promotes economic development in the state. Both organizations help businesses in a variety of areas, such as helping them achieve state permits.
In the letter, Salazar made reference to a Portales News-Tribune article highlighting city officials’ concerns.
“The attached newspaper article reporting on a recent City Council discussion about Natural Chem’s proposed Southwest Eco Fuels Project, and its potential impacts on water usage, is of importance to Natural Chem as we gauge local support for this project,” Salazar wrote.
“As we all know, the job creation from the Eco Fuels Project will be excellent, and we will pay superb salaries, all to the benefit of the local community.”
Salazar asked the following of state, county and city officials “at this stage in our effort:”
• That Natural Chem not be saddled with the negative local perception of the prior owner of the ethanol plant. We are not that company and have pledged to investigate and address the issues created by that company’s operation of the ethanol plant. At the end of the day, we may abandon our effort to acquire the ethanol plant if there is not local support for resuming its operation.
• That the state and local communities keep in mind that the Eco Fuels Complex is operationally fully independent of the ethanol plant. Thus, any negative history associated with the ethanol plant has no applicability to Natural Chem and the Eco Fuels Plant.
• That the Portales Industrial Park and the existing ethanol plant are major assets to the local community. Under proper operating plans, the ethanol plant would be a welcome addition to the entire region, with its large purchases of grain, supply of cost effective fuels to local consumers and its job creation.
• That we all work together in a positive, cooperative spirit as project development work, such as the Eco Fuels Plant, is hard enough when all parties are pulling together, and can be next to impossible if there is a lack of united support.
Several Natural Chem officials will be visiting Portales on Feb. 17.
Interim City Manager Sam Standefer said city officials are just as eager as Natural Chem officials to meet and talk with each other.
He said if city officials are unable to meet with Natural Chem on Feb. 17, they will arrange another meeting day with them.
“We will be establishing those meetings to see what Natural Chem wants and needs from the city of Portales,” Standefer said. “We have to answer those kinds of questions. It’s a systematic, methodical approach to these things, but in no way are we trying to discourage them from coming here. We want to establish meetings and learn what they need and what they are trying to do. We need to establish what’s possible and what’s not possible. We absolutely want to meet them.”
