Maliseets plan biodiesel plant on tribal land

HOULTON – The Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians announced its intentions Tuesday to build a $9 million biodiesel processing plant on tribal land in Houlton.

Chief Brenda Commander said the decision to go forward with plans comes after the completion of a positive feasibility study. Regent Associates of Presque Isle did the study.

The proposed site is on a 50-acre parcel the tribe owns off North Road.

Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that produces fewer emissions and has better lubricating qualities than regular diesel fuel. She said biodiesel is a renewable fuel that can be domestically produced from vegetable oils or animal fat.

“This is a very interesting proposal for us,” Commander said Tuesday afternoon. “We have been working on this for some time.

“It’s an expensive proposition,” she added. “It is one that would give the tribe some income to pursue programs and projects for the tribe.”

Construction of the project would bring an unknown number of jobs, and the operation of the facility would produce at least 12 good-paying jobs in southern Aroostook County.

“It’s very positive all the way around,” Commander said. “It brings the possibility of tribal members returning to the reservation.”

The tribe has 864 registered members, and about 300 live on tribal lands. Commander believes others, now living in northern Maine and even out of state, would return with the revenue stream the project would bring.

The tribe has two housing facilities, and more could be built, she said.

Work on the feasibility phase of the project started in 2005. Commander said the tribe, which supports the project, did not want to go public until the feasibility study was complete.

It is now working on the financing aspect of the project.

The initial phase would be the construction of a facility that would produce 5 million gallons of biodiesel per year. The biodiesel would be made from soybean oil during the first year.

The tribe hopes to work with the Aroostook County agricultural community to grow enough canola to produce the canola oil needed for a sufficient supply for a plant of the capacity it envisions.

The canola oil potential, Commander explained, will be evaluated in future studies. She hopes a canola-crushing production can be developed for the plant’s needs.

She said the plant could reduce the country’s dependence on foreign oil, while having less of an impact on global warming than petroleum-based fuels.

“We [the tribe] are environmentally conscious,” she said. “This has the support of the [Indian] community and tribal leadership.

“We are looking to make this a reality,” she said. “We are working hard to see the results of this plan.”