Not in My Backyard: Arizona town, residents battle over siting of proposed biodiesel plant

In Arizona, the saga of the town that wanted biodiesel and the residents who wanted it too, only elsewhere, continued to play out in Valley Vista, near Kingman.

The town recently approved a $30 million proposed plant by Las Vegas-based Sun West Biofuels; local residents from the small community of Valley Vista said that they did not object to the plant as long as it was placed in service near the airport in an industrial setting, but objected to a zoning variance that approved a parcel of former ranch land that is proximate to the small community.

Sun West director Rick Neal, who owned the parcel of land proposed for the plant, said “I don’t see us putting this up somewhere else, either we will do it here or it won’t happen here,” and commissioners decided the opportunity for jobs and tax revenue was too tempting. Local residents cited concerns over noise and odor, but overwhelmingly objected to the plant on the grounds of the potential fire hazard, noting that Sun West did not have experience in operating a biodiesel plant and that the company did not provide details on the proposed system’s safety record.

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