Ring Neck Energy gets construction air quality permit for Onida ethanol plant

In South Dakota, the state’s Board of Minerals and Environment approved an air quality permit for the construction of Ring Neck Energy’s proposed ethanol plant in Onida, with the board’s chairman the sole vote against the motion. Two community members attending the vote were against the plant, saying the air pollution will be bad for the community and insisted on conducting air-dispersion modeling for the plant before the permission was granted. One of them offered to fund the study personally at the state doesn’t require ethanol plants to submit such modeling, though the board’s staff evaluates models from existing plants during the decision making process.