Leaders from around the area met Friday afternoon to discuss economic development for the area and Columbiana County, and included an update on a potential huge project for the area.
It was a packed house at the Riverside Roadhouse, where the Wellsville Area Chamber of Commerce held a special luncheon to talk about economic development for the area and the proposed Baard Energy Plant, which would play a major role in economic development for Columbiana County. According to the Columbiana Port Authority, the project is still on target.
"They feel good things are coming their way," said Steve Cooper from the Columbiana Port Authority. "The investors are lining up and everyone's getting very enthused again about it."
Representative Charlie Wilson (D-6th), the guest speaker for the event, said he's talked to everyone from President Barack Obama to the Secretary of Energy about Baard Energy's proposed coal to liquid fuel plant.
"I think they see the importance," Wilson said. "This will help not only limit the amount of energy we keep having, bringing in, importing from other countries, but we'll be making our own energy and creating jobs in our own valley."
The $6 billion plant would bring as many as 3,000 jobs to the Valley. Right now, Baard Energy has all of the necessary permits, and all they need now is the rest of the private funding to get things moving. Even in these hard economic times, they're still optimistic.
"Trying to start a project, a six billion dollar project with this in mind is very difficult, but they seem to be coming out of it and are very enthused about getting ready with phase one of the project," said Cooper.
"It's the latest state of possibilities of making energy out of our own resources," Wilson said.
The Columbiana Port Authority said they're anticipating construction of the plant starting by the third quarter of this year.
