RUMFORD – Getting included in the U.S. Department of Energy Renewable Resources program of the 2004 Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill was a long and difficult process, Scott Christiansen said.
“We have been working on this with Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins since early April, when Joe Derouche and I traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet with them and build support for our biorefinery project,” said Christiansen, executive director of the River Valley Growth Council.
Derouche is the council’s president.
“At that time, getting this into the Energy Bill was considered to be a long shot, but that did not deter the staff of the Sens. Collins and Snowe. I was absolutely amazed at how tenacious and innovative those guys were in getting this project added to the bill,” Christiansen said.
In April at the Capitol, Christiansen and Derouche learned they only had a week left before deadline to get their request into the appropriations bill.
The deadline came and went, but the senators’ staff didn’t give up.
Eventually, both Collins and Snowe convinced their colleagues in the Senate to include the bill because the biorefinery project is important to Maine and to the nation, Christiansen said.
The senators talked about the assistance the money would provide in promoting economic growth, rural economic diversity, and stronger national security through the development of forest-based bioproducts, including biofuels, fuel additives, bioplastics, biofabrics, specialty and commodity chemicals and biocomposites.
“And in the end, they found a way to keep this critical project moving forward,” he added.
Derouche also praised Chrisiansen’s efforts “for making sure the political folks understand how important this is for jobs in Maine.”
tkarkos@sunjournal.com
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