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County of Stettler refuses development permit for Alberta BioBord

A proposed mega-project in the County of Stettler has hit a speed bump.
29199350_web1_210421-BAS-BioBord_1
(biobord.ca)

A proposed mega-project in the County of Stettler has hit a speed bump.

On May 19, County of Stettler communications released that the application for the Alberta BioBord project had been deemed incomplete and therefore refused by the county.

“This decision does not reflect any judgement by the county’s development authority on the merits of the application that was made by Alberta BioBord, but rather reflects the changing nature of the proposed development and the need for them to supply complete information about the proposed development,” wrote County of Stettler director of communications Niki Thorsteinsson in the media release.

According to the release, Alberta BioBord initially applied for a development permit for a fuel pellet plant at a location north of Stettler on Oct. 15, 2021.

While the initial application was deemed incomplete on Oct. 28, 2021, the county development authority requested more information and provided a further deadline of Feb. 28, 2022.

Subsequently, on Feb. 24, Alberta BioBord requested an extension, which was granted, that then expired on April 30, 2022.

However, according to George Clark, chief executive officer of Alberta BioBord, due to the timing of a sharp-tail grouse audit, which is currently being conducted, another extension had been requested from the county with no reply.

“I don’t know why they didn’t give us an additional extension,” said Clark.

Once the grouse study is complete and reviewed by Alberta Environment, Clark says they plan to hold public consultations regarding the project before filing a new application with the county.

According to Clark, one of the changes related to the project referred to in the county’s release relates to a collaborative project with the University of Calgary at the site, which is currently in the drafting stages.

Despite the obstacle, Clark says that BioBord remains committed to Stettler.



Kevin Sabo

About the Author: Kevin Sabo

I’m Kevin Sabo. I’ve been a resident of the Castor area for the last 12 years and counting, first coming out here in my previous career as an EMT.
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