PAYETTE -- More than 100 people in Payette County turned up to a planning and zoning meeting Thursday night. Most were residents concerned about the next step in a plan to collect more natural gas in their county.
After six hours, the Planning and Zoning Board decided to table a vote on the plant until Bridge Resources Corporation outlines specifics on noise and aesthetics of the gas plant in their plans.
Bridge Resources has been working on plans to collect natural gas in New Plymouth for a while. The corporation has already installed pumps, and now, to actually use the gas they've discovered, say they must have a new natural gas collection site and dehydrator plant.
Bridge Resources wants to put that plant on a plot of land that's about a dozen acres and is zoned for agricultural use. On Thursday, Bridge asked the county planning and zoning board for a temporary use permit so it may construct the plant.
Neighboring homeowners and farmers we spoke with before that meeting said they have many concerns, like that their drinking water, irrigation water, and air would be compromised or polluted.
The man directly next door, Travis Fisher, says he moved to a rural area to be in a quite environment. Fisher is now also worried about his property value declining and his quality of life suffering.
Fisher's neighbor, Jerry Stelling, who's a firefighter and farmer, is also worried about safety, saying the local fire department isn't properly funded or trained to respond to large fires involving natural gas.
Steve West, President of Centra Consulting, Inc., which is a Boise company working with Bridge Resources, spoke at the meeting to counter many of the concerns. He assures the plant will need an air permit and will follow all groundwater regulations.
West also said when it comes to safety, the plant will not stockpile chemicals on site and will have employees working at the plant, as well as routine inspections.
West believes there is a lot of misinformation regarding the plant circulating through the county, and he says the natural gas collection in western Idaho will help the area economically in terms of both revenue and jobs.
As of Thursday night at 10:00, the meeting was still going on and no decision had been made regarding the permit request.