CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners announced on Tuesday that a public meeting will be held with representatives of BioEnergy Internation LLC concerning public concerns over the construction of their Bionol Clearfield plant.
The Bionol Clearfield plant is a 100 mgpy corn ethanol biorefinery under construction in Clearfield. The site will consist of corn and cellulosic ethanol produciton plants.
Over the last few months Lester Smiley, a retired DuBois citizen with a background in construction and unions, questioned the lack of Clearfield County laborers at the ethanol plant job site. Smiley and Darrell Ferguson, also of DuBois, also attended Monday night’s Curwensville Borough Council meeting.
At that meeting Ferguson and Smiley warned council not to take Sunnyside Ethanol at their word, and to demand promises and agreements in writing. Sunnyside is an ethanol production project proposed within Curwensville Borough.
On Tuesday Smiley told the commissioners that he has been trying to contact state officials to find out if a prevailing wage is being paid to the workers at the Bionol site.
Commissioner Chairwoman Joan Robinson-McMillen stated that the commissioners learned that prevailing wage is being paid on the site. She also said that a future public meeting with BioEnergy officials is in the works.
“It’s about time,” said Smiley.
Ferguson also spoke, claiming that BioEnergy was dishonest about hiring locals. He questioned why job applicants had to contact an out-of-state company.
“Why wasn’t PA Career Link used?”
Ferguson asked the commissioners to use every method they could to fix what he termed a travesty.
“They’re in our backyard, we make the rules,” said Ferguson.
Commissioner Mark McCracken also suggested having a representative from the Department of Labor and Industry at the meeting.
McMillen said the date and time of the meeting will be announced at a later date.