Biofuels of Helena-West Helena, Arkansas

Re: Port Holds Monthly Meeting

HELENA-WEST HELENA- The Phillips County Port Authority held its monthly meeting Monday night and heard reports from Executive Director Martin Chaffin and voted to reestablish its financial relationship with the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce.

Executive Director Martin Chaffin reported that RGM Marketing continues to make progress on its plan to build a $1.6 billion food processing and biofuel facility. Chaffin unveiled engineering drawings showing where the different components of the plant located. He also reported that the company’s bankers had visited the site.

Chaffin talked about the potential impact of the facility on the harbor saying, “This project has the potential to make this harbor one of the largest inland ports in North America.” When completed, the facility will require 17 barges and four unit trains of raw materials per day with an additional four unit trains of coal per week. The company is currently working out some insurance issues for its lenders.

The Port also heard a report from Billy Ray, the Interim Director of the Phillips County Chamber of Commerce. Ray updated the group on the Chamber’s Community Development activities, which include the upcoming recertification of Helena-West Helena as an Arkansas Community of Excellence.

Ray also noted his desire to repair the relationship with the Port Authority. He said, “We want to work together and do things to complement the work of the Port. I think we can be an asset to each other.”

The Board went on to approve financial support for the Chamber in the amount of $1000 per month. Chaffin added, “I think we can work together. Community development is very important and Billy is doing an excellent job in that area. I look forward to working with him.”

Chaffin also reported to the Board that E-Fuels Inc. of Nevada is continuing to work on a financing package and is exploring the use of some more environmentally-friendly biodiesel technology used by some California companies.

The Board also decided to let some land options expire in order to keep land available for more serious prospects and is considering potential offers from some wanting to use some port facilities to receive supplies for building a natural gas pipeline.

The Board is not scheduled to meet again until January.

Helena Harbor is halfway between Montreal and Mexico City.

Located on the Mississippi River at mile 652 AH, Helena Harbor is just 65 miles south of America's acknowledged distribution center, Memphis, Tennessee. Its strategic location provides ready access to the nation's heartland via nearly 15,000 miles of inland water transportation as well as to the Gulf of Mexico and ocean trade lanes to and from Latin America and the rest of the world.

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Welcome to Main Street Helena...

Founded in 1984 as one of the original Main Street Arkansas projects, Main Street Helena continues to make great strides in restoring, preserving and restructuring Historic Downtown Helena. Through the support of government, businesses and individuals, Main Street works to restore buildings, replace sidewalks and bring special events such as the King Biscuit Blues Festival to downtown Helena. Our goal is to preserve the rich heritage which is Historic Downtown Helena.

BIOFUELS PROGRAM INFORMATION

Biofuels are any fuel comprised of organic matter that is available on a renewable or recurring basis. Vehicular Biofuels can be produced from various types of biomass including crops, grasses, trees, whey, manure, animal fats, and others. The increased use of Biofuels in transportation helps society reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and its dependence on foreign oil while creating new jobs and helping to grow the economy.

Biofuels show the potential to provide many of the same benefits as renewable hydrogen but could be available and affordable in a much shorter period of time. Examples of Biofuels include ethanol, biodiesel, biogas, and biomass-to-liquid (BTL).