Newspaper Revisits Story On Milton Ethanol Plant

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Today's story in the Janesville Gazette on the Milton ethanol plant contains no reference to a city deal struck behind closed doors (made by the plant's attorney!) and instead places the reason for the unenforceable conditional-use permit simply on city administration forgetfulness. The Gazette also posted a timeline on the plant absent any action taken by the group "Citizens for Responsible Development."

JSonline Excerpt:
March 18, 2008 -- Over a period of nine months in 2004 and 2005, the city secretly negotiated the deal and promised to provide more than $800,000 in subsidies and to borrow another $3 million to pay for infrastructure improvements to get United Ethanol to open the plant.

I know..I know..this was all legal for competitive bargaining reasons. Like Milton was approached by several ethanol producers just aching to build a new plant in the city.

JSonline Excerpt:
A group called Citizens for Responsible Development sued, but a Rock County circuit judge ruled that the city did not violate any laws. The group appealed.

Highbeam Excerpt:
Citizens for Responsible Development has revised a lawsuit it filed May 6 in Rock County Court against the Milton City Council and Plan Commission. The original suit challenges the legality of the conditional-use permit granted to the Beaver Dam co-op.

Today's article also puts the onus back onto the city to prove that the objectionable odor is coming from the ethanol plant in the first place, instead of focusing on a business that is operating without a permit. A splendid defense put on by the newspaper if I must say. It's all back to square one.

Note: Wednesday's Gazette story on the Milton ethanol plant not available online at time of this posting..