ADAMS COUNTY, Pa. — A Massachusetts-based company made its pitch to residents of Conewago Township in Adams County for a new facility which could bring millions of dollars in local investment to the area.
The company Divert is proposing a facility on a 22-acre plot of land near the McSherrystown portion of the township, which would use a bacterial process called anaerobic digestion to turn wasted food into renewable energy in the form of natural gas.
Company representatives presented part of their plan to the Conewago Township Zoning Hearing Board as they sought a special exemption for the land, although it is currently zoned as being for industrial use.
The company says it will invest $100 million into the plant and create 50-60 new jobs ranging from biochemists to truck drivers and maintenance workers.
Divert has 13 facilities nationwide which takes food from grocery stores that can no longer be sold and ships it to facilities for conversion to natural gas.
The company says it will produce 1000 MMBtu's of natural gas each day to put into the Columbia Gas Pipeline.
Residents of Conewago Township who attended the meeting expressed concern that the township's roads would not be able to accommodate the estimated 20 additional trucks that would come through the town each day, and that the township's sewage system would not be able to withstand an estimated 100,000 gallons of wastewater per day.
The second part of the hearing was postponed to July 10 due to time constraints.
Representatives from Divert are expected to present a more detailed proposal on that day.