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Wyoming County, Pennsylvania
The Wyoming County, Pennsylvania BDO Zone for Woody Biomass is rated ‘A’.
Rating Issue Date: April 29, 2024.
'A' ratings denote high prospective viability of Feedstock Supply and Infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the Zone. Capacity to support new biobased plant operations is considered strong.
BDO Zone RatingA
Rating
A
Certified supply
1,324,000 gt/yr
Feedstock
Woody Biomass
Rated
Apr 2024
Wyoming County, PA, BDO Zone Overview
Feedstock quantities are expressed in bone dry tons per year (bdt/yr), while feedstock costs are expressed in United States dollars (USD). Maximum transport distance is based on a 75-mile driving distance from the center point (Tunkhannock, PA).
BDO Zone Assets
- Over 662,000 bdt/yr woody biomass comprising 550,000 bdt/yr pulpwood, 64,000 bdt/yr forest residues, 48,000 bdt/yr sawmill residues at low risk
- Limited pulpwood competition with no pulp/paper facilities regionally enhances favorable dynamics
- Leading hardwood lumber production/export nation position ensures stable feedstock supply
BDO Zone Liabilities
- Logger/trucking migration to local shale gas industry weakens supply chain capacity
- Pulpwood supply chain inactivity vs. pre-2000 levels requires capital investment scaling
- Aging logging company ownership/management poses ownership transfer challenges
BDO Zone, 25 mi
Supply Zone, 75 mi
Competition Zone, 150 mi
Infrastructure
Rated industrial site — 104.2-acre parcel, State Route 87 and Manning Rd (Tunkhannock, PA)
- An industrial site was chosen within close proximity to Tunkhannock for the purposes of scoring infrastructure related risk indicators and aligning with criteria suitable for hosting a biofuels project. The chosen location sits on a 104.2-acre parcel southwest of the intersection of State Route 87 and Manning Rd. and is a 7-mile drive distance northeast of Tunkhannock, with ample area available on the parcel to locate a bio-based project.
- The industrial site is home to an established land clearing operation that also provides timber management, cut-to-length logging, whole tree chipping, mulch, and fuel delivery. The company uses forest residues from its land clearing activities, as well as sawmill residues obtained from local mills, to produce mulch, wood chips, firewood, sawdust, topsoil and enriched soils. The forest residues gathered during land clearing are processed and stored as inventory on-site. There are also four existing outbuildings on the property. Co-locating on the industrial site with an existing business working within the same supply chain offers an opportunity to realize potential synergies.
- Wyoming County does not have county-wide zoning; ten individual municipalities have adopted their own Zoning Ordinance, and Tunkhannock does not have one. The industrial site falls within the Washington Township ordinances and is zoned M1 Manufacturing, which provides for manufacturing and other industrial activities as well as heavy commercial uses such as warehousing, wholesaling and distribution. Surrounding parcels are zoned M1 manufacturing, C3 heavy commercial, C2 regional commercial, and R2 medium-density residential.
- Infrastructure:
- Electric: The two main utilities in the county are UGI Utilities and First Energy (Penelec). Operating within a deregulated framework, they allow customers to negotiate electricity rates with approved marketers.
- Natural Gas: Provided by UGI Utilities, also deregulated, with medium-to-large commercial operations expecting fixed rates between $0.43 and $0.49 per therm. A UGI natural gas pipeline is located on the southern portion of the property with no hookup currently in place.
- Water and Wastewater: There are 30 water systems in Wyoming County providing potable water and wastewater services. The two largest are the Tunkhannock Borough Municipal Authority, serving 2,440 people, and the Washington Township Sewer/Water Authority, serving 500 people; EPA testing on both shows a consistent track record of clean, potable water.
- Waste: Major landfills managing waste streams in Wyoming County include Keystone Sanitary Landfill, with which the county held a capacity agreement, and Commonwealth Environmental in Schuylkill County.
- Telecommunications: Services are provided by Xfinity, Verizon, Frontier, HughesNet, Viasat and T-Mobile, offering regionally competitive internet, cloud and 5G packages. Internet speeds near the industrial site are in the 50 Mbps range; higher-speed options such as Starlink can be explored at greater cost.
- Transportation Access:
- Road access is through State Route 87, a two-lane highway running east/west that connects to U.S. Route 6, the principal east-west roadway in Wyoming County. U.S. Route 6 connects Bradford County to the west and I-81 and I-476 (PA Turnpike) to the east. Tunkhannock is approximately 18 miles west of the I-81 interchange, and I-81 connects southward to I-80.
- The main rail line is owned by Norfolk Southern and runs parallel to the Susquehanna River from upstate New York to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, roughly 32 miles from the industrial site. Portions from Athens south to Mehoopany are operated by the Lehigh Valley line, and portions south of Mehoopany by the Reading, Blue Mountain and Northern Railroads. Canadian Pacific operates a north-south line from Binghamton to Nicholson to Scranton.
- Skyhaven Airport is a local privately owned small airport open to the public with a 1,975 ft runway.
Wyoming County Timberland Property (Windham, Mehoopany and Meshoppen Townships, PA)
- 1,296 +/- acres in Windham, Mehoopany, and Meshoppen Townships
- Located on Susquehanna River with 3.6 +/- miles river frontage
- Assembled by electric utility for unbuilt nuclear power plant
- Undeveloped, private, suitable for industrial/commercial/mixed-use
- No local zoning restrictions
- 1.32 +/- miles railroad frontage and 4.6 +/- miles road frontage
- Near major natural gas pipelines
Former Cascades Warehouse/Mfg - Bldg B (Ransom Township, PA)
- 150,000 SF industrial building in Ransom Township, PA 18411
- Heavy industrial M-1/R-2 zoned site with heavy electric services and ample water supply
- Owner open to subdivision and individual parcel sales
- Rail served with siding on Reading, Blue Mtn & Northern main line
- +/- 150,000 SF manufacturing/warehouse on +/- 38 acre, 8-parcel campus
- Former Cascades paper plant, decommissioned, shell condition
2390 PA-848 (Harford Road) (New Milford, PA)
- 3,000 SF industrial building in New Milford, PA
- 16 ft. ceilings with ground-level 14'x12' drive-in door
- 22 +/- acres with excess development acreage
- Easy I-81 access near Exit 219
- Formerly Lackawanna College petroleum/natural gas school
- 612 SF foyer/restroom with central air, large parking area
Local Grants and Incentives
Wyoming County Chamber of CommerceThe local first point of contact for a project in the BDO Zone, coordinating site introductions, permitting guidance and connections to the state and regional programs below.
Penn's NortheastThe regional economic development agency for Northeastern Pennsylvania, serving as the single point of contact for site selection consultants, real estate brokers, developers and businesses looking to expand or relocate to the area.
Northern Tier Regional Planning and Development CommissionServes Bradford, Tioga, Susquehanna, Sullivan and Wyoming Counties. Its plan recommendations are used by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, PennDOT, DCNR and DEP to direct regionally significant investment.
Governor's Action TeamA team of economic development professionals who work directly with businesses choosing to locate or expand in Pennsylvania, serving as the single point of contact for state assistance and incentive packages on major projects.
Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic DevelopmentThe Commonwealth's full catalogue of grants, loans, loan guarantees and tax credits for business expansion, site development, workforce training and infrastructure.
Contact Information
BDO ZoneCONNECT Webinar
Additional Information
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