Barry County, Michigan Issued BDO Zone 'A' Rating for Woody Biomass
Barry County, Michigan Issued BDO Zone 'A' Rating for Woody Biomass
– ‘A’ Rating to spark growth for West Michigan’s biobased economy –
August 8, 2024 – The Barry County Chamber of Commerce & Economic Development, Ecostrat and the BDO Zone Initiative are pleased to announce the issue of an investment grade BDO Zone ‘A’ Rating for Barry County, Michigan for 324,000 bone dry tons per year of woody biomass. The Barry County BDO Zone is the first rating in the State of Michigan for Woody Biomass and extends a 75-mi drive distance from the center point in Hastings, MI.
Barry County’s ‘A’ rating denotes 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. The region features a well-developed timber and forest products industry, with many generational operations providing stability to the wood supply. The supportive community and pro-business environment of Barry County are advantageous for attracting workers and new bioeconomy operations.
“The BDO Zone ‘A’ rating underscores our community’s potential to lead globally in the bioeconomy,” stated Nichole Lyke, Economic Development Director of the Barry County Chamber & Economic Development Alliance (BCCEDA). “This rating provides an excellent opportunity to expand and diversify our robust manufacturing and agricultural assets. We are excited to collaborate with bioenergy, biochemical, and bioproduct companies to propel Barry County to the forefront of bio-based manufacturing.”
Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, added, “Barry County’s ‘A’ Rating exemplifies their commitment to sustainable development by leveraging their abundant woody biomass resources. They are not only tapping into an underutilized asset but also creating new markets and opportunities for bio-based companies seeking a steady supply of biomass.”
To see the full BDO Zone Rating for Barry County, MI, please click here, or visit www.bdozone.org.
BDO Zone Project Development Support:
About The BDO Zone Initiative
The Biofuel Development Opportunity (BDO) Zone Initiative certifies ‘regional readiness’ for bio-manufacturing, creates global connections and ignites an influx of new energy opportunities for farmers, economic developers, and rural businesses. A BDO Zone rating is an internationally recognized, standards-based technical risk assessment of a region’s feedstock, supply chain, and infrastructure risk with respect to the development potential for new biofuel plants. BDO Zone ratings are site location bullseyes for bio-project development. Investment grade ratings are force-multipliers for attracting new manufacturing plants to the areas where they are most likely to succeed, drive investment and create jobs.
For more information on the BDO Zone Initiative, contact info@bdozone.org. To view all BDO Zone ratings, visit www.bdozone.org. Check out the BDO Zone LinkedIn page for news and updates.
Ecostrat is the North American leader in biomass due diligence for biofuels, renewable chemicals, biogas, and bio-product project development and finance. Jordan Solomon is Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative and President of Ecostrat (www.ecostrat.com). He can be reached at jordan.solomon@ecostrat.com.
Originally published at bdozone.org.