Mo. poultry-to-fuel plant target of mayor, lawsuit

CARTHAGE, Mo. (AP) -- A test plant for converting poultry byproducts into fuel oil, heralded by its owners as a new alternative energy source, is in the cross hairs of the city's mayor and a private lawsuit seeking class action status over odors from the facility.

Renewable Energy Solutions has been plagued by repeated complaints from townspeople about strong smells. Gov. Matt Blunt ordered the plant shut down in December 2005, but RES reopened three months later after spending more than $3 million for new odor control equipment.

The plant, which started operation in May 2004, uses extreme heat and pressure to turn turkey waste from nearby packing plants into oil, gas and other materials.

Carthage Mayor Jim Woestman said Wednesday that changes made by RES have not stopped repeated complaints about odors coming from its plant, just a few blocks from downtown.

"I'm calling it a stink -- not an odor -- because that's what it is," he said. "RES has done things that have helped, but it hasn't solved it. It can still make you lose your appetite."

Woestman said he would call for stricter air-quality rules at a meeting Thursday of the Missouri Air Conservation Commission.

Before the meeting, the state Department of Natural Resources said it would pay for an outside study of the odor problem rather, than letting RES cover the cost. RES had suggested the study by an outside expert yet to be named and offered to pay for it.

RES has contended it is not the source of the odor from the industrial area, home of several food processors.

Meanwhile, a Montgomery, Ala., law firm has filed a suit on behalf of Cynthia Sundy of Carthage, alleging that odors from the plant are a nuisance and that the company has been negligent.

Sundy seeks compensatory and punitive damages, as well as attorney fees.

Sundy's attorney, Ron Jones, said he will ask that the case be heard as a class action.

"It's conceivable that every single resident impacted could file a claim," he said.

The response by attorneys for RES focuses largely on their claim that the case should be transferred to federal court.

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Information from: The Joplin Globe, http://www.joplinglobe.com