In at least 14 of the States of the Union, ethanol plants are facing all kind of challenges for their installation. Problems such as NIMBYism (Not In My Back Yard), zoning board decisions, economic benefit questions, industry distrust, environmental concerns and water use issues. Opponents are also going to court for any number of reasons. This makes the process long and difficult, and adds litigation costs.

We can guess which side of the fight an article in Ethanol Producer magazine is, but it does have details about opposition cases in California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri (or did you think that everybody in the Midwest was in favor of ethanol?), New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.

But not all news is bad news for promoters of ethanol plants. Plaintiffs in several places are losing. The article also gives hints on how to address opposition from a legal point of view.

[Source: Ethanol Producer Magazine]