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DKRW asks for another construction delay for its coal-to-liquids facility

DKRW Advanced Fuels, the company that’s proposing to build a coal-to-liquids conversion facility near Medicine Bow, has submitted yet another request to delay construction. The company announced its latest construction schedule in June. It's now asking to place that schedule on hold for up to 30 months. At the end of that period it would either provide all necessary information – including a new construction schedule, socioeconomic analysis, and updated housing plan – or lose its permit.   

In a letter submitted Friday, DKRW says it’s asking to do that so it can address concerns about scheduling and project impacts. They haven't proposed a date to resume construction, but say they’ll submit updated information half a year before resuming work.

Luke Esch administers the Wyoming Industrial Siting Division. He says it’s an interesting pitch.

“It is just a unique proposal. We really haven’t seen a proposed amendment like this before. But I would say it’s an interesting proposal as well because it does offer finality. With the 30 months, if they fail to meet that, the permit terminates, and I think that’s an interesting aspect of it,” says Esch.       

The Industrial Siting Division and Council are meeting October 1st but won't make a decision on DKRW’s proposal until later this year, after the public has had a chance to review it.

Irina Zhorov is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She earned her BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MFA from the University of Wyoming. In between, she worked as a photographer and writer for Philadelphia-area and national publications. Her professional interests revolve around environmental and energy reporting and she's reported on mining issues from Wyoming, Mexico, and Bolivia. She's been supported by the Dick and Lynn Cheney Grant for International Study, the Eleanor K. Kambouris Grant, and the Social Justice Research Center Research Grant for her work on Bolivian mining and Uzbek alpinism. Her work has appeared on Voice of America, National Native News, and in Indian Country Today, among other publications.
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