NXT Clean Fuels prepares for next steps

A NXT Clean Fuels representative recently spoke at the Oct. 9 Rainier Chamber of Commerce monthly meeting and provided a range of updates regarding the Westport location project status, next steps, and what it means for the community.

NXT is focused on producing renewable diesel which can be used by any vehicle or piece of equipment that requires diesel fuel. According to the organization’s website, renewable diesel is made from a variety of organic waste materials and has “up to 85 percent lower carbon emissions than traditional diesel and is a proven “drop-in” fuel, meaning it is chemically identical to petroleum-based fuels and doesn’t require any modifications to the equipment it’s powering”.

Director of Communications for NXT Clean Fuels Michael Hinrichs shared an additional focus on sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) as an alternative to fossil fuels. “You're going to start hearing us talking about sustainable aviation fuel a whole lot more,” said Hinrichs. “[It] is now the growing peak fuel that the airlines and the federal government are starting to really look at as the future of cleaning up the aviation industry. There's really no other way that you can do it. For long distance travel, you're not flying on a solar airplane or hydrogen airplane, and that's where sustainable aviation fuel comes into play.”

The company has been working through public permitting the past eight years and has most of what they need but is awaiting a federal permit. The permit is currently with the Army Corps of Engineers. A key component is the publishing of an environmental impact statement (EIS), which NXT hopes will happen before the end of the year. “Once the draft gets published there will be a public comment period,” said Hinrichs. “The Army Corps will come to town and they'll let people speak and give their opinions on the project. After that public comment period closes, it usually takes two months for them to then determine that information is finalized and then it goes to their commission for approval. Whether we see approval in Q1 of next year or Q2, we're there.”

The economic impact of the construction of the Westport facility is far reaching. Hinrichs estimates 3,000 workers will be hired during the construction phase, which is forecasted to take two years. “We are committed to union construction workers,” said Hinrichs. “At the core of our CEO's belief is that Oregon union members are far more qualified to build a project like this. We are also committed to being neutral if the workers want to unionize the facility. [Seventy-five percent] of workers in this county have to leave for their job, so these are big opportunities to keep people here in the county. It's also an opportunity where, theoretically, if a high school student graduates and then joins a union, they can go through their union certification, become an apprentice to work on our project. and get nearly as many hours as [they] need to become a journeyman by the time the project is constructed. That's actually a huge opportunity for students that aren't going the university path. We are big supporters of that.”

Hinrichs also discussed the forecasted impact on the region and plans to hold “community readiness” meetings. This entails spending time with local schools, restaurant and hospitality establishments, healthcare providers, unions, local construction companies, municipalities, and other entities to help prepare for the influx of workers and families moving to the area during the construction phase.

“We bring our data of what we expect to happen here in a good way, but also in a burdensome way,” said Hinrichs. “We help make cities and community members and business owners be prepared for what's to come. The good of what comes of it is kind of obvious. It's a lot of tax revenue, it's a lot of spending locally at businesses. Think about that. With 3,000 construction workers at peak coming to town, it creates traffic. It creates backup in restaurant reservations. It’s a lot of new faces in your town that you haven't seen, so we try and work through all of that.”

In addition to the influx of jobs during construction, Hinrichs made a point of ongoing job creation as a result of the operation and maintenance of the business once constructed. “Now you have offshoot businesses that actually benefit,” he said. “We hire 240 [full-time] people, but we need maintenance crews to maintain things at our facility that aren't directly inside our facility. We will still need security, landscaping services and office management, and all of that can be sourced locally. That's kind of this ripple impact of when you put a $3 billion economic hub somewhere, other businesses will come and locate next to it so they can easily service that big piece of equipment. That's what our hope is here long term, and that [NXT] becomes a reason for growth that has more sustainable economic benefit."