A 30-day comment period imposed by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency is just the latest in a series of hoops the university has had to jump through to get the Renewable Energy Center project off the ground.

Eastern must receive a construction permit from the EPA before work can begin. A legal notice was published announcing public comments on the project and a construction permit would be accepted through the end of October.

“If the EPA receives no comment, then they would presumably take action very shortly thereafter, but it’s their timetable,” said President Bill Perry.

The groundbreaking ceremony with the governor, originally planned for early November, will be postponed until construction begins.

The public notice states, “Based on its review of the application, the Illinois EPA has made a preliminary determination that this project will comply with the applicable environmental regulations and has prepared a draft permit for public review.”

Those wanting to view the permit and a summary of the project can find it under Construction Permit Records at www.epa.gov/region5/air/permits/ilonline.html.

Before construction of the biomass plant can begin, contracts must also be finalized.

Honeywell International will be in charge of the $80 million energy efficiency project, and the contract negotiations with the company will be finalized this month.

“On a project this large, that lasts several years, both parties want to make sure that the language is accurate to the purposes of the project,” Perry said. “The language has to be specific enough that both parties understand what their responsibilities are under the contract.”

The university held open meetings to allow the public to discuss the project and suggest changes they’d like made.

Jill Nilsen, vice president for external relations, said some significant changes in the design resulted from these meetings.

“It doesn’t look as industrial, the building looks like it fits in,” Nilsen said. “And the back access road for trucks will be coming off Edgar Drive instead of Highway 16.”

The university hopes no further comments will be made, delaying the construction long, but the possibility remains.

“The reaction has been positive to the changes we’ve made, but there could still be comments,” Perry said.

He said the university will await the EPA’s handling of this process and any decisions or announcement it may make.

“We want to make sure that all the T’s are crossed and all the I’s are dotted before we move forward with the groundbreaking ceremony,” Nilsen said. “Hopefully we’ll be able to do the groundbreaking before the ground is too frozen to be broken.”

Sarah Ruholl can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].