MATL Transmission Line Permit Approved

MONTANA, Oct 29 2008 (Neo Natura) -Tonbridge Power Inc., 100% controlling shareholder of the Montana Alberta Tie Ltd. transmission line project to interconnect the electricity markets of Alberta and the US through a 300 MW transmission line announced that the Montana Department of Environmental Quality issued a Record of Decision authorizing the construction of MATL's 230kV merchant transmission line in Montana.

The specific authorization granted in the ROD is a Certificate of Compliance as required under the Montana Major Facilities Siting Act and is the state permit required to proceed with the project.

The ROD was issued 20 days after the DEQ and the Department of Energy, jointly
issued the environmental impact statement, for the MATL line on October 1, 2008.
The Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer, presented the permit to Johan van t Hof, Chief Executive Officer of Tonbridge Power at a press conference in Helena Montana this morning.

The Certificate of Compliance authorizes the construction of a transmission line along the preferred alternative that was selected by the DEQ and the US Department of Energy and was described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement. The preferred alternative is a combination of MATL's proposed alternative and an alternative developed by the agencies with some local routing
options.

The only outstanding permit required before construction can begin is the Presidential Permit. This permit allows the Company to construct, operate, maintain and connect the MATL line across the US-Canadian border and its issuance is the responsibility of the DOE. Legislation requires that the
DOE wait at least 30 days post issuance of the EIS before their ROD and Presidential Permit can be issued, which period expires in early November 2008.

MATL received all the Canadian permits required to build the line earlier this year.

"We are truly appreciative of the great effort that has gone into this permitting process from all stakeholders," remarked Johan van't Hof, CEO, Tonbridge Power Inc. "The affected land owners, the regulatory professionals and the responsible officials worked very hard to ensure this project would be properly vetted. Special recognition goes out to the Governor's office which, under Governor Brian Schweitzer's guidance, gave us tremendous support in guiding a project to benefit the citizens of Montana."

MONTANA, Oct 08 2008 (Neo Natura) - NorthWestern Energy has submitted two new filings to authorities regarding its proposed Mill Creek generating station.

The company submitted its application for an air quality permit with the State of Montana, and filed its request for advanced approval with the Montana Public Service Commission.

The Mill Creek generating station is expected to provide regulating resources to balance the company's transmission system in Montana to maintain reliability, and enable additional wind power to be integrated into the network to meet its future renewable energy portfolio needs.

The facility is designed to enable increasing or decreasing energy production within seconds to follow load fluctuations across the transmission system.

Bob Rowe, president and CEO of NorthWestern Energy, said: "This application moves us another step toward the price stability and operational benefits that utility-owned, rate-based supply can provide over the long-term."

DoE Releases New Powerline Report

MONTANA, Oct 01 2008 (Neo Natura) - Government regulators have chosen a preferred route for a high voltage transmission line from Great Falls to Lethbridge, Alta., in an effort to balance the developer's cost with the disruption caused to farmers.

Montana's Department of Environmental Quality and the U.S. Department of Energy on Monday released a summary of a long-awaited final environmental impact statement for the 327-kilometre Montana Alberta Tie Line. The statement outlines the preferred alternative and several others.

The line would travel about 210 kilometres and cross six counties in Montana. The carrying capacity of 300 megawatts of electricity in each direction has been sold to prospective wind farm developers.

Federal and provincial authorities in Canada have already approved the line and a final decision by the U.S. and Montana departments could come within a month, regulators said.

The plan preferred by the federal and state authorities differs from the tie line group's preferred plan but doesn't go as far as some farmers had hoped, said Greg Hallsten, the environmental impact statement co-ordinator for the Montana authority.

"We basically sat down with the director and went through this segment by segment, trying to pick which would best serve MATL's needs as well as the landowners," Hallsten said. "It's turned out to be a balancing act."

Bob Williams, vice-president of regulatory affairs for the tie line group, said Monday afternoon he couldn't comment because he had not received the summary of the impact statement.

The 215-kilometre preferred alternative has 134 kilometres of single poles and 79 kilometres of wider H-frames.

The addition of single poles and reduction in lines running diagonally across cropland is a nod to farmers, who have complained about having to manoeuvre machinery around the double poles.

"One of the comments we heard loud and clear was to use monopoles on cultivated ground," the Montana department's Tom Ring said.

By comparison, the tie line group's favoured route is 207 kilometres long, slightly shorter than the government's, and has single poles planned on 43 fewer kilometres of land.

The single poles are taller and cost $359,429 per 1.6 kilometres while the H-frames cost $323,092, according to the environmental study.

The tie line needs a presidential permit from the Department of Energy because it crosses an international boundary and a certificate of compliance from the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, said Ellen Russell, project manager for the U.S. Department of Energy's Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability in Washington, D.C.

Camelina Passes Second Feedstock Hurdle

MONTANA, Oct 01 2008 (Neo Natura) - Sustainable Oils has reached a key milestone in its efforts to build camelina production and marketing opportunities for Montana farmers. The company received approval from the Center for Veterinary Medicine, a department of the Federal Drug Administration, for the use of camelina meal in the diets of feedlot beef cattle and growing swine up to 2 percent of the weight of the total ration. Camelina meal is a by-product of camelina oil extraction.

Sustainable Oils was launched in late 2007 and is focused on the research, development and commercialization of camelina for biodiesel production. Camelina, a distant relative to canola, requires minimal water and can be harvested with traditional equipment. Because of these properties, it can be grown on fallow ground or as a rotation crop. Therefore, it is not competitive with traditional food crops, but instead creates a food plus fuels scenario.

"This is an important step in the process of developing a strong, sustainable market for camelina production," said Steve Sandroni, production and logistics manager, Sustainable Oils. "Opening up the livestock feed opportunities for camelina meal provides a market for the most significant by-product of camelina oil production."

"Especially at a time when livestock feeders are battling high input prices, camelina meal can be a very attractive option," he continued. "The meal is an excellent source of protein. With protein levels of 40 percent or more, it is similar to soybean meal but offers the added benefit of being high in Omega-3 fatty acids."

Sustainable Oils is leading the formation of an industry coalition working to obtain "Generally Recognized As Safe" certification from the Food and Drug Administration so all producers can sell camelina meal. Sustainable Oils is now one of only two companies who have approval to sell camelina meal. A nutritionist knowledgeable about the use of camelina must be consulted in developing rations using the product.