New Lake Co. solid waste chair: No more unproven trash proposals

The Lake County solid waste board should steer clear of commercially unproven processes when considering future plans for consolidating the county's trash disposal, the board's chairman said.

EDITORIAL: No more solid waste of time

Finally, the ill-fated trash-to-ethanol plan has been abandoned.

Powers warns of possible lawsuit following cancellation of trash-to-ethanol deal

Potential lawsuits are brewing in Lake County's trash-to-ethanol saga, according to a motion by solid waste officials and statements from the developer who had contracted to build and operate the plant.

EDITORIAL: Stop wasting time on waste solution

Earl Powers' trash-to-ethanol plan sounded good in the same way that Star Trek teleportation sounded good. Maybe someday it would work out, but who really wants to be the test pilot for this new technology?

Waste board may cancel ethanol contract next month

The longtime champion of a Lake County trash-to-ethanol plant expects a final decision to made next month regarding whether to cancel the four-year-old contract.

Little changes in quiet Schneider

SCHNEIDER | An early settler in this southernmost Lake County town observed in 1884 the area was a paradise for hunters visiting the Kankakee River valley.

EDITORIAL: Wake up from trash-to-ethanol dream

Once more, the Lake County Solid Waste Management District Board of Directors have learned that investors are holding back on funding the waste-to-ethanol project until more is known about the process. Surprised? We didn't think so.

Lake County waste board continues trash-to-ethanol watch in 2013

Lake County solid waste officials began their first meeting of 2013 in much the same position as the last of 2012 — still waiting to see if a long-proposed trash-to-ethanol project will come to fruition.

EDITORIAL: Trash-to-ethanol is a too-distant dream

The proposed trash-to-ethanol plant has produced little but speculation since the contract between developer Earl Powers and the Lake County Solid Waste Management District board was signed four years ago. Don't expect any jobs to be created in the near future, either.

Scheub to GOP: Meeting cancellation not a dodge of trash-to-ethanol issue

Politics had nothing — and everything — to do with last week's cancellation of a county solid waste board meeting, Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub said Monday.

Trash-to-ethanol debate pauses until after election

Some Lake County Republican officials are crying foul over the cancellation of last week's solid waste district meeting, dubbing it a possible political ploy to push a discussion past the general election.

Asky why Powers wants out of trash-to-ethanol pact

William Nangle's Oct. 2 column was past due. Lake County Commissioner Gerry Scheub's over-zealous desire for a trash-for-ethanol fantasy should give taxpayers cause for concern. The exaggerated savings to them is in need of a thorough explanation.

Can trash-to-ethanol facility make it?

With yet another collapsed land deal, a fresh set of delays on financing decisions and a contract in limbo, some Lake County solid waste officials wonder if they are hearing the end of trash-to-ethanol.

EDITORIAL: Ethanol proposal continues to sputter

The Lake County Solid Waste Management District Board continues to drag its feet on the dormant trash-to-ethanol proposal, voting last week to give more time to the consortium of region contractors that has talked of buying out developer Earl Powers' stake in this project.

Consortium given more time to buy out Powers, but deal remains uncertain

A consortium of region contractors on Thursday argued it and its potential investors need more time to evaluate whether the trash-to-ethanol process works before taking over the long-stalled project.

EDITORIAL: Back to square one on solid waste disposal

As the Lake County Solid Waste Management District tries to determine which direction to turn next, the board members should recognize first where they are and how they got there.

Trash-to-ethanol saga marked by constant change, missed deadlines

With new owners possibly on the horizon for the proposed Schneider trash-to-ethanol plant, some Lake County waste officials say it is the perpetuation of a four-year-old game of musical chairs.

Lake County waste officials to mull termination of Powers contract in executive session

What had been billed as the moment when financiers would potentially endorse Lake County's trash-to-ethanol plan became another in a long line of failures of a would-be developer to produce, some county officials said Thursday.

Powers given another month in quest for trash-to-ethanol plant financing

Powers Energy of America remained in breach of contract with Lake County's solid waste board but was given another month to try to prove it can finance its long proposed trash-to-ethanol plant.

Waste official: Clock ticking on trash-to-ethanol deal

If a would-be trash-to-ethanol developer doesn't have the money in hand to complete its project by July 19, it doesn't have a deal with the county, a top solid waste district official says.