Imperium Renewables Gets Green Light for Construction of Nation's Largest Biodiesel Production Facility.

Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray, Congressman Norm Dicks and Congressman Dave Reichert Step up to Resolve final FEMA Permitting Issue

SEATTLE -- Imperium Renewables today announced it has resolved the final issue needed for full construction to begin on the construction of its biodiesel plant in Grays Harbor, Wash. The plant will be the largest in the United States. The issue that has been holding up progress has been with the Federal Emergency Management Agency due to a technicality on an inaccurate map designation. Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray, Congressman Norm Dicks and Congressman Dave Reichert and their staffs worked diligently and quickly to help Imperium Renewables resolve the issue.

In May of this year, Imperium Renewables announced an historic partnership with the Port of Grays Harbor to build a 100 million gallon biodiesel production plant on land owned by the Port. The proposed development area was formerly an aquatic slip and was filled in 1983 to create new uplands at the elevation of surrounding industrial properties. Prior to filling, the area was mapped by FEMA with a hazard designation of "V Zone" (the most severe risk category). It appears that the FEMA maps had not been updated to reflect the existing upland area that has been there for now more than 20 years. Current topographical survey information indicates the area proposed for the energy production facilities is outside the V Zone.

In order to change the position, FEMA had to issue a Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) to officially change the position of the V Zone boundary. Even for simple revisions, the typical FEMA process for obtaining a LOMR can take from six months to two years. Had the process gone on its normal time frame it would have prevented Imperium Renewables from constructing their facility. Thanks to the work of the delegation, this process was accelerated to less than four months.

"Without the support and guidance of Senator Maria Cantwell, Senator Patty Murray, Congressman Norm Dicks, Congressman Dave Reichert and their staffs, our project may have been jeopardized," said John Plaza, founder and president of Imperium Renewables. "At the very least, significant delays would have crippled our business. Now, we can focus on construction, hiring staff and producing biodiesel to help reduce our nation's dependence on foreign oil and start reducing global warming."

The new plant will produce up to 100 million gallons of biodiesel fuel mainly from soybean, canola oil and other extracts and is expected to create up to 50 direct and up to 350 indirect jobs in Grays Harbor County, which has been hit hard by the downturn in the timber industry.

About Imperium Renewables

Imperium Renewables is a leader in the renewable energy industry. It was the first biodiesel focused company in the United States to be funded by Venture Capital; it is currently the largest producer of biodiesel on the West Coast. When its new facility, Imperium Grays Harbor begins production in mid 2007, it will operate the largest biodiesel production facility in the country. The company has also created a number of proprietary new production innovations and technology. Imperium Renewables has received venture funding from the leading funds in the US, Nth Power and Technology Partners.