January 23, 2008
Clovis, NM – ConAgra is waving goodbye to Clovis. The agriculture giant announced Tuesday, it is pulling out of a plan to build a new ethanol plant on the edge of town. Attorney Bruce Frederick with the New Mexico Environmental Law Center represented the citizens’ groups that opposed the plant.
“History is going to look back on this as a ‘David versus Goliath’ type of battle where David won, again.”
Frederick calls the decision “a big win” for those who live in the neighborhood where the plant would have been built.
“The residents who are across the street and close to the plant, and the predominantly African-American and Hispanic residents, and low-income residents, that live directly downwind.”
Many citizens had opposed the company’s choice of a plant site, located near a neighborhood with a largely minority population in the mostly white city of Clovis. Last month, the groups had successfully appealed in their attempt to obtain another hearing about the plant’s permit.
ConAgra cited adverse economic conditions and the volatile ethanol market as the reasons it decided not to continue with the project.
