Planning commission denies zoning request for Clean Eagle RNG facility near Roy Parks Road

The Hall County Planning Commission on Jan. 20 recommended denial of a request to rezone 4212 Roy Parks Road to a Planned Industrial Development for a renewable natural gas (RNG) trucking and decant facility. The applicant, representing a joint venture that includes Arkea Energy and landfill partners, proposed trucking landfill-derived methane to a pipeline interconnect instead of building an on-site conversion facility.

The petition matters to residents and emergency responders because the proposed site is near Lakeland Elementary and several churches and residents voiced concerns about potential fire, leak and evacuation impacts. Applicant representatives said the project would inject processed gas into the Liberty transmission system and that only two trailers would be decanting on site at one time; operators described safety systems, driver training, and emergency-response protocols they said would limit risk.

Steve Gilliam (representing Clean Eagle RNG) and Ryan Alveshan (project manager, Arkea Energy) described the project structure: landfill owners would provide gas, Certarus would truck the gas to the proposed decant site, and operators would inject the treated gas into a local Liberty pipeline. Alveshan said the company runs waste-gas projects across the U.S., and that "we intend to use six acres and leave the rest forested" while modeling showed a 300-foot maximum impact distance for fire and 150 feet for dispersion in the event of a major release. Certarus representative Mel Lara described training, in-vehicle monitoring and safety programs for drivers and trailers.

Several neighbors and commissioners pushed back. Commissioners and citizens raised questions about emergency response: past incidents involving gas releases described in the applicant—s packet, the size of potential evacuation areas, and whether Hall County emergency services and the school system could handle a worst-case event. One commissioner said the site—s proximity to an elementary school was decisive: "I just cannot do it with its proximity to the school," the commissioner said.

After public comment and applicant responses, a commissioner moved to deny the rezoning; the motion was seconded and the commission voted to deny. The planning commission—s denial will be forwarded as a recommendation to the Hall County Board of Commissioners for final action at a public hearing on Feb. 27. The transcript records the commission—s motion and the chair—s comment that the planning commission had spent substantial time reviewing the application and public safety concerns were paramount.

Applicant representatives said they were available to meet with county fire officials and continue outreach; the denial does not prevent the applicant from submitting revised proposals or additional information to address county safety concerns.