Fort George seeks county help to capture brewery CO2, staff to bring $200,000 grant for approval

Fort George Brewing told the Clatsop County Board of Commissioners it wants to install equipment to capture and compress CO2 created during fermentation so the brewery can reuse it rather than buying commercially produced CO2.

Chris, a Fort George representative, said the brewery already uses nitrogen generation for some processes but needs pressurized CO2 for others. "We can get completely independent of CO2 purchases by the end of the year," Chris said, describing a system similar to one recently installed by Russian River Brewing Company in California that captures fermentation CO2, compresses it into tanks and reuses it on site.

County staff explained the request would draw from the county's Industrial Development Revolving Fund, created in 2000 to reinvest proceeds from industrial property leases and sales into industrial improvements. Staff said the fund is limited to industrial uses listed in statute, including equipment and construction, and that the Fort George project fits those statutory purposes.

Commissioners asked about jobs and maintenance. Fort George said installing the system would create some additional staff hours and a shift of one current employee into a more dedicated maintenance role; staff said needed labor could be backfilled. Commissioners expressed support for Fort George as a major local employer and community gathering place.

County staff said they will bring a formal agenda item back to the board in two weeks requesting a $200,000 grant from the Industrial Development Revolving Fund to support the project and that, if approved, equipment could be ordered by March with installation targeted for August and operation by year-end.

Next steps: staff will return with the formal grant request and project documents at a future meeting for the boardto consider a motion and vote.