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Lincoln County explores modular biomass and waste‑to‑energy to curb costly haul to regional landfill
Summary
County officials said they are studying modular biomass and waste‑to‑energy options to reduce 70‑mile round trips to the regional landfill, lower long‑term disposal costs and potentially generate local power and jobs; a recent $6 million ARPA‑funded landfill expansion preserved near‑term capacity.
County officials reported they have contracted a feasibility study with an engineering firm that specializes in biomass and waste‑to‑energy systems to evaluate locally scaled, modular solutions. The study aims to reduce long‑haul waste transport (approximately 70 miles one way), lower disposal costs, and potentially capture energy through gasification or mass‑burn systems designed for smaller regional feeds.
Speakers described a concept that pairs local wood‑waste and slash piles with modular processing units that could be sited in or near Eureka, Libby or other central locations and would avoid building a single large, centralized plant. Participants said modular units could scale incrementally and supply co‑generation power for local needs while providing an alternative to open burning of slash piles.
County representatives also noted the county recently completed roughly a $6 million landfill expansion funded in part by ARPA, which preserved capacity but noted that long‑term solutions are required as population and development increase local waste volumes.
Next steps: the feasibility study will determine technical requirements and a packaged set of materials for potential investors, and county staff said they expect follow‑on steps to be more capital‑intensive.
