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VACHERIE, La. (May 14, 2024) - DG Fuels, a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) company with plans to build its first facility in St. James Parish, made good faith cash payments totaling $60,000 to specified St James community recipients in fulfillment of its commitments under the recently approved Community Benefits Agreement.
As part of its a $26,050,000 commitment to fund community programs and philanthropic organizations addressing quality of life needs in St. James Parish, DG Fuels in April made cash payments of $20,000 each to the Welcome Park Community Center, St. James Parish Hospital, and the St. James Public Housing Authority.
“St. James Parish can count on us to be a good neighbor. We believe that responsibility extends to supporting the well-being of the community,” said Michael C. Darcy, CEO of DG Fuels. “As our project moves forward, we are taking action to ensure this community knows we are a neighbor that can be counted on and truly believes in investing in a brighter future for the Parish.”
Through one-on-one and community meetings with neighbors and government officials, DG Fuels identified areas where it could expand its benefits beyond the proposed facility’s footprint. Based on these listening sessions, DG Fuels learned a fully functional community center is needed on the West Bank of St. James Parish.
“With these funds, we can work to provide the community a much-needed gathering point for meetings, events, and more.” said Councilman Anthony “AJ” Jasmin.
Many residents also made it clear to DG Fuels that the west bank has long been considered a healthcare desert, which St. James Parish Hospital has ongoing plans to address. Through a partnership with DG Fuels, St. James Parish Hospital is one step closer to helping meet this need.
“DG Fuels shares our vision that quality healthcare should be accessible,” said Mary Ellen Pratt, CEO of St. James Hospital. “This funding is the first step in a partnership founded on a shared goal of improving the parish’s health outcomes by expanding clinical services on the west bank. We appreciate this significant contribution and commitment to the health of our community.”
After being battered by storms in 2021, residents living near the proposed DG Fuels facility have also struggled with poor housing conditions and a backlog of needed repairs.
“Many of our residents have been living without proper air conditioning since the last major hurricane,” said St. James Parish Public Housing Authority Executive Director Dana Groover. “I am so thankful DG Fuels is stepping up to ensure this is no longer an issue, especially as we head into the summer months.”
The next round of payments under the CBA (approximately $ 25.9 million) will be paid to various community recipients (including qualifying residents) at the time that DG Fuels reaches Final Investment Decision, which is expected within the next 12 months.
The proposed clean fuel complex, located near the community of Moonshine on the West Bank of St. James Parish, uses innovative technology to turn sugar cane waste (bagasse) and plant waste into sustainable aviation fuel that can be used in place of conventional jet fuel to reduce commercial flight CO2 emissions by up to 100%. DG Fuels’ facility will have fewer atmospheric emissions than a standard U.S. hospital, no fossil fuel emissions, no discharge into the Mississippi River and will give farmers a profitable alternative to burn harvesting, which will make the air in St. James cleaner with DG Fuels than without it. An economic impact study recently determined that the DG Fuels project will bring billions of dollars of economic benefits to St. James Parish, including substantial funding for local government and local schools.
Community Benefits Agreement:
With input from residents and local leaders, DG Fuels has proposed a legally binding community benefits agreement committing $26,050,000 to fund outstanding needs in St. James Parish. It was through these listening sessions that community members and leaders identified funding gaps related to quality of life, community and education resources, which DG Fuels address through this legal agreement. To read more about the community benefits agreement, click here.
Highlights include:
- Renovations to the Welcome Park Community Center, plus 10-years of funding to support the center’s operations.
- Donations to St. James Hospital Wellness Foundation to support the development of additional healthcare services on the west bank of St. James Parish
- A dedicated fund to support the communities of Moonshine and Baytree.
- Improvements to St. James Parish Public Housing Authority’s low-income housing developments.
- Dedicated funding for 50 paid internship-apprenticeship positions at DG Fuels for 5 years and ongoing internship apprenticeship positions and/or ongoing community job training programs for an additional 10 years.
- Donations to support improved medical transportation and to attract grocery stores to the West Bank of St. James Parish.
The proposed complex is expected to save 1.65 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) from being released annually during air travel once DG Fuels becomes operational.
To receive updates on DG Fuels progress, visit https://louisiana.dgfuels.com/.
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