AMERICUS — The Americus-Sumter County Payroll Development Authority (PDA) voted at a called meeting Wednesday to be the issuer of a $20 million bond for the biodiesel plant project to be constructed in Plains.

Mike Fennessy, PDA attorney, said ultimately many investors will probably end up purchasing bonds which will be part of the $20 million bond issue.

It will ultimately be up to Alterra Bioenergy of Plains Georgia LLC, the company which is constructing the plant, to pay back the bonds to the purchasers as they mature, said Fennessy.

He said that neither the PDA, the government of Sumter County nor the taxpayers will have any liability to repay these bonds even if they fall into default.

The bond process is designed whereby the bond purchasers will receive compensation even if the bonds should fall into default, said Fennessy.

In other business, the PDA authorized its accountant to reimburse the Americus-Sumter County Chamber of Commerce $10,300 for its facilitation of the recent Griffin Bell Quail Hunt, an annual economic development event.

Former President and First Lady Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, state-wide media and other dignitaries were in attendance at the groundbreaking of the biodiesel plant in February in Plains that will produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel a year.

The plant will be built in a large plat of land across the street from Windham Castings and will be constructed in two phases. The first phase should be up and running by the end of 2007, and produce 15 million gallons a year, said A. Wayne Johnson, president of the Alterra Bioenergy Corp. of Macon.

The first phase will need about 22 employees to operate. Johnson did not reveal when the second phase of the plant would be completed.

Alterra chose to build the plant in the small town of Plains because of this area’s oil seed growers, Plains’ vicinity to the Heart of Georgia Railroad, access to potential customers and Carter’s influence, said Carter.

Johnson and Carter said the plant will use cotton seeds, canola and soybeans to make biodiesel, and those crops are plentiful in this part of the state.

“Area farmers will benefit greatly from this plant,” said Plains Mayor L.E. “Boze” Godwin.

Two Norwegian investors, Haakon Korsgaard of Olympia Holding and Christian Langaard of Euro-Latin Capital, are also backing the biodiesel plant project. They both spoke at the press conference.