Press Release: The Texas Forest Country Partnership Announces

Three Award-Winning Recognitions for Newton County Project with USA BioEnergy/Texas Renewal Fuels

(Newton County, Texas) – The Texas Forest Country Partnership (TFCP) announced three significant achievements for the USA BioEnergy/Texas Renewable Fuels project in Newton County.  The 2-billion-dollar project in Bon Weir, Texas, ranked number 8 in the top 25 projects in the State of Texas in 2022, was recognized by Trade and Industry Development with the 2023 “CiCi Community Impact Award”, by Business Facilities with the “Community Impact Deal of the Year Award”, and a finalist for the CoreNet Global North Texas Chapter Economic Development, Leadership & Innovation Award.

Trade & Industry Development announced the 17th Annual Corporate Investment and Community Impact (CiCi) Awards in January. This unique, unparalleled awards program recognizes corporate locations and investments with a focus on both the company investing in the community and the economic developers responsible for securing that investment.  This achievement is bestowed on companies and communities in two distinct categories of site selection: Corporate Investment, as well as Community Impact.

Nancy Windham, President and CEO of the Texas Forestry Partnership submitted the USA BioEnergy Project due to its unique and compelling story of how and why USA BioEnergy/Texas Renewable Fuels chose Newton County and the significant impact of the project on the industry, community, region, and state. 

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA BioEnergy is a renewable fuels development group that will produce sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and renewable naphtha from the readily available wood waste feedstock. In 2022, the company announced a $2 billion project to be located in Bon Wier, Texas.

Annually, the new biorefinery will convert one million green tons of wood waste into 34 million gallons of premium clean-burning transportation fuel including sustainable aviation fuel, renewable diesel, and renewable naphtha. Future expansion at the site will double the plant’s production capacity to 68 million gallons annually, and the plant will also capture and sequester over 50 million metric tons of carbon dioxide over the life of the biorefinery.

The project will bring substantial improvement in the quality of life for the residents of Newton County. The initiative is expected to create 142 new direct jobs upon completion of both the initial project and the completion of phase two, which will double the production capacity. In total, the project supports an estimated $1.2 billion in gross area product or economic activity during construction. It is expected to lead to improvements for the school district, the community, and the regional infrastructure.

The project was secured with the cooperation of the Texas Forest Country Partnership, Texas Forestry Association, the City of Newton, Newton County, the Newton Independent School District, the Sabine River Authority (SRA), and the Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office of the Governor. The company will benefit from state and federal credits and tax incentives created to incentivize development and offset the cost of the project. Incentives, which totaled approximately $150 million, include a 313 Agreement, county-level incentives, SRA economic development grant, and money from the Skills Development Fund.

“USA BioEnergy performed an extensive site search and analysis to identify the best location for our project,” said Nick Andrews, CEO of USA BioEnergy. “State and local incentives then became the key component of our decision and we’re excited to select Bon Wier. We’ve had tremendous assistance from Economic Development in Newton County, including leadership from Judge Kenneth Weeks; Nancy Windham, President & CEO of Texas Forest Country Partnership; Don Iles with Sabine River Authority of Texas and Rob Hughes, Executive Director, Texas Forestry Association, among many others.”

“We are excited that USA BioEnergy has chosen East Texas as the home for their new advanced biorefinery,” said Governor Greg Abbott. “This investment will further cement Texas as an innovative energy leader and will bring unprecedented economic opportunities to Bon Weir and Newton County. Thank you to USA BioEnergy for selecting Newton County for this incredible project and I appreciate the hard work of our state and local partners to secure this investment. I look forward to our continued work together as we create an even brighter future for the entire Lone Star State.”

” It is an honor to receive recognition from Trade & Industry Development, Business Facilities, and the CoreNet North Texas Chapter for our project with USA Bio Energy/Texas Renewable Fuels, said Nancy Windham, President & CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership.” We are especially thankful for the leadership of Judge Kenneth Weeks, Rob Hughes, Executive Director of the Texas Forestry Association, David Montagne, General Manager of the Sabine River Authority, and our Newton County partners. “USA Bio Energy’s development is a tremendous opportunity to ensure the viability of the community through the diversification of our economy. This project exemplifies the mission of the Texas Forest Country Partnership to lead economic growth in our 12 County Region by attracting industries and projects that support job creation, foster strong business, and ensure a prosperous community for years to come.”