An Independent Visit to Stanley, Wisconsin
Reported by Seneca Falls Community Member, Madeline Hansen

On Wednesday, July 27th, 2005, I made an independent visit to the rural community of Stanley, Wisconsin to witness first hand the setting and atmosphere of the hometown of Ace Ethanol. None of my travel expenses were paid for by Empire Biofuels. At no time during my visit was I accompanied by Empire Biofuels investors or personnel. I did not have contact with any members of the Ace Ethanol staff during my time in Stanley.

Summary of July 25, 2005 Visit to Stanley, Wisconsin:

• Stanley, Wisconsin is much less densely populated than Seneca Falls, New York. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, there are 22 people per square mile in Stanley. In Seneca Falls the number of people per square mile ranges from 316 to 437.
• An unpleasant acrid burning odor was very noticeable in downtown Stanley--one and a half miles away from the ethanol plant. The smell intensified when traveling west toward the plant.
• The largest employer in Stanley is the Stanley Correctional Institution a 750 cell, medium security prison with 405 employees. Ace Ethanol employees 35 people. Source: Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation

7/27/05 Stanley Weather Conditions:
Temperature 74 degrees F, approximate wind speed 7 m.p.h. from the west, low humidity, fairly clear skies.

What I Experienced in the Hometown of Ace Ethanol, Stanley, Wisconsin

Stanley, Wisconsin is a very small farming community situated 25 miles east of Chippewa Falls and just north of Highway 29. Near the highway exit, there is a combination A&W restaurant/gas station, a McDonald's and a Super 8 Motel. Stanley has a small IGA grocery store and a dollar store in the downtown area. (The closest Wal-Mart store is 25 miles away in Chippewa Falls.)

I arrived in Stanley a little before four o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, July 25th, 2005. I turned left off Highway 29 onto Broadway Street. I drove north half a mile into the downtown area, at which point, I rolled down my windows to check the air quality. I immediately smelled a distinct burning odor. As I traveled west on Maple Street toward the Ace Ethanol plant, the odor intensified. At one point I found myself holding my breath.

The odor gave the impression that something nasty was badly charred and still burning. By "burning" I do not mean the type of fresh air, campfire smell of burning wood. Rather, it was like the pungent smell given off when something is burnt to a crisp on a kitchen pan or in the oven. This burnt odor was mixed with a chemical, yeasty smell--very unpleasant.

When I entered a local business, I asked one of the community members about the source of the smell I'd smelled outside. They asked me, "Does it smell like stale beer?" I replied that it smelled more like burnt, stale beer. They replied, "Oh, that's the ethanol plant." The person told me the odor is worse during the summer months and that they often don't smell much of an odor in the winter.

Some ethanol producers have attempted to describe the odor from ethanol plans as the smell of "baking bread" or "baking corn muffins." The odor I encountered in Stanley, Wisconsin on July 25th certainly was not a pleasant baking smell.

I can fully understand how members of the Town Board who visited Ace Ethanol during the month of January would receive the impression that the plant does not produce odor within the Stanley community. Unfortunately, as I've learned from residents of Stanley, the odor increases in the summer. There was certainly a noticeable and offensive odor present during my visit on July 25th.

By actually visiting Stanley, I learned other important things. The first thing I noticed is that Stanley is much less densely populated than Seneca Falls. According to the 2000 Census, Stanley, Wisconsin has a population of 1,898 with 22 people per square mile. The Town of Seneca Falls has a population of 9,347 with 316 to 437 people per square mile.

Second, Stanley does not participate in the tourism industry like Seneca Falls. The number one employer in Stanley is a 750 cell, medium security prison with 405 employees which opened within the last three years. Ace Ethanol employs 35 people.

Third, trucks going in and out of the Ace Ethanol plant are able to use a much less obtrusive truck route to Highway 29 than the truck route proposed by Empire Biofuels for Seneca Falls. The Stanley route does not take trucks past recreational facilities like Vince’s Park, nor does it involve busy intersections like the one at 318 and 5/20.

In short, Stanley, Wisconsin is much better suited to host an ethanol plant than Seneca Falls, New York due to the lower density of Stanley's population and a higher level of compatibility with its other businesses and industries.