An aviation fuel company in Great Falls will soon receive its first installment of a nearly $1.7 billion loan from the federal government to increase production. The decision comes after delays from the Trump Administration’s federal funding freeze.
Montana Renewables, a subsidiary of the Calumet Refinery was selected to receive the loan from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of the Biden Administrations funding of clean energy development. It will expand the company’s production of alternative jet fuel derived from a combination of animal fats and vegetable oils.
The actual disbursement of the loan faced an uncertain future after President Trump took office and issued executive orders freezing all dollars associated with Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act.
But this week, the agency and Montana Renewables announced the company would receive the first payment of $782 million.
Montana Renewables is the first company to receive payment of an Energy Department loan since that freeze happened late last month.
The company has looked to offload the wastewater generated from its fuel-production by injecting it into old oil and gas wells along the Rocky Mountain Front.
In response to the loan announcement, Pondera County Commissioners released a statement urging the company to develop its own wastewater treatment facility and avoid pouring thousands of gallons of wastewater underground in their community.
