Lincoln Renewable Gas has proposed bringing a methane-processing plant to Salisbury that would supply 40 percent of Middlebury College's heating needs.
The Times Argus reports the Montpelier company petitioned the state Public Service Board to approve a bio-methane production facility on land leased from Goodrich Farm.
The plant would convert cow manure from area farms into methane, which would be carried through an underground transmission line to Middlebury College. The energy source would replace about 640,000 gallons of heating oil per year.
Public Service Department officials say the department will investigate the methane pipeline's exact route from Salisbury to Middlebury to determine if the corridor is suitable for development.
Lincoln Renewable Gas President Dan Smith says the Salisbury facility would be the second such site in the nation.
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