Polk County has been busy being green lately with County Commissioners adopting a resolution to establish the entire county (with the exception of West Salem) as a Rural Renewable Energy Development Zone.

This designation allows the county to exempt qualifying projects from property taxes for up to three years, up to a total cap of $100 million. To qualify, projects must be newly constructed or installed facilities used to generate renewable energy or support or maintain a renewable energy facility. WBP stands to gain a three-year tax abatement from this new designation, as long as it creates jobs that exceed the average county income.  

Located in Rickreall at the former Dallas Co-op Grain Elevator, WBP was established in 2007 by two third-generation Oregonians, Tim and Craig Parker, in response to Oregon's new Renewable Fuels Initiative signed into law by Governor Kulongoski in July 2007. Tim, President of WBP, says that Polk County was a good choice because there was interest from farmers, and that the largest biofuel producer in the state is just ten miles away. The only thing that was missing was the seed processor, which is where WBP came in. WBP is now the only large-scale commercial oil seed processor in Oregon. Aside from the benefits of producing biodiesel from the seeds, there is little waste in the process, as meal that remains after seeds are crushed is incorporated into livestock feeds.