Bowie County, Texas Gets AA Biomass Rating From BDO Zone

TexAmericas Center, Ecostrat and the BDO Zone Initiative have announced the issue of a BDO Zone “AA” rating for Bowie County, Texas. The BDO Zone is rated for 800,000 bone dry tons per year of low-risk woody biomass and spans a 75-mile drive radius from its central point in Texarkana, Tex.

Bowie County’s AA rating denotes very high prospective viability of feedstock Supply and infrastructure and low expectations of default risk in the zone. The county’s sustainably managed timber resource, where annual net growth far outpaces annual removals, has left a substantial surplus of pine pulpwood and thinning material. Anchoring the zone is the Boone-Copeland Industrial Park, a 140-acre, light-and- heavy-industrial site in Hooks, within the TexAmericas Center. The site is well served on every major utility, with on-site rail access and easy access to US Hwy 82/I-30 and US Hwy 59/I-369, positioning Bowie County as a top-tier location for bio-based industrial development.

Jordan Solomon, Chairman of the BDO Zone Initiative, says, “Bowie County is one of the strongest woody biomass BDO Zones we have rated: A large, underutilized surplus backed by real infrastructure. We expect it to accelerate serious conversations with developers evaluating the Gulf South.”

“This ‘AA’ rating validates something we have long understood about our region: Northeast Texas has the natural resources, infrastructure, workforce and industrial capacity to compete for the next generation of bio-based industries,” Scott Norton, Chief Executive Officer, TexAmericas Center, adds. “The strength of our timber resource extends well beyond Bowie County, and when combined with the transportation and industrial assets available across the greater Texarkana region, it creates a compelling platform for new investment, job creation and long-term economic growth.”