MACTEC PLAYING PIVOTAL ROLE IN ERIE BIODIESEL PLANT PROJECT

PITTSBURGH, PA, March 29, 2007 -- MACTEC Engineering & Consulting (MACTEC E&C) has been retained by Erie Management Group, LLC (EMG) to provide various assessment services at a 108-acre brownfield redevelopment site in Erie, PA that was formerly a paper mill owned by International Paper (IP). Bruce C. Coles, president of MACTEC E&C and chairman & CEO of MACTEC, Inc., the holding company (www.mactec.com) - made the announcement.

According to MACTEC Senior Principal Vance Williams, a biodiesel plant is being constructed at the site that will eventually produce more than 45 million gallons of biodiesel annually from soybean oil and animal fats. The completed plant is tentatively slated to begin operations in September 2007. The site is bordered on the north by Lake Erie, on the south and east by a road and cemetery, respectively, and on the west by land to be retained by the current property owner (Greater Erie Industrial Development Corporation).

MACTEC initially provided due diligence support in evaluating the property for EMG. These evaluations included:

• Utilities – Both functioning and non-functioning, encompassing sewer, water, gas, power and steam.
• Railroad – Develop conceptual layout of rail lines to service remaining and proposed facilities.
• Foundations – Visually locate exposed foundations, review existing IP drawings.
• Water intake structure and distribution system – Evaluate existing intake structure, which included internal inspection of two lake water intake structures.
• Evaluate needed permits – Analyze stormwater, wastewater and air permitting that may be required.

Following the due diligence efforts MACTEC worked with EMG to evaluate numerous biodiesel technology providers. Once the technology provider was selected, MACTEC proceeded to secure the plant air permits that typically take longer than six months.

In addition, MACTEC assembled a team to provide the design/build components for the balance of plant engineering and construction. For this latest scope of work, Williams said the firm is partnering with The Benham Companies, LLC, a leading design/build firm headquartered in Oklahoma City, OK. MACTEC will provide on-site support for the plant installation including site civil superintendent and ongoing geotechnical engineering, support proof rolling observation and evaluation, and field density testing.

MACTEC (www.mactec.com), based in Alpharetta, GA, is an environmental, engineering, construction management, and infrastructure services firm with more than $500 million in annual revenue, and 3,000 employees in over 90 offices nationwide. The company has three offices in Pennsylvania – Erie, Pittsburgh, and Plymouth Meeting.

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