Newhouse Applauds Major Investment in Central Washington Economy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-WA) announced that Darigold, Inc. is building a new premium protein and butter operation in Pasco, Washington. The 400,000-square-foot plant will process approximately eight million pounds of milk a day after construction is complete in 2023.

"I am proud that Darigold recognized the benefits and the potential of the Port of Pasco for this major investment that will revitalize our rural economy. This new Darigold plant will create over a thousand local jobs while providing important state-of-the-art processing for our region's dairy producers," said Rep. Newhouse. "I look forward to their continued innovation and investment in our district."

"Congressman Newhouse has been a steadfast champion of Washington State's agricultural community, including our dairy farmers," said Stan Ryan, President and CEO of Darigold. "We are especially grateful to him for his leadership on everything from introducing the Farm Workforce Modernization Act of 2021, which provides a sustainable long-term solution to labor challenges, to supporting the Port of Pasco agreement so that we can grow the rural economy and take care of our cooperative's farmer-owners. He is looking out for rural Washington like none other and we look forward to our continued partnership."

Background:

• Darigold, Inc. is building a new premium protein and butter operation which will feature a suite of state-of-the-art technologies and strategies designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
• When operational, these strategies will cut per unit emissions by 25% compared to existing facilities.
• The specialized facility will incorporate a variety of innovative technologies and conservation strategies that combined could mitigate over 300,000 metric tons of CO2e per year.
• Darigold will deploy anaerobic digestion technology as part of the on-site wastewater treatment strategy and use the extracted methane as a natural gas substitute, reducing fossil fuel use. This will be complemented by best-in-class machinery that enables heat and energy recovery and reuse. In addition, the new infrastructure is designed to accommodate future electric vehicles, including a potential conversion of Darigold's large fleet of semi-trucks — further reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation.
• Darigold's new operation furthers the cooperative's advancement of its environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitment. Situated within the multimodal Port of Pasco on the Columbia River, it will have access to both rail and barge facilities and will slash the distance trucks travel for milk pickups and deliveries by 5 million miles annually.
• As well as investing approximately $500MM in the project, Darigold is expecting to create over 1,000 onsite and indirect supply chain and services jobs. Initial site development is expected to start in early 2022 with full commercial production targeted for late 2023.
• Construction of the facility and the Port of Pasco agreement are contingent upon fair and equitable treatment under all new Washington state environmental legislation, which the company is currently assessing.