By Ted Shorack, The Bulletin.

Deschutes County commissioners are sticking with a proposed methane gas energy project at the Knott Landfill despite financial delays and missed deadlines.

The board approved an amended contract and extension with Waste to Energy Group on Monday, which was when the California company was supposed to begin operations under the original contract signed in January 2014.

“I think everybody assumed that financing for the project was going to happen relatively soon after we signed the contract,” said Deschutes County Solid Waste Director Timm Schimke. “That has not been the case. They have struggled to find financing over the course of these 18 months.”

The newly approved contract requires the company to reach benchmarks indicating its progress in the coming years. The company will be required to become operational by March 2018.