The Ministry of the Environment has laid 17 charges against Collingwood Ethanol.

According to Charlotte Wilkinson, central region communications advisor for the Ministry of the Environment, said Thursday Collingwood Ethanol, its parent company Blackstone Energy, and proponents Bruce Chandler and Curtis Chandler have been charged with 17 "alleged offenses," under the Environmental Protection Act.

The first court date has been set for Fri. Nov. 21 at 9 a.m. in Collingwood.

According to Wilkinson, the charges stem from incidents in 2007 and are related  to the discharge of "odour and noise," and "failure to comply with the certificate of approval.

She said the charges were sworn on Sept. 2 and the defendants were served on Sept. 4.

This marks the second time in the past two months that the plant has been charged by one of two levels of government.

In August, the Town of Collingwood charged Collingwood Ethanol and Canadian Mist under its sewage use bylaw for discharging high levels of waste in to the sanitary sewer system.

In a press release, Collingwood Ethanol spokesperson Paul Bonwick, said he was disappointed with the charges.            

"It is terribly unfortunate that the Ministry of the Environment investigation branch has chosen to pursue these matters in such a fashion. While one branch of the Ministry of the Environment works towards helping Collingwood Ethanol achieve its targets, another branch chooses to focus its energy on dealing with these charges," said Bonwick.

"This will in no way undermine the entire Ethanol team's collective approach towards addressing all outstanding concerns. Work is being done around the clock by workers and support staff to improve the company's environmental footprint.  We believe we are still on target to have all work complete within the next few of weeks."