Biomass energy is not only the least understood, but one of California’s most abundant renewable energy sources, an energy source having a positive impact on clean air, contributing to a healthier environment in the millions of acres of forest lands of California, and one which is an influence on a more sustainable water source for Californians. In addition, the Biomass industry can create jobs, thereby improving California’s economy; save millions of dollars lost in catastrophic forest fires; is a technology which can be exported for the financial benefit of California; when initiated at scale, can reduce the effects of climate change; could decrease the nation’s annual  billions spent on foreign energy, and finally, with the support of the right legislation,  could attract secure, long-term capital investment. 

Clean Air: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) announced its campaign to lower the particulate matter limit from PM10 to PM 2.5 for health reasons.  The smoke generated by forest fires and controlled burning contains the same toxic materials as a cigarette — but in dramatically larger quantities. The most effective means of meeting the new standard would be to 1) avoid open burning, and 2) reduce forest fires. The biomass industry can be a crucial tool in the effort to meet these requirements.

Healthy forest environment and sustainable water sources: Catastrophic forest fire prevention and environmental protection of forest lands are two important components of the need for biomass production.  According to the California Biomass Energy Alliance, (www.calbiomass.org) by removing the excess materials from the forest stand, several important benefits are achieved. Fire danger is greatly reduced and becomes manageable, forest health is improved and air pollution from fires is reduced. The larger trees that are left continue to grow and mature, but at a much faster rate than before since there is less competition for sunlight, water and soil nutrients. Studies show that forest thinning for desired conditions protects watersheds and even increases water yield and quality — an important benefit in the water hungry state of California.  

Global warming greenhouse gases:  Biomass power plants are unique in the electrical generation industry because the contribution of the plants in terms of greenhouse gas emissions is significantly less than zero. That is, the biomass industry has a major net negative emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). This is because of the avoidance of GHG emissions from the alternate fates of the biomass wastes by virtue of the collection of these wastes for use as fuel in the boilers of biomass plants.  Absent the biomass power plants, and if left to their various alternate fates, the biomass materials would emit substantially higher levels of GHG (CO2, methane, and N2O) as a result of their biodegradation in the forests, or from their open-burning in the forests. Burning in the forests includes both prescribed burns and wildfires.  The United States government has renewed its commitment to reducing greenhouse gases, and biomass energy production can be an important tool in meeting those goals.

Biomass industry can create jobs: The Biomass industry in California represents over $2.5 billion in industrial investment, largely in rural areas, and provides needed jobs in those areas at the plants and in the fuel supply infrastructure.  If the biomass industry were to be developed to its potential scale it could provide up to $10 billion in investments and create many thousands of needed jobs for Californians.

Improvement of Deficit:  Other important benefits of a biomass industry of scale in California include reduction of the US trade deficit and US dependence on foreign oil.  These two items are inexorably tied to one another since the foreign oil costs are a significant portion of the deficit, which runs an average of about $700 billion per year and a whopping 6% of our gross national product.

Technology can be exported for the financial benefit of California: To quote Tom Friedman, in his book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, “I am convinced that the ability to develop clean power and energy-efficient technologies is going to become the defining measure of a country’s economic standing, environmental health, energy security, and national security over the next fifty years.  The ability to design, build, and export green technologies for producing clean electrons, clean water, clean air, and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the “Energy-Climate Era.”

The solution to the Biomass dilemma  1) Federal stimulus money for US Forest thinning and chipping of forest fuels and research and development of equipment for the harvesting of forest fuels 2) Extensive investment in modernizing, and expanding new biomass facilities, particularly in forest areas with a radius of no more than 50 miles from collection sources, 3) Recognizing the ultimate cost of burning fossil fuels, institute a carbon cap and trade or taxing system which can support the offset between the cost of natural gas fired production at 2.8 cents/kWh and biomass which is between 5.2 and 6.7 cents/kWh.  4) Update California’s Bioenergy Action Plan to double the amount of Biomass production now prescribed.  The only thing that stands in the way of solving the many problems outlined above is the will to make change.

Chris Nelson, retired professor, Diablo Valley College, Pleasant Hill, CA
Concerned citizen and resident, Truckee, CA