BioEnergy Producers Association

California's biobased industries are united under the banner of the BioEnergy Producers Association to promote the development of a positive statutory and regulatory environment for bioenergy production in the State of California.

For six years, Democrats on California's environmental committees have blocked legislation necessary to correct scientifically inaccurate definitions and other antiquated provisions in statute that would enable the production of advanced non-food derived biofuels and renewable electricity from organic wastes.

During this time, the state has placed in landfills approximately 200 million tons of post-recycled solid waste, one of the state’s most readily available and environmentally favorable sources of energy.  Theoretically, that is enough to annually co-produce 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and approximately 1,250 MW of power.

Last year, AB 222, legislation designed to correct these provisions passed the California State Assembly by a vote of 54-13 and was ready for final Senate passage and signature by the Governor when the five Democrats on the Senate Environmental Quality Committee demanded to hear the bill.  In late June, they stripped the bill of its essential elements and produced amendments that would have made it even more difficult to convert California's vast resource of organic wastes into renewable energy.

The Committee swept aside--literally ignored--AB 222 endorsements by more than 100 organizations, including the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission and CalRecycle (the former Integrated Waste Management Board). CLICK HERE to read their letter.

As a result of the continuing statutory and regulatory uncertainty, California-based bioenergy companies have now located, or moved out of the state, something approaching $1 billion in commercial plant construction.  During the past 18 months, the Obama administration has awarded in excess of $1 billion in direct grants and loan guarantees for the commercialization of waste conversion technologies.  Almost none of this money will be spent in California.

Late last year, CalRecycle issued rulings, as requested by several companies, that their technologies could comply with the intent of the definition of gasification in statute, following which, as one example, Plasco Energy of Canada received confirmation from the California Energy Commission that, as per its existing RPS guidance document, electricity produced using their technology would qualify as renewable in the state. (See "News & Commentary" page for further coverage.)

The office of Senator Darrell Steinberg, President Pro Tem of the State Senate, subsequently wrote to the Brown administration demanding rescission of this ruling--a frontal attack on the waste-to-clean energy industry and a signal that the state's legislature, at least a small, controlling minority of its Democrats--was not interested in addressing such issues as national security, energy independence, low-cost renewable energy production, jobs and an improved environment through the use of the 35 million tons of post-recycled municipal waste that are placed in landfills each year as a feedstock for renewable energy production. Senator David A. Roberti (ret.), President of the BioEnergy Producers Association, wrote an opinion page article on these issues for the San Jose Mercury News.  To read his comments, CLICK HERE.