Kern County Farm Bureau (“KCFB”), along with Covanta Delano Power, is hosting an informational meeting on Friday, March 27 from 11:00AM–1:00PM (lunch provided) to bring awareness to potential funding issues which threaten to shut down a critical source of clean energy in Kern County. The meeting will be held at the Covanta Delano Power plant at 31500 Pond Road, Delano, CA.
The Biomass industry is very important to Kern County agriculture and the San Joaquin Air District. Biomass energy is a carbon-neutral electricity source generated by combustion of organic material, much of which is sourced from orchard removal and tree pruning here in Kern County. Production of power through efficient biomass power plants, like the Covanta Delano facility, reduces roughly 96% of the pollutants that would otherwise be created through open-field burning. Covanta Delano Power processes nearly 1,176 tons of biomass waste per day, generating over 50 MW hours of electricity.
Assembly Bill 590 (“AB 590”) was written to utilize a portion of the funds from Cap and Trade to help fund the biomass industry. Covanta Delano Power, the biomass plant located in Delano will be forced to shut down in December 2015 if AB 590 does not pass. There are currently 34 biomass plants in the State of California and approximately 10 of those have already been idled due to insufficient funding.
Biomass power plants are very important to Kern County farmers and we hope you’ll join us to show your support for this industry. Please RSVP to Kristen 661-397-9635.