In the wake of the shutdown of numerous biomass plants throughout the state, the Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) sent a letter to the California State Senate and Assembly Budget Committees requesting Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds be allocated to the biomass facilities to keep their plants running. With so many plants being shut down, piles and piles of prunings are beginning to show up in orchards and piles of sticks are being held at hullers. While the Association continues to meet with Air District officials on a specific emergency action plan, it continues to press for both short term and long term solutions. In the short term, these piles need to be allowed to be burned, under strict conditions of course, or get these biomass facilities up and running. In the long term, the Association has been involved for over three years as a cooperator and co-sponsor of the West Biofuels project in Woodland, which uses a biogas technology to convert biomass to a synthetic gas used to run an engine/electric generator. These systems are much more energy efficient and most likely represent the future for eliminating agricultural biomass waste. In addition to that project, the Association has also been meeting with two other companies to discuss advancements in the industry and possible installations to begin operating. Meanwhile, in WAPA’s letter to the Budget Committee, the Association stressed the urgent need to get the existing biomass plants up and running.
Image: Courtesy of WAPA