Here are some informative documents regarding the bioenergy project. These are from the public meetings held in North Fork in November.

• Project Overview
• Project Overview by YSRC&D
• Considerations for a Successful Project
• Project Workshop Workbook (Excellent document!)
• Feedstock Availability Report
• PSW-GTR-220/237 (Gov’t guidelines for forest management)
• Research Brief for Resource Managers

To see the minutes from today’s bioenergy meeting, click here.

Here is an article called, “Emission Reductions from Woody Biomass Waste for Energy as an Alternative to Open Burning”. Click here to see the article.

Here are the minutes from the 11/5/12 Bioenergy Committee Meeting. Click here to see them.

This week, Governor Brown signed SB1122 into law. This law’s intent is to, “encourage electrical generation from eligible renewable energy resources.” The law directs the Public Utilities Commission to procure at least 250 megawatts of power from developers of new bioenergy projects. Of this amount, at least 50 megawatts of power must come from “bioenergy using byproducts of sustainable forest management…”

This increases the likelihood that the project to build a gasification plant at the Mill Site in North Fork will actually happen. The project would generate up to 1 megawatt of power and create several local jobs, including some in the forest.

The text of the new law can be found here.

The minutes from the September 24 Bioenergy committee meeting can be found here.

Here are the meeting minutes from today’s committee meeting.

Click here to see the minutes.

Here are the minutes from today’s Bioenergy Committee Meeting Minutes. Click here to view.

On May 16 Reliable Renewables principal, Zach Scott visited the North Fork Mill Site. Reliable Renewables is the company selected by the CDC Board after soliciting proposals from several companies offering biomass to electricity systems. The parties are exploring the possibility of building a biomass gasification system at the North Fork mill site that would produce 1 MW of electricity using wood chips as feed stock.  This would be enough electricity to power about 1000 homes.

Top row from left: Meghan Booker – SNC, Rich Bagley – SCE, Steve Haze – YSRC&D, Matt Hart – TSS, Zach Scott – RR, Kim Carr – SNC, Jim Branham – SNC, Julie Bear – SNC, Tom Wheeler – Madera County Supervisor, Mandy Vance – SNC, Elissa Brown, SNC
Front row from left: Todd Hansen – TSS, Shawn Garvey – The Grant Farm, Tad Mason – TSS, Dan Rosenberg – NFCDC

In developing a biomass power facility on the North Fork Mill Site, the North Fork Community Development Council (CDC) hopes to meet the following objectives:Other visitors also participated from various agencies, nonprofits and organizations that are helping to make this project a reality, including the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, the Yosemite Sequoia Resource Conservation and Development Council, Southern California Edison, The Grant Farm, and TSS Consulting.  Madera County Supervisor Tom Wheeler was also in attendance. After a tour of the site, the group sat down and had productive discussions about the current project status as well as challenges that must be overcome. This included a far-ranging discussion of engineering, financing, regulatory requirements, grants and pending legislation.

• Create jobs for local residents.
• Create an income stream for the CDC to further promote Mill Site redevelopment.
• Support local subsidiary businesses such as biomass harvesting, chipping and transport.
• Beneficially utilize woody biomass being removed from surrounding public and private land for purposes of fire safety and/or ecological restoration.
• Have minimal noise and odor impacts to nearby residents and businesses.
• Provide opportunities for additional businesses that can utilize potential heat from the power plant, such as kiln dried wood products, greenhouses, etc.
• Generate renewable energy consistent with the state’s Renewable Portfolio Standard.

For more information on this project, contact the North Fork CDC atinfo@northforkcdc.org.  (DAN, IS THIS THE RIGHT CONTACT E-MAIL?)

• Jim Branham
• Kim Carr
• Elissa Brown
• Meghan Booker
• Mandy Vance

• Tad Mason
• Todd Hansen
• Matt Hart

Southern California Edison – Rich Bagley