[GreenYes] Governor Announces Bioenergy Action Plan for CA

[Gary Liss <gary@no.address>]

from: http://gov.ca.gov/index.php/press-release/1685/

07/13/2006   GAAS:448:06   FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Bioenergy Action Plan for California

Touting the economic and environmental benefits of bioenergy, Gov. 
Schwarzenegger today announced the 
<http://gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/Bioenergy_Action_Plan.pdf>Bioenergy 
Action Plan which outlines ways for California to bring alternative 
energy into the mainstream and reduce dependency on foreign fossil fuels.

Biofuels, such as ethanol, can be developed from specially grown 
crops such as corn and sugar cane, to produce clean, renewable 
transportation fuels or electricity.  Fuels can also be developed 
from naturally occurring waste, such as rice straw, animal waste and 
municipal solid waste.  The Governor announced the action plan after 
touring the Pacific Ethanol plant in Madera County that will come 
online within the next few months to produce 35 million gallons of 
ethanol annually.

"Our state is a biomass goldmine with tremendous resources found in 
our agriculture, forestry and urban waste," said Governor 
Schwarzenegger.  "Taking full advantage of our resources will be a 
huge step towards energy independence and reducing pollution and 
greenhouse gases -- while at the same time revitalizing many of our 
rural and agricultural areas."

The Bioenergy Action Plan focuses on ways to create a positive 
environment for bioenergy development to help attract new facilities 
and investment in California.  It commits state agencies to take 
detailed actions within a specific timeframe to advance the use of 
bioenergy in California.  The plan is also designed to improve state 
agency coordination on bioenergy and expand and accelerate research 
and development, including partnerships with the federal government 
and private sector.

The Plan was compiled by an interagency task force established by the 
Governor last year.   The task force, led by the California Energy 
Commission (CEC), held a public workshop on March 9, 2006 and 
gathered input from more than sixty stakeholders.

"New markets for agriculture and forest waste mean more jobs and 
opportunities throughout California communities. This is another 
perfect example of a healthy environment and a healthy economy going 
hand-in-hand," said Governor Schwarzenegger.

In April, the Governor issued an 
<http://gov.ca.gov/index.php/executive-order/183/>executive order 
establishing targets for the use and production of bioenergy products 
as an integral part of California's Renewable Portfolio Standard 
(RPS). To achieve these targets, he directed the California Energy 
Commission (CEC), the Resources Agency and other state agencies to 
collaborate, research, promote and identify funding to advance 
biomass programs in California. The executive order also formalizes 
the Governor's directive for state agencies to meet specific goals, 
which are detailed in the Bioenergy Action Plan.

According to the executive order, California will produce a minimum 
of twenty percent of its own biofuels by 2010 and forty percent by 
2020.  Currently, of the 900 million gallons of ethanol consumed in 
California (which is 25 percent of the entire nation's consumption), 
only five percent is produced in California. Reaching the new targets 
will help California achieve the accelerated RPS while signaling a 
long-term commitment to encourage investment.

The executive order also calls for the use of biomass for electricity 
to reach 20 percent within the state's RPS goals for 2010 and 2020.



Gary Liss & Associates
916-652-7850
Fax: 916-652-0485
www.garyliss.com 

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