Can the County Planning Department, the Planning Commission
and the Board of Supervisors package this site for biomass? Can the Amador
Economic Development Corporation interest an experienced operator such as Waste
Management to do a detailed study at their own expense? And while I wouldn’t venture
a guess on the final economic feasibility, it seems clearly worthy of
exploration. The present Buena Vista plant
only serves a 50 mile radius and partly burns agricultural waste.
Along with the employment, tax revenue and forest cleaning
benefits, I have a vision of the plant also operating like a recycling center.
Individuals with dead trees beyond their fireplace needs could bring them in
for money. This would cause a small, but worthwhile, reduction in home refuse
burning. With woody biomass going for $20 to $35 a ton and a Ford F-150, for
example, having a capacity over one and a half tons it seems quite reasonable
that individuals could participate. Those struggling financially could go into
the national forest and cut. Perhaps a whole new entrepreneurial generation of
loggers would emerge. Why can’t we have hundreds of people in the forest
competing for dead trees? This would also require that all the roads be kept
open with perhaps some new ones. Amador
County could have
cleaner, safer forests, new employment opportunities and perhaps serve as a
model to other communities.
Copyright 2013, Mark L. Bennett
