A Pioneer Biomass Plant?

The cedar mill with its exuberant giant pencils is long gone. The “replacement” greenhouse venture has apparently failed. On the hills above the high tension lines remain like a grim picture of a future Detroit. Isn’t this the perfect location for a biomass energy plant? Every time I drive up Hwy 88 dead trees punctuate the national forest. The Foothill Conservancy has done a commendable job of obtaining grant money and clearing dead trees. (Who likes to fill out government paperwork?) But their effort has two fatal flaws. Firstly, the government money is borrowed from the Chinese for which we have no creditable means of repayment. And secondly, the trees are burned as waste which only adds to air pollution. This additional pollution wouldn’t occur in a state of the art biomass plant as the former waste becomes electricity. And the plant could also produce wood pellets for a worldwide market using nearby ports.

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