Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces Bioenergy Action Plan for California

Touting the economic and environmental benefits of bioenergy, Gov. Schwarzenegger today announced the 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 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.