ACTION ITEMS Update on Assembly Bill 222 Due to ongoing budget discussions, a hearing on Assembly Bill 222 (AB 222) in the Senate Environmental Quality Committee has not yet been set. It is expected that the Bill will be considered later this Summer. AB 222 is California legislation designed to expedite the introduction of conversion technologies that will produce advanced biofuels and/or green power from carbon-based wastes. With Republican and Democrat co-authors, this legislation has gained bipartisan support amongst the business, environmental, labor, and government sectors. The legislation removes from statute a scientifically inaccurate definition of gasification, establishes a new regulatory category for a "biorefinery" and confirms that the biogenic portion of the municipal waste stream qualifies as a feedstock for renewable electricity under the Renewable Portfolio Standard. Last Year, AB 222 passed the California State Assembly by a vote of 54-13, after having been approved by a unanimous bipartisan vote of 11-0 in the Assembly Utilities and Commerce Committee. In July, it was approved in the Senate Utilities, Energy and Communications Committee. The Governor has endorsed the legislation, enabling the California Energy Commission to testify on its behalf, and there is significant support for the bill in the State Senate. events Alternative Technology Advisory Subcommittee The Alternative Technology Advisory Subcommittee will be meeting on:
Thursday, February 18, 2010, 10:00 a.m.
Department of Public Works
900 South Fremont Ave.Conference Room C
Alhambra, CA 91803
The agenda and previous approved minutes are available for download at our website. BioCycle West Coast Conference: Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy This conference will be taking place on:
April 12-15, 2010
Town & Country Resort
San Diego, California For more information visit the website. Project NoticeThe County of San Bernardino has released a Request for Proposals and Request for Qualifications for waste conversion technologies and renewable energy projects. For additional information go to: http://www.sbcounty.gov/dpw/solidwaste/rfp.asp News Biofuel industry reacts to Obamas address Alternative fuel supporters listening eagerly to President Barack Obamas 2010 State of the Union Address heard the word they were listening for: biofuels. Obama laid out four things the U.S. needs to do to move ahead, including serious financial reform, technology innovation, exporting more domestic goods and investing in the skills and education of our people. I do not accept second place for the United States of America, he said. As hard as it may be, as uncomfortable and contentious as the debates may be, its time to get serious about fixing the problems that are hampering our growth. To read the entire article, click here. Ventura County Regional Sanitation District explores turning trash into energyThe district is looking into two companies that take different approaches to the same idea of making waste useful without burning the trash. The district deals with enough trash that it could in theory build 10 such facilities, which could provide energy for about 18 percent of the homes in the county. The superheating would reduce trash to 10 percent of its previous bulk, making a landfill last 10 times as long. The units could pay for themselves in 10 years. To read the entire article, click here. British Airways plans Europe's first biojet fuel plantThe plant will produce aviation fuel from plasma gasification of biomass into BioSynGas which is then converted by Fischer Tropsch into biojet fuel. The facility will process all types of biomass and residue feedstock which will mainly be sourced from local waste management facilities. To read the entire article, click here. Cleveland signs agreement to build small power plant fueled by municipal waste The plant, the first of its type in the country, would cost about $200 million and employ about 100 people. It could supply about 6 percent of Cleveland Public Power's 350 megawatt peak load. To read the entire article, click here. Enterprise Rent-A-Car commits to biodiesel Enterprise Holdings, owner of the Alamo Rent-A-Car, Enterprise Rent-A-Car and National Car Rental brand names, made a big announcement in support of biodiesel during day two at the National Biodiesel Conference & Expo in Grapevine, Texas. The company announced its commitment to move its entire fleet of more than 600 shuttle buses to biodiesel within the next 5 years. To read the entire article, click here. Hawaii aims to obtain 70% of its total energy needs from clean sources within 20 years.Hawaiian officials have concluded their state has little choice. This tropical paradise is an energy beggar that depends almost solely on oil to fuel its vehicles and stoke its power plants. That's left the state, which doesn't produce a drop of crude, vulnerable to spills, price swings and geopolitics. Hawaii residents already pay the highest pump prices and electricity rates in the country. The state imports around 51 million barrels of oil, costing billions annually, according to government figures. To read the entire article, click here. New project energizes dairy waste treatment Officials from the California Department of Agriculture, the Merced Irrigation District, a West Sacramento-based environmental engineering company and representatives of three dairies met February 9, 2010 at the World Ag Expo in Tulare to sign an agreement to pursue digester pilot projects at each of the dairies. To read the entire article, click here. Waste Management, Inc, announces investment in Harvest Power Harvest Power builds and operates large-scale organics recycling facilities as well as markets compost products. It owns and operates food and yard waste composting facility in North America, located in Richmond, British Columbia, the company is also developing high solids aerobic and anaerobic digestion and composting technologies.To read the entire article, click here. |
