originally conceived as part of a response to the need to thin our forests for fire prevention. Though it would never be able to utilize most of the dead wood currently available, this project would:- Provide good, local, year-round jobs for those thinning the forests and operating the plant
- Annually pay thousands of dollars in property tax for land not currently taxed as well as about $100,000 per year in other revenues to the County
- Provide a market for wood coming off private and public property in the county
- Convert something we have in abundance, excess wood, into something we all need, clean, renewable energy
The list of what the plant would not do is equally important.
- It would not impose any financial liability on the County
- It would not limit the county’s access to the test wells (checking for landfill runoff) on the property
- It would not skirt any of the many rigorous environmental and development regulations that apply to all such projects
This is a timely and serious opportunity for the County. It is the result of a surprising coming together of much local expertise that has already brought the project to the point of winning one large national grant from the U.S. Forest Service. That grant will cover all permitting fees and required County staff time. Going forward two firms are currently competing to build and finance the plant. Furthermore, the project is very well positioned to compete for another large grant IF it can secure site control.
Were it not for the County’s ownership of the parcel that is ideally located for this project - being adjacent to a PG&E substation - the project would not need approval from the Supervisors. But since the County does own that land, our elected representatives must decide whether or not to sell the land to the project. This is really a choice on whether or not to support an innovative step forward for the local economy. Though the reasons to oppose the project are not clear, most of the Supervisors have not yet heard all the relevant information or revealed their position.
If this project sounds like a good idea to you, or even if you are just interested in seeing our local democratic process in action, Tuesday afternoon at about 2:15 the Supervisors will hear initial input and decide whether to initiate a public offering process (consisting of 3 meetings), and during the last meeting the Board would decide whether to accept this project's (or anyone else’s) offer to purchase the property.
George Catlin,
Secretary, Mariposa Biomass Project
