Events
First Annual Forum
January 8, 2004
Cal-EPA Building
1001 I St.
Sacramento, CA
The California Biomass Collaborative held its first annual forum in Sacramento on January 8, 2004. The forum provided an opportunity to hear about the current activities of the Collaborative and to provide recommendations for future directions and actions. Nearly two hundred people attended the forum, including representatives from industry, government, academia, environmental organizations, and other sectors. The first forum covered a variety of topics of importance to biomass resource development in California, including:
- Renewable energy, biomass, and the role of the California Biomass Collaborative
- California's biomass resources: an assessment of current and future potential for fuel and electricity production
- Bioenergy and biopower in California: an inventory of the state's biomass facilities
- Environmental, regulatory, and permitting issues in biomass development
- Research and innovation, and global perspectives
Program and Proceedings
- Welcome and Introduction - Bryan Jenkins, California Biomass Collaborative
- Morning Keynote - Joe Desmond, California Energy Commission
Welcome
- Terry Tamminen, Secretary, California Environmental Protection Agency
- Renewable Energy, Biomass, and the California Biomass Collaborative, James Boyd, Commissioner, California Energy Commission
Session 1: California Biomass Resources
Moderator: John Shelly, University of California
- Statewide Biomass Assessment—Current inventory and future potentials, Bryan Jenkins, Executive Director, California Biomass Collaborative
- Statewide Biomass Future Potentials for Electricity Generation, Val Tiangco, California Energy Commission
- Biomass Fuel Supply and Resource Development, Tony Wetzel, Energy Projects Consultant
- Natural Resources and Biomass Policies, William Craven, Principal Consultant, California State Senate Natural Resources and Wildlife Committee
Session 2: Bioenergy and Biopower in California
Moderator: Gregg Morris, Future Resources Associates
- Survey of State Biomass Facilities for the California Biomass Facilities Reporting System, Randy Bates, Bates Consulting
- Legislation and Policy Relating to Biomass Power Generation, Lawrence Lingbloom, Consultant, California State Senate Energy, Utilities, and Communications Committee
- European Technology Overview and Relevance to California, Ted Atwood, Global Greenlife Institute
- Landfill Gas to Energy in California, Patrick Sullivan, SCS Engineers
- Agriculture and Biomass Production in California, A.G. Kawamura, Secretary, Food and Agriculture
Session 3: Environmental, Regulatory, and Permitting Issues in Biomass Development
Moderator: Loyd Forrest, TSS Consultants
- Regulation, Permitting, and Biomass Policy, Phil Reese, California Biomass Energy Alliance
- Biomass Energy--Air Permitting Issues, Dave Warner, San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District
- Potential Impacts of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act on Biomass in California, Paul Mason, Sierra Club
Session 4: Research and Innovation in Biomass Development
Moderator: Toni Symonds, AgWorks California
- Global (International) Perspectives in Biomass Policy and Research, Ralph Overend, National Renewable Energy Laboratory
- Federal Research Agenda for Biomass, John Ferrel, US Department of Energy
- Developing Collaborative Objectives for Biomass Policy in California, Kay Martin, Environmental and Energy Resources Department, Ventura County; Gregg Morris, Future Resources Associates
- Prospective Research Agenda for the California Biomass Collaborative, Linda Blevins, Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore
Session 5: Discussion and Wrap-up
Moderator: Gary Matteson, California Biomass Collaborative
- Preliminary Summary of Forum Surveys, Martha Gildart, California Biomass Collaborative
- Questions and Comments from the Floor
- Forum summary, George Simons, California Energy Commission
- Concluding remarks, Bryan Jenkins, California Biomass Collaborative