California Governor Unveils Bioenergy Action Plan

Date: July 13, 2006

Source: State of California

California Governor Unveils Bioenergy Action Plan

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday unveiled a Bioenergy Action Plan, which he hopes will help develop alternative energy fuel and generation while reducing the state's dependency on imported 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, said the governor. Fuels can also be developed from naturally occurring waste, such as rice straw, animal waste and municipal solid waste, he said.

"Our state is a biomass goldmine with tremendous resources found in our agriculture, forestry and urban waste," said 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 plan commits state agencies to taking 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.

In April, the governor issued an executive order establishing targets for the use and production of bioenergy products as part of California's Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). Investor-owned utilities need to attain 20% of their electricity from renewables by 2017, under the RPS.

According to the executive order, California will produce a minimum of 20% of its own biofuels by 2010 and 40% by 2020. Currently, of the 900 million gallons of ethanol consumed in California (which is 25% of US consumption), only 5% is produced in California.

It is hoped reaching the new targets will help California achieve the accelerated RPS while signaling a long-term commitment to encourage investment, according to Schwarzenegger.

A copy is available at: gov.ca.gov/pdf/press/Bioenergy_Action_Plan.pdf.

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