BioEnergy Producers Association

California's biobased industries are united under the banner of the BioEnergy Producers Association to promote the development of a positive statutory and regulatory environment for bioenergy production in the State of California.  

Its goal is to advance the sustainable production of renewable energy--biofuels and green power--from the 40 million tons of post-recycled municipal waste that California places in landfills each year.  Theoretically, that is enough to support the production of 1.6 billion gallons of ethanol and approximately 1,250 MW of power. 

In pursuit of this goal, the Association, for six years, has sponsored legislation to expedite the introduction of 21st Century conversion technologies that will produce advanced biofuels and/or green power from organic wastes. During the 2009-2010 legislative session in Sacramento, this initiative moved farther than it ever has before.  In June 2009, AB 222, which addressed the issues necessary to achieve this goal, 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 2009, it was approved in the Senate Utilities, Energy and Communications Committee.

Then the five Democrats on the Senate Environmental Quality Committee demanded to hear the bill.  In 2009, they refused to act, putting it over to 2010 as a "two-year" bill.  Finally, in late June, yielding to "environmental" opposition orchestrated by lobbyists for landfill operators and the traditional recycling industry, they stripped the bill of its essential elements and produced amendments that would have made it even more difficult to make productive use of California's vast resource of organic wastes. 

The Committee swept aside--literally ignored--AB 222 endorsements by more than 100 organizations, including the California Air Resources Board, the California Energy Commission and CalRecycle (the former Integrated Waste Management Board). CLICK HERE to read their letter.

California's post-recycled wastes remain a wasted resource for energy recovery.

To learn more about the Association's mission, CLICK HERE.