SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Open burning of forest and agricultural waste is a significant source of air pollution and climate pollution, including short-lived climate pollutants, such as black carbon and methane.
(b) State policy to reduce wildfire risks and restore healthy forests and the Agreement for Shared Stewardship of California’s Forests and Rangelands between the State of California and the United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region, require forest fuel removal on one million acres per year, which will generate millions of tons of forest waste annually.
(c) According to the 2017 Integrated Energy Policy Report, the majority of California’s organic landfill waste is cellulosic biomass that must be converted to energy or mulch to meet the requirements of Section 39730.6 of the Health and Safety Code.
(d) According to the California Forest Carbon Plan adopted by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Natural Resources Agency, bioenergy cuts black carbon, methane, and particulate matter emissions by 98 percent compared to open burning.
(e) The State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection’s Forest Biomass Utilization Plan recommends allocating 20 percent of Electric Program Investment Charge funding to forest biomass conversion to energy, with priority going to advanced technology projects.
(f) The State Air Resources Board’s plan to phase out open burning of agricultural waste in the San Joaquin Valley calls for public investment of $15,000,000 to $30,000,000, inclusive, annually in new bioenergy facilities and other alternatives to open burning of agricultural waste.
(g) Investing Electric Program Investment Charge funding in new and emerging technologies to convert waste biomass to energy, as well as advanced technology emissions controls, will increase the ratepayer, environmental, and public safety benefits of biomass conversion.