Owner/Client: Otoka Energy Corporation
The proposed Buena Vista Biomass Facility is an 18-megawatt wood-to-energy plant that would generate electricity from biomass and produce indirect benefits related to fire fuels management and reduced potential for catastrophic wildfire. The project would reuse and retrofit an existing coal-fired power plant adjacent to the existing Buena Vista Landfill. The plant’s fuel stock would include agricultural wood waste (e.g., orchard prunings), urban and construction wood waste, and debris from forest thinning activities in nearby National Forest lands. Under contract to Amador County, Ascent prepared the Subsequent EIR for the project. The EIR assessed impacts of construction and operation of the facility, including land use, air quality, GHG emissions (including whether or not the facility is carbon neutral), noise, truck traffic, water supply, sustainable forest practices, and biological resources. Key concerns raised by the public were the air pollutant and GHG emission balance of the project and the project’s potential influence on forest health.