Bill > AB706

This bill establishes the Forest Organic Residue, Energy, and Safety Transformation and Wildfire Prevention Fund Act to address California's wildfire and forest management challenges. The legislation creates a new fund in the State Treasury that will be continuously appropriated to the Natural Resources Agency to support a fire fuel reduction procurement program. The program aims to procure, transport, and utilize up to 15,000,000 bone-dry tons of forest biomass waste annually, with the goal of reducing wildfire risks. The bill prioritizes funding for existing Bioenergy Renewable Auction Mechanism (BioRAM) and Bioenergy Market Adjusting Tariff (BioMAT) fleets operating by January 1, 2031. The legislation is motivated by several key findings, including the significant accumulation of forest waste, the inadequate current forest treatment efforts, the environmental impact of wildfires, and the potential for biomass energy to create jobs and reduce emissions. The bill defines forest biomass waste as byproducts of forest management activities aimed at wildfire mitigation, prevention, and public safety, and explicitly prohibits the use of ratepayer funds to support the new fund. By supporting the removal and beneficial use of forest biomass waste, the bill seeks to improve forest health, reduce wildfire risks, and support renewable energy development.

Agriculture and Natural Resources, Budget and Finance, Transportation and Infrastructure

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB706