Washington: House sends Hatfield's biomass bill to Gov. Gregoire

The state House on Tuesday overwhelmingly approved a bill to include decades-old wood waste incinerators and boilers at pulp mills as renewable energy.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, now awaits Gov. Chris Gregoire's signature to become law. It is expected to allow Weyerhaeuser Co., Longview Fibre Paper & Packaging Inc. and other pulp producers to earn millions of dollars in renewable, long-term energy sales.

Wash. State Senate passes biomass bill

The Legacy Biomass Bill (SB 5575) has passed through the Washington State Senate with an overwhelming majority vote of 45-1.

The bill, sponsored by State Senator Brian Hatfield, D-Raymond, will alter a 2006 initiative that excluded biomass facilities in operation before 1999 from being considered renewable energy producers. If passed by the House, the bill will also include materials such as yard waste, food waste, food processing residues and black liquor generated from the pulping and wood manufacturing process as eligible biomass products that would help meet the 2006 Initiative 937. The initiative called for public utility providers with 25,000 or more customers to meet energy conservation targets while using renewable energy resources, or to purchase renewable energy credits. Under I-937, large utility providers much generate at least 3 percent of their output from renewable energy, and 9 percent by 2016. Hatfield’s bill will start in 2016.