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.

CA state committee looks at rural renewable energy

Rural renewable energy planning has started as a state committee began hearings today on the “promise of renewable energy development in California’s rural economies.”

The Assembly Select Committee on Renewable Energy Economy in Rural California, chaired by Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez, D-Coachella, held its first hearing at Fresno City College to assess the opportunities and challenges of achieving the state’s high renewable energy portfolio standards. The hearing included discussion on transmission planning, siting and rural land use, according to a press release from Pérez’s office.