Lake County board approves letter to Newsom urging extension, full implementation of BioMap program

The Lake County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to approve a letter to Gov. Gavin Newsom asking for an extension and full implementation of the BioMap program and authorized the board chair to sign the letter.

The move follows staff and coalition outreach that, according to a county representative, shows the BioMap program has not met statutory procurement targets and could put nearly $30,000,000 in grant funding at risk. "The BioMap program specifically, requires that the California Public Utilities Commission procure 250 megawatts of energy from new small scale bioenergy projects, and our understanding is only 20% of those required megawatts have been procured to date," said Matthew, a CRC representative. "Failure to implement the program fully could result in nearly $30,000,000 of grant funding being returned to the federal government by California-based entities."

The county's cover letter was drafted to align with a coalition letter led by the Rural County Representatives of California and supported by other organizations, county staff said. Matthew told the board the county had intended to sign the coalition's initial letter but lacked a mechanism to do so in time and is now submitting a cover letter that "joins those coalition members in asking your support of extension and full implementation of the BioMap program." The letter also asks that the California Public Utilities Commission be directed to fully implement the program "as required by state law," language included in the draft.

Supervisor Sabati questioned whether the draft letter explicitly asked for an extension and noted the text largely referenced the coalition letter. County staff pointed to a sentence in the draft that asks for the governor's support for an extension and for directing the California Public Utilities Commission to implement the program.

Board discussion included clarification that the letter is a statewide policy request and is not tied to any specific local project. Board members also asked whether the coalition had requested a specific length of extension or expedited administrative processes; staff said no specific timeframe was included in the county's letter and that many programs take longer to implement than anticipated.

Supervisor Pysko moved approval of the letter and the board voted 5-0 to carry the motion. No public speakers registered on the item during the meeting.

The BioMap program, as described to the board, requires procurement of 250 megawatts of new small-scale bioenergy and is set to sunset on Dec. 31, 2025, unless extended. County officials said the coalition believes that timeline does not allow enough time to complete the program's obligations.