Brian Wong, a local resident who has been active in biomass discussions, told the Oroville City Council on Dec. 9 that a full‑page newspaper ad falsely claimed he and the city were partners with a proposed Bree biomass project. "I would like to state that this is a false statement," Wong said, adding he has not submitted a project application to the city and asked that the ad be retracted.

The comment came during the meeting's public communications segment, where Wong said the ad named him and the city as partners and that he was "the only person called out by name" on the advertisement. He told council members he had attended a recent Valley Vision Biomass Workshop and that community concerns included air quality and forest‑health issues discussed by academic and agency panelists.

Why it matters: Oroville has federal bioeconomy development opportunity (BDO) status and local leaders say the city is a logical feedstock and logistics hub for biomass projects. Councilmember Weber and others emphasized the need for transparency and public discussion before any formal city partnership or project application moves forward.

Council and community steps: Councilmember Weber (speaker identified in the transcript) and other members clarified that the Orville Community Development Coalition (OCDC) is a citizen‑formed group, not a city‑sanctioned entity, and announced a community workshop to discuss biomass questions. Weber invited residents to a Dec. 8 meeting at Stream Charter School at 5:30 p.m. to "have an honest conversation" about biomass, air quality and economic opportunities.

Voices from the meeting: Wong said the Dioxin Awareness Group, chaired by former councilmember Linda Draper, published the ad and that he did not know why he was singled out. "Brian Wong is not in partnership with Bree or the city of Oroville and the biomass project," he said. Council members responded by stressing checks on factual claims and reiterating the city's commitment to openness on potential projects.

Next steps: No formal application or city partnership was reported during the meeting; councilmembers and staff said they would continue outreach and hold the Dec. 8 workshop to collect community input before any city action.

Ending: The council did not take a formal vote on any biomass project at Monday's meeting and urged residents to attend the upcoming community workshop.