Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Rcrc Broadband Biomass topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rural Counties group briefs Solano supervisors on broadband, forest‑resilience plans and grant work
Summary
RCRC CEO Pat Blacklock told the board that the Golden State Connect Authority has secured initial funding for rural fiber projects and that Golden State Natural Resources will release a draft EIR in October to process forest thinning byproduct; supervisors raised local biomass use and land‑use concerns.
Pat Blacklock, chief executive of Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC), told the Solano County Board of Supervisors that RCRC’s updated strategic plan focuses on advocacy, technical services and affiliate programs to serve rural counties.
Blacklock outlined several affiliate efforts with local implications. He said the Golden State Finance Authority has provided down‑payment assistance used by residents and county employees, and described the Golden State Connect Authority (GSCA), a new joint powers agency formed to extend open‑access fiber to rural communities: RCRC obtained initial engineering funds, has $31 million in construction awards and is pursuing roughly $1.2 billion in financing with pending CPUC review.
On wildfire resilience, Blacklock said Golden State Natural Resources (GSNR), a nonprofit formed to help scale forest‑thinning projects, will release a draft environmental impact report in October. That EIR will evaluate collecting low‑diameter “unmerchantable” biomass from resilience projects, processing it into industrial pellets at two proposed inland sites (Lassen and Tuolumne counties), and shipping product via rail from the Port of Stockton for use overseas. Blacklock said RCRC will include a full lifecycle carbon analysis in the EIR and noted a USDA grant of $3.3 million to support forest removal work.
Supervisors pressed the RCRC speaker on alternatives, asking why California tends to export biomass rather than use it locally in generation or industrial products. Blacklock acknowledged regulatory hurdles in California and said long‑term goals include developing local biomass uses and carbon‑negative energy pathways through pilot partnerships with private firms.
On other topics, Blacklock described a joint effort to pursue reimbursement for unfunded state mandates and a Rural Advancement Institute that will provide research and education to improve rural counties’ access to state housing and workforce dollars. Board members and staff discussed collaboration points, including the possibility of Solano County helping file mandate claims where other counties are time‑barred.
Blacklock asked the board for feedback to inform RCRC’s strategic plan update; supervisors emphasized forestry, agricultural biomass, broadband access and local control over land‑use and energy projects.
