Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Energy topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Staff keeps biomass as energy category option; says any large facility requires case-by-case site review
Summary
Commissioners pressed staff about power-generation categories and biomass; staff said biomass remains listed to preserve local job potential but noted rail and elevation constraints require per-site feasibility assessments.
Commissioners asked whether the EOA’s energy category should be limited to biomass or broadened to include all generation types. "It could be nuclear. It could be something else," the Director said, noting the city considered widening the category to a general ‘utilities’ designation but returned biomass to the draft at council’s request because it can provide more local jobs than, for example, utility-scale solar inside the UGB.
Staff emphasized that inclusion of biomass in the EOA is an option, not a commitment to a facility. Any large energy facility would require a separate site evaluation: rail access, elevation and grade constraints, and whether a parcel is technically feasible (2% grade limits were cited as a practical constraint for rail spurs). The Director said a biomass facility could sit on industrial land in the county or, if suitable, inside the city; the decision would depend on project specifics and whether rail service was practical.
