InEDC By Wendy Thomas 07/26/23 7:47 AM PDT
On July 18, 2023, the Board had a lengthy discussion about how best to comply with the procurement requirements of SB1383. The choice was to purchase “attributes” from GreenLeaf Power or to develop a program where we purchase compost made from diverted organic waste and make it available to the public and ag community at no cost.
While the program is a bit more complicated than that, the BOS voted to authorize Environmental Management staff to negotiate a three-year contract with Pioneer Energy to obtain a minimum of 50% attributes from GreenLeaf Power with the balance to be negotiated with El Dorado Disposal to develop a compost program in our county. The Board felt this will give us the time to test the application of compost in our communities and build a demand for it over a three-year period without “swimming in compost”.
A big “thank you” to our Ag Commissioners and the District 3 farmers whose insights were invaluable to me on the merits of this pilot program. It was helpful to understand that roughly 37% of farmers (mainly vineyard owners) are buying compost now, so the ability to receive a truckload could be beneficial. While not all ag properties have the ability to receive a 20-ton truckload (the minimum load size), there are opportunities for community sites where individual property owners, landscape companies, etc. could go to pick up what they need for their own use.
Please see the link below for detailed information:
