An act to add Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 4820) to Part 2.5 of Division 4 of, and to repeal Section 4828 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to forestry.
AB 1666 would create the Biomass Innovation Parks Act and establish a state-run Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program within the Natural Resources Agency. The bill directs the agency, working with the Department of Food and Agriculture and CAL-FIRE, to identify one or more biomass innovation parks and to develop guidelines for soliciting proposals to develop, operate, and manage those parks. Each park would be limited to processing California-origin wood waste and would be required to use noncombustion technologies to convert that material into carbon-beneficial products or end uses, such as wood products, biomethane, clean hydrogen, or carbon dioxide removal. The bill also requires community benefits programs at each park and gives preference in the evaluation process to projects involving California Native American tribes and mobile processing technologies.
The bill further requires state agencies to support the parks through planning, data collection, and market development. Among other things, the agency would have to develop regional wood availability assessments, create a tracking system to trace forest biomass origins, and help secure long-term feedstock supply from public and private lands. The State Air Resources Board would be required to publish a life-cycle emissions assessment for alternative uses of California-sourced wood waste, while the Strategic Growth Council, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the California Building Standards Commission would be asked to consider or adopt measures that encourage the use of California-produced wood products in housing and building programs. The bill also requires a report to the Legislature by December 31, 2027, and sunsets one reporting provision in 2032.
In terms of state law, AB 1666 would add a new chapter to the Public Resources Code and amend existing bond-related funding language in Section 91530 to allow an appropriation from the $50 million set aside under Proposition 4 for noncombustible vegetative-waste infrastructure projects. It would therefore create a new statutory framework for biomass innovation parks and tie that framework to existing wildfire resilience and climate-related bond funding. The bill also affects multiple state entities by assigning new planning, assessment, and incentive-setting duties to the Natural Resources Agency, CAL-FIRE, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the Air Resources Board, the Strategic Growth Council, the Department of Housing and Community Development, and the Building Standards Commission.
The general sentiment reflected in the available legislative history appears favorable. The bill received a unanimous 13-0 do pass vote in committee and was advanced to Appropriations, suggesting broad support for the concept and its climate, wildfire, and economic development goals. The bill text itself frames the issue as a “wood waste crisis” and presents the proposal as a way to reduce air pollution, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create markets for biomass that would otherwise be burned or left to decay.
The main points of contention are not shown in committee transcripts, but the structure of the bill suggests likely policy debates. These include whether the state should subsidize new biomass infrastructure, how to ensure that “noncombustion” technologies remain the focus, how to manage air-quality impacts and permitting, and whether the state should favor California-based wood products in housing and building programs. There may also be discussion over the bill’s preference for tribal partnerships and mobile processing technologies, as well as the use of bond funds and the open-ended appropriation amount.
AB 1666 would add a new statutory program in the Public Resources Code for biomass innovation parks and would direct multiple agencies to carry out planning, emissions analysis, supply-chain tracking, and market-incentive functions related to California wood waste. It would also amend bond-funding language to allow an appropriation from Proposition 4’s $50 million allocation for noncombustible vegetative-waste infrastructure, thereby creating a new funding pathway for the program and affecting state budgeting and implementation responsibilities across several agencies and commissions.
The available voting record indicates strong support, with a 13-0 committee vote to pass the bill as amended and send it to Appropriations. The bill’s framing around wildfire resilience, climate benefits, air quality, and economic development suggests it is being received as a constructive response to a recognized biomass disposal problem. No opposing testimony or transcript material was provided, so the record here shows consensus rather than visible controversy.
No committee transcript is available, so specific objections are not documented in the provided materials. Based on the bill’s provisions, likely areas of contention include the use of public bond funds for a new grants-and-financing program, the environmental and air-quality implications of biomass processing facilities, the requirement that parks use only noncombustion technologies, and the preference criteria for tribal partnerships and mobile processing. Another possible issue is whether state agencies should be directed to favor California-produced wood products in housing and building-related programs, which could raise concerns about procurement preferences and market intervention.