In our view, July 6: One Man's Debris

Until late June, the campfire was viewed simply as a time-tested source of warmth to hold back the night chill on an outdoor venture. Not many people looked into the flames and marveled at the "discovery" of wood as a biomass fuel.

Now, wood debris such as tree branches, chips and other cuttings has become a hot topic, a source of renewable energy that could spread throughout Clark County and the Pacific Northwest to offset the sagging economy.

What changed? A few words inserted into the monumental climate-change bill known as the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454). A paragraph, placed in a bill containing more than 1,200 pages, identifies the forest debris as biomass, a self-sustaining source of energy that can produce steam to drive turbines spinning out electricity.

U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, and his colleague Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., got the words inserted Thursday, June 25, with the help of Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. The bill passed the next evening, 219 to 212, and is headed for a predictably tough challenge in the Senate later this summer.

An immediate hope for this region is finding a pot of gold at the end of a biomass rainbow, possibly at the site of a defunct Chelatchie Prairie plywood mill in northeastern Clark County. A county feasibility study suggests a biomass-fueled generating plant at the old International Paper mill site could be built for $69.8 million, and it could turn out 20 megawatts of electricity, according to a story in the June 28 Columbian written by Erik Robinson.

Clark County Commissioner Steve Stuart, correctly cautious about the venture, said the county would not run the operation. Another advantage: The Chelatchie Prairie Railroad, owned by the county, runs through the site.

While hopes are high, a cautious approach is appropriate. Developing this renewable energy source would help the economy, create more clean energy, and reduce fire hazards in the forest. It might eliminate the smoky haze from the wasteful practice of slash burning.

A former sawmill east of John Day, Ore., is preparing to generate electricity to sell to an Idaho utility, according to a news story in The Oregonian. The story indicated there are more than a dozen similar plants in Oregon.

In a joint press release, Congressmen Baird and Schrader declared: "Our efforts will create or save thousands of jobs, preserve forest health and increase our energy independence." They said there are millions of acres of dead and diseased trees across America, many in Southwest Washington. Stimulus dollars were to be used to thin the forests, a protection against forest fires. Original plans called for the trees to be burned. Another change is allowing pulp and paper companies to use black liquor (a paper-making byproduct) and similar products to meet their renewable energy and fuels standard, Baird reported.

For now, pending more research and unforeseen setbacks into the overall issue of biomass as an energy source, wood debris joins an environmentally proven biomass list that includes geothermal, hydro, solar, tidal, wave and wind power.

Rep. Schrader noted, in a prepared statement, that he and Rep. Baird, "believe strongly that agricultural and forestry interests are not an impediment to climate change, but are, instead, a big part of the solution."

This is a praiseworthy start that could produce multiple benefits by converting forest waste into renewable energy that builds and sustains badly-needed jobs.

It's far too early to tally any benefits of biomass, but the potential is outstanding and certainly worth pursuing.