Meeting To Focus On Biomass Facility For Tuolumne County

Sonora, CA — When Tuolumne County was awarded $70-million from a National Disaster Resiliency competition grant, one of the projects identified for funding was a biomass utilization facility.

A public meeting will be held April 18 at 5pm in the Stanislaus National Forest Headquarters at 19777 Greenley Road where community members can give input on the process and approach for the creation of a feasibility study. The meeting will be hosted by the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. A consulting firm, The Beck Group, working on behalf of the two agencies, will facilitate the event. The study will help lay the foundation for a biomass facility in the county. Anyone with an interest in its development is encouraged to attend.

Creation of a biomass facility is one of three specific areas receiving a share of the $70-million. The other priorities are the development of one or two community resiliency centers (in Groveland and/or Tuolumne) and forest and watershed health restoration. The projects are aimed at making the county more resilient following the 2013 Rim Fire which burned over 257,000 acres.