PROJECT SITES
Click on the location names below to find information and resources for each of the three project sites including details on any upcoming community meetings.
GSNR's proposed forest resiliency project would sustainably procure and process excess biomass produced as part of forest health initiatives into a pelletized fuel source (wood pellets) for use in renewable energy generation overseas, as a replacement for fossil fuels such as coal.
The proposed project would include the development of two wood pellet processing facilities, one in the foothills of the Central Sierra Nevada Mountain range, in Tuolumne County, and one in the Modoc Plateau of Northern California, in Lassen County. The finished pellets would then be shipped by rail to the Port of Stockton for international shipping.
This project is supported through a 20-year Master Stewardship Agreement with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for all of California’s 18 national forests in Region 5 as well as a blanket purchase agreement with USFS.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) process for GSNR’s proposed forest resiliency project is currently underway, to ensure any and all potential impacts are identified, comprehensively evaluated, and mitigated to the fullest extent feasible.
Golden State Finance Authority (GSFA), acting as the CEQA lead agency, reissued a Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Draft Environmental Impact Report for the GSNR Forest Resiliency Project on June 1, 2023. This action initiated the environmental scoping process in accordance with the CEQA Guidelines (14 California Code of Regulations [CCR] Section 15082). Development of the Draft Environmental Impact Report is currently underway and is anticipated to be released in the spring of 2024, at which time there will be further opportunity for public review and comment.
View the Reissued Notice of Preparation
MANUFACTURING AND TRANSPORT PROCESS
A graphic illustration of the proposed process, from gathering of biomass, to formation of wood pellets, through transportation and export, is depicted below.
