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CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

92

Introduced by Assembly Member Rogers

January 29, 2026

An act to add Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 4820) to Part 2.5 of Division 4 of, and to repeal Section 4828 4825 of, the Public Resources Code, relating to forestry.

Vote: majority   Appropriation: no   Fiscal committee: yes   Local program: no

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

Existing law establishes the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL-FIRE) in the Natural Resources Agency and requires CAL-FIRE to coordinate programs of fire protection, fire prevention, pest control, and forest and range maintenance and enhancement. Existing law requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to establish a working group on expanding wood product markets that can utilize woody biomass, especially biomass removed from high fire hazard zones, as determined by CAL-FIRE.

This bill would enact the Biomass Innovation Parks Act, which would establish the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program, to be administered by the agency. The bill would require the agency, in coordination with the Department of Food and Agriculture (department) and CAL-FIRE, on or before September 30, 2027, to identify one or more biomass innovation parks, as provided. The bill would require the agency, in coordination with the department and CAL-FIRE, to develop guidelines and solicit proposals from an eligible applicant, as defined, to develop, operate, and manage a biomass innovation park, as provided. The bill would require the guidelines to include specified things, including, among other things, that each park shall only process wood waste, as defined, that originated in California, that each park only host projects that use a noncombustion technology to convert wood waste into carbon-beneficial products or end uses, as specified, and that each park establish a community benefits program. In order to facilitate a planning process for identifying parks, the bill would authorize the agency, in coordination with the department and CAL-FIRE, to develop guidance on specified things, including, among others, guidance for a public agency and private industry to partner on a park proposal.

This bill would additionally require the agency, in coordination with the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation and CAL-FIRE, to, among other things, develop regional wood availability assessments and to adopt a tracking system to trace and authenticate forest biomass origins. The bill would require the Strategic Growth Council and the Department of Housing and Community Development to consider incorporating the use of wood products in housing grant programs, as provided. The bill would require the California Building Standards Commission to identify and adopt new measures that incentivize wood products produced in California. The bill would require the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, in coordination with the Department of General Services, on or before September 30, 2027, to develop a strategy to support the procurement of wood products, including, but not limited to, mass timber, in relation to state-funded projects involving the construction or reconstruction of buildings. The bill would require the agency to deliver a report to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2027, containing information pertaining to the identified parks.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) California is currently facing a wood waste crisis, whereby tens of millions of tons of forest biomass from wildfire prevention, wildfire recovery, and agricultural biomass from crops, orchards, and vineyards are being piled and burned or left to decay in place every year, causing significant carbon and air pollution.

(2) Existing state policy, including the “2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality” adopted by the State Air Resources Board, identifies the need to collect and convert these residues into carbon-beneficial end uses, including wood products, including mass timber, clean fuels, including biomethane, clean hydrogen, and sustainable aviation fuel, and carbon dioxide removal.

(3) Existing state policy, Resolution 22-21 “2022 Climate Change Scoping Plan for Achieving Carbon Neutrality,” adopted December 15, 2022, by the State Air Resources Board, provides that the state board has determined that the “expansion of biomass combustion for energy production should not be pursued and opportunities for noncombustion biomass solutions should be prioritized.”

(4) Existing state policy, “Enhancing California’s Resiliency to Natural Catastrophes” developed by the California Earthquake Authority pursuant to Senate Bill 254 (Chapter 119 of the Statutes of 2025) and “California’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan” developed by the Governor’s Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force, both identify the establishment of an in-state bioeconomy as a key strategy to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk by removing hazardous residues and reducing the cost of forest treatments.

(5) Existing state policy, including approved Jobs First regional plans for the Sierra Nevada, north state, northern San Joaquin Valley, central San Joaquin Valley, and County of Kern, identify biomass solutions as a strategic priority to reduce pollution, reduce catastrophic wildfire risk, and create economic and workforce development opportunities.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature to incubate and expand a sustainable bioeconomy in California, consistent with existing state plans and goals, by establishing one or more biomass innovation parks in regions that serve as centralized hubs to deliver and efficiently process residues into a suite of needed clean products and end uses that reduce wildfire risk, reduce air and carbon pollution, provide jobs and community benefits, and support world-leading clean technology innovation. In order to support broader bioeconomy development, additional state policies that establish low-carbon product revenue incentives and offtake opportunities and secure long-term forest biomass feedstock supply are needed to address key obstacles to project financing.

SEC. 2.

Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 4820) is added to Part 2.5 of Division 4 of the Public Resources Code, to read:

Chapter 7. Biomass Innovation Parks

4820.

This chapter shall be known, and may be cited, as the Biomass Innovation Parks Act.

4821.

For purposes of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Agency” means the Natural Resources Agency.

(b) “Agricultural biomass residues” means crop, orchard, vineyard, or other agricultural residues, and excludes dairy manure and crops grown for the primary purpose of producing energy.

(c) “Biomass program” means the Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program established pursuant to Section 4829.

(d) “Board” means the State Board of Forestry and Fire Protection.

(e) “California Native American tribe” has the same meaning as in Section 21073.

(f) “Clean hydrogen” means hydrogen derived from a production facility and associated onsite storage and processing facilities that is solely derived from biomass feedstock or renewable energy sources covered under the California Renewables Portfolio Standard Program pursuant to Article 16 (commencing with Section 399.11) of Chapter 2.3 of Part 1 of Division 1 of the Public Utilities Code.

(g) “Commission” means the California Building Standards Commission.

(h) “Council” means the Strategic Growth Council.

(i) “Eligible applicant” includes, but is not limited to, state or local agencies, California Native American tribes, nongovernmental organizations, joint powers authorities, or special districts.

(j) “Forest biomass residues” means material removed for wildfire mitigation, forest restoration projects, or the protection of public safety and infrastructure. “Forest biomass residues” does not include trees grown for the primary purpose of producing energy.

(k) “Office” means the Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation.

(l) “Park” means a biomass innovation park identified by the agency pursuant to Section 4822.

(m) “Wood waste” means forest biomass residues or agricultural biomass residues.

4822.

(a) The agency, on or before September 30, 2027, in coordination with the Department of Food and Agriculture and the department, shall identify one or more parks pursuant to subdivisions (b) and (c).

(b) The agency, in coordination with the Department of Food and Agriculture and the department, for the purpose of identifying parks pursuant to subdivision (a), shall develop guidelines and solicit proposals from eligible applicants to develop, operate, and manage a park. The guidelines shall include all of the following requirements:

(1) Each park shall only process wood waste that originated in California.

(2) (A) Each park shall only host projects that use a noncombustion technology to convert wood waste into carbon-beneficial products or end uses, including, but not limited to, wood products produced by small-diameter sawmills, biomethane, clean hydrogen, and carbon dioxide removal determined to be appropriate by the State Air Resources Board.

(B) This paragraph does not prohibit the use of ancillary systems that support a noncombustion technology, including, but not limited to, the provision of process heat for the manufacture of wood products.

(3) Each park shall require compliance with the applicable regional air quality management district or air pollution control district regulations in order to minimize air pollution.

(4) Each park shall establish a community benefits program.

(5) Evaluation criteria that provides a preference for projects that are developed by, or in partnership with, a California Native American tribe.

(c) In order to facilitate a planning process for identifying parks, the agency, in coordination with the Department of Food and Agriculture and the department, may develop guidance on all of the following:

(1) The relevant state and local permitting agencies that would need to provide the requisite permits in order to site and develop a park.

(2) Guidance for a public agency and private industry to partner on a park proposal.

(3) Pathways for marketing park-generated products or end uses, including, but not limited to, in-state feedstock buyers for biomethane and clean hydrogen.

(d) (1) The agency may establish additional requirements that are related to the planning and solicitation process described in subdivision (b) at its discretion.

(2) The agency’s guidelines developed pursuant to subdivision (b) shall allow existing facilities to submit a proposal to expand into a park in order to accept additional wood waste if the expansion complies with the requirements of subdivision (b).

(3) The agency’s guidelines developed pursuant to subdivision (b) shall allow eligible projects to include facilities that use mobile processing technologies.

(e) The agency may perform additional activities to facilitate park identification and early-stage development, including, but not limited to, coordinating stakeholders, engaging communities, providing technical assistance, and reporting to the Legislature.

4823.

The agency, in coordination with the office and the department, shall do all of the following:

(a) Develop regional wood waste availability assessments.

(b) Develop new, or support existing, public agencies to facilitate long-term forest biomass residues feedstock supply from federal government and nonindustrial private lands. This support may include, but is not limited to, technical assistance.

(c) Adopt a tracking system to trace and authenticate forest biomass origins.

4827.4824.

The Biomass Innovation Park Grants and Financing Program is hereby established, to be administered by the agency, for purposes of this chapter.

4828.4825.

(a) The agency shall deliver a report to the Legislature on or before December 31, 2027, containing information pertaining to the parks identified pursuant to Section 4822.

(b) A report submitted to the Legislature pursuant to this section shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(c) This section shall remain in effect only until January 1, 2032, and as of that date is repealed.