Yuba County Supervisor Gary Bradford recently published an op-ed about the need for California’s continued biomass infrastructure in Cal Matters (December 22, 2025). The supervisor pointed out that biomass electric generating facilities exist as a critical tool for wildfire prevention, necessary for promoting climate resilience.
Over half of Yuba County is forested. Unfortunately, past forestry practices place the county at risk for catastrophic wildfire. Heavy fuel loads exist both from poor lumber management and antiquated fire suppression techniques. Two decades plus of drought and insect attack have also led to an epidemic in tree mortality. Currently, the closest biomass electric generating plant is at the Lincoln-based Rio Bravo Rocklin biomass facility.
But Camptonville is in the thick of it: forest, that is. And through the work of the Camptonville Community Partnership, there’s a possibility of adding another biomass electric generating plant to California’s electrical grid. The proposed Engeman Camptonville Green Energy woody biomass facility would remove roughly 50,000 tons of hazardous forest material annually. ANNUALLY! That’s fire prevention and climate mitigation extraordinaire. This makes sense for Placer County. Adding Camptonville to California’s biomass electrical production grid saves time, distance, gasoline/diesel, and truck maintenance, too. Unlike Lincoln, Camptonville is surrounded by the very forest that needs fire mitigation. The Engeman Camptonville Green Energy woody biomass facility would reduce the number of logging trucks on winding roads to get to the Lincoln facility.