Title
Chief Administrative Office recommending the Board consider the following regarding Biomass activities:
1) Approve and authorize the Chair to sign the non-financial Tri-County Memorandum of Association comprised of El Dorado, Nevada, and Placer counties; and
2) Approve and authorize the Chief Administrative Officer, or Assistant Chief Administrative Officer, to execute any required documents or amendments related to the non-financial Tri-County Memorandum of Association, subject to County Counsel and Risk Management concurrence.
FUNDING: N/A
Body
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
The County of El Dorado’s commitment to forest health, wildfire risk reduction, and biomass utilization began in 2021 with the establishment of the Vegetation Management and Resiliency Working Group and continued with the establishment of the Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience (OWPR) in 2022. This commitment has been reinforced by the Board of Supervisors’ designation of forest health and wildfire management as a top priority in recent years.
At the state level, the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation (LCI), formerly the Office of Planning and Research (OPR), launched five pilot partnership projects under the California Forest Residual Aggregation Market Enhancement (Cal FRAME) initiative to address barriers to removing biomass, which is necessary to increase wildfire resilience across the state. One of those five, the Tahoe Central Sierra partnership, includes El Dorado, Nevada, and Placer counties. These three partner counties have engaged with water agencies, cities, fire-safe councils, tribes, utilities, nonprofit organizations, and others to research and develop coordinated solutions to biomass-removal challenges in the Tahoe Central Sierra region.
Over the past seven months, staff from the partner counties worked with a consulting team to develop the attached draft Memorandum of Association (MOA) as part of a collective response. The MOA provides a framework for coordinated action among the partner counties in the following areas:
1. Joint marketing of the El Dorado, Nevada, and Placer County Biofuel Development Opportunity Zone (BDOZ) ratings to attract bioeconomy investment to this region;
2. Information-sharing about wildfire resilience activities to support a coordinated regional approach that benefits all parties;
3. Pursuit of joint funding opportunities to advance regional biomass initiatives;
4. Coordination of state and federal advocacy efforts on biomass policy; and
5. Promotion of biomass utilization infrastructure to stabilize markets, support industry growth, and address compliance with SB 1383 to reduce organic waste in landfills.
Under this MOA, each partner county would continue to take local action and implement individual projects within its jurisdiction to meet its own goals and help fulfill the MOA’s intent. Partner counties may also collaborate on joint projects that provide shared benefits across two or more jurisdictions. Each partner county would provide staff support and data as resources allow and respond to policy or operational recommendations. This coordinated approach is designed to provide individual flexibility while promoting joint implementation geared toward regional benefit. The MOA also allows for amendment by unanimous consent of the partner counties’ Boards of Supervisors should needs or goals change over time.
No funds are requested at this time for the operation of the MOA. Partner county staff will retain management and policy oversight of the MOA as part of their ongoing duties to improve wildfire resilience and increase biomass utilization. The partner county staff team will pursue joint funding opportunities for additional implementation support, where appropriate. For example, the California Tahoe Conservancy, in partnership with the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, has invited the Tahoe Central Sierra partner counties to apply for State Proposition 4 Early Action Program funds to support technical, planning, and outreach. This is a timely opportunity to launch regional biomass-reduction and wildfire-resilience activities aligned with the MOA’s objectives. The Conservancy’s funding programs are specifically designed to support inter-jurisdictional collaboration and landscape-scale planning and projects - both of which are central to the goals of this tri-county initiative. Such an opportunity underscores the benefit of multi-county collaboration and highlights the value of entering into the MOA to position the region competitively for near-term funding and future, longer-range opportunities. Each county will obtain approval from its Board of Supervisors for any grant applications or funding awards.
ALTERNATIVES
The Board could choose not to approve the MOA.
PRIOR BOARD ACTION
August 26, 2025, Legistar file 25-1401, Board received the BDO Zone rating analysis.
April 12, 2022, Legistar file, 22-0601, the Board established the Biomass Congregation Facility Options Ad Hoc Committee.
March 22, 2022, Legistar file 22-0491, Board established the Office of Wildfire Preparedness and Resilience (OWPR).
September 21, 2021, Legistar file 21-1515, Board directed to convene an El Dorado County Vegetation Management and Resiliency Working Group.
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
County Counsel
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The actions requested with this item have no fiscal impact. There is no impact on the General Fund.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Obtain the Chair’s signature on the MOA and return to Tara Stout for further processing.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Explore the Feasibility of “Waste to Energy Industries”.
CONTACT
Tara Stout, Principal Management Analyst
Chief Administrative Office