Air resources: carbon emissions: biomass.

Senator Caballero's biomass management legislation directs California agencies to develop comprehensive systems for measuring and reducing emissions from forest and agricultural waste materials. The bill requires the State Air Resources Board to establish standardized methods for quantifying carbon emissions from fuel reduction activities by 2027, followed by protocols for measuring life-cycle emissions from alternative biomass uses by 2028.

Under the legislation, the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection must incorporate scientifically verified biomass disposal components into state-funded forest health projects, specifying quantities for physical removal versus prescribed burning. The State Air Resources Board will also assess and potentially implement carbon credit protocols for biochar and other carbon removal products by 2029. These protocols would apply to materials generated from both agricultural residues and forest management activities.

The bill tasks the State Energy Resources Conservation and Development Commission with documenting opportunities to convert agricultural and forest biomass into low- and negative-carbon fuels, including hydrogen, through non-combustion technologies. This provision aligns with existing state initiatives outlined in California's Forest Carbon Plan and efforts to phase out agricultural burning in the San Joaquin Valley. The legislation defines qualifying biomass materials as agricultural residues from crops, orchards and vineyards, along with forest materials removed for wildfire mitigation, restoration, or safety purposes - excluding biomass harvested primarily for energy production.