San Joaquin Renewables is working with California on environmental aspects of the project in order to begin construction on the plant. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) is the largest set of environmental regulations that SJR is working with. CEQA is designed to protect the environment and ensure that projects like SJR’s sufficiently keep the environment clean. To make sure that the project falls within CEQA guidelines, SJR is studying the site for expected and project environmental impacts.
Some of the site and project assessments include:
- How the plant is powered: The plant plans to generate its own power and not rely on the grid if possible.
- Whether the site is free of contamination: Phase 1 site assessment shows the site is free of contamination. This is important to confirm as the site was used for many years to dispose of treated wastewater.
- How the project impacts air quality: Estimates show that the plant will
- reduce pile burning (about 70% of feedstock would have been burned)
- produce clean fuel (24x less greenhouse gas emissions than diesel)
San Joaquin Renewables continues to work with the City of McFarland to ensure that this project follows environmental requirements.
