Expanding Responsible Biomass Carbon Removal Could Help California Meet Climate Goals More Affordably and Strengthen Rural Economies, CATF Finds

Sacramento, CA — A new study from Clean Air Task Force (CATF) finds that responsibly scaling biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) could help California meet its carbon dioxide removal goals at a lower cost while generating additional jobs and clean energy. The report, Exploring Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage Scenarios for California, models several ways the state’s agricultural and forestry residues could be used for durable carbon removal and compares their costs, carbon removal potential, energy production, and job creation. The results underscore the value of diversifying California’s CDR portfolio.

“California has an important opportunity to leverage waste and residue biomass resources as a climate solution,” said Stephanie Herbstritt, Senior Bioenergy Manager at CATF and lead author of the report. “By capturing and permanently storing carbon from organic waste that would otherwise be burned or left to decay, BiCRS can deliver durable carbon removal, improve air quality by reducing wildfire smoke, and strengthen rural economies — all at a cost on par with current state strategies.”

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CDR refers to intentionally pulling carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and storing it for decades to millennia. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates the world may need to remove up to 10 gigatonnes annually by 2050 to meet climate goals. California has set one of the world’s most ambitious targets — 75 million metric tons of durable removals per year by 2045 — positioning the state as a critical leader in carbon removal solutions. The current state plan for meeting this target relies heavily on direct air capture technology. CATF’s new report highlights the benefits of diversifying the plan and utilizing biomass resources to achieve a larger portion of the state’s carbon removal target.

Key findings from the report include:

• BiCRS could meet California’s entire 2045 CDR target: Under high biomass availability estimates, BiCRS systems could deliver up to 75 million metric tons (MMT) of carbon dioxide equivalent removal annually—enough to fully meet the state target.

• Lower-cost pathways exist: One higher social acceptance scenario could achieve the state’s target at a lower estimated cost per ton than the current 2022 Scoping Plan.

• Scenarios with higher social acceptance could provide energy and jobs for communities alongside CDR: Scenarios with higher social acceptance use agricultural and forest residues and deploy advanced technologies like pyrolysis and gasification, which can produce co-products such as durable wood products and hydrogen.

• BiCRS could generate major economic benefits depending on the system: All illustrative scenarios generate more bioenergy and rural jobs than the current state CDR plan, with some scenarios producing up to 10 times more.

“California has long been a global leader in climate policy, and its CDR goals present an important opportunity for the state to lead in carbon removal solutions,” said Ashley Arax, Senior California Policy Manager at CATF. “BiCRS approaches, if deployed responsibly, could turn forest and agricultural residues into low-carbon fuels and materials while capturing and storing carbon, supporting innovation and advancing a clean energy economy.”

Key policy recommendations from the study include expanding the state’s CDR portfolio for reaching its target to include multiple BiCRS pathways, establishing accounting standards for waste biomass removal, improving regional biomass availability estimates, and implementing SB 905 to establish a regulatory foundation for carbon removal and capture. The report also calls for state and federal procurement programs to support early BiCRS projects and support market demand.

Read the executive summary and full report here: https://www.catf.us/resource/exploring-biomass-carbon-removal-and-storage-scenarios-for-california/

About Clean Air Task Force

Clean Air Task Force (CATF) is a global nonprofit organization working to safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid development and deployment of low-carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies. With more than 25 years of internationally recognized expertise on climate policy and a fierce commitment to exploring all potential solutions, CATF is a pragmatic, non-ideological advocacy group with the bold ideas needed to address climate change. CATF has offices in Boston, Washington D.C., and Brussels, with staff working virtually around the world. Visit catf.us and follow @cleanaircatf.