Update: In May 2024, Fulcrum closed down its plant in Reno, Nevada, and laid off most employees. For Then, in September 2024, they filed for bankruptcy. more information, click here to read article in The Chemical Engineer. Fulcrum-briefing-Feb-2024-1Download
Issues we work on
Public Participation Obstructed In Rubber Stamp Review Hearing of Phillips 66 Biofuels Refinery Project in California
The saga of the repurposing of two of the refineries in the San Francisco Bay Area to manufacturing liquid biofuels from high deforestation risk commodities like soy took another anti-democratic twist this week. Local authorities sped through a hearing on January 16,...
Court Orders, Refinery Fires and Deforestation Drivers: California Push for Liquid Biofuels Ignores Red Flag Warnings
Despite a series of dramatic red flag warnings about public safety and climate impacts, compounded by errors in governance, California authorities continue to push hard for completing the conversion of refineries in the San Francisco Bay Area to operate as the largest...
The Opinion Piece that California Media Will Not Publish: Moving Beyond High Carbon Bioenergy
The short text below was submitted as a commentary op/ed style piece to both CalMatters and the Sacramento Bee, two of the foremost media outlets covering political and environmental issues in the California state capitol, and across the state. Both platforms declined...
California Senate Doubles Down on Speculative Climate Technologies and Advances CDR Markets Bill
The California State Senate has advanced a bill, SB 308 - The Carbon Dioxide Removal Market Development Act - that would require large stationary polluters like refineries to purchase ‘negative emissions credits’ from California Air Resources Board certified ‘carbon...
California’s Forests Targeted As Feedstock for Global Wood Bioenergy Industry
California’s Forests Targeted As Feedstock for Global Wood Bioenergy Industry - Civil Society Responds With United Force to Oppose Massive Wood Pellet Export Project The opening of the environmental review of the Golden State Natural Resources wood pellet manufacture...
California Governor Surprises With Common Sense Veto of State Aviation Greenwash Legislation
In late September, just days prior to the end of the month and the subsequent closure of the 30-day period for the governor to sign state legislation passed during the recently ended session, California Governor Gavin Newsom surprised refinery watchdog and community...
California Governor Doubles Down Supporting High Carbon Liquid Biofuels As Refinery Conversion Governance Concerns Intensify
In late July 2022 the administration of California Governor Gavin Newsom sent a letter to the California Air Resources Board (CARB) that included a list of priorities of what the Governor wants to see elevated in the development of the 2022 Scoping Plan. In California...
Aviation ‘Net Zero’ Bill Advances in California Legislature as Irregular Permitting of SF Bay Area Refinery Conversions to Biofuels Receive Legal Challenges
The California Legislature’s Senate Standing Committee on Environmental Quality has advanced a bill that aggressively promotes the creation of an incentives plan to massively increase the quantities of so-called “Sustainable Aviation Fuel” (SAF) produced and consumed...
Submission opposing a Sustainable Aviation Fuels Bill in California
Biofuelwatch submission to the Californian Senate Environmental Quality Committee opposing a Sustainable Aviation Fuels bill: Our organization Biofuelwatch offers this position letter to the Senate Environmental Quality Committee for your consideration. Biofuelwatch...
Dutch government rules out new subsidies for burning wood for energy
Good news from the Netherlands, where campaign groups have been working hard to stop the burning of wood, much of it imported, in heat and power stations. In February 2021, the Dutch Parliament adopted a temporary stop to rule out new subsidies for biomass heat...
Hearing Set for Appeals of Flawed Permitting of San Francisco Bay Area Refinery Conversions to Make Fuel From Food
Though the environmental reviews of each refinery fail to even mention the existence of the other biofuel refinery project, the appeals of the approval of the flawed permitting of two massive and high emissions liquid biofuel refineries are set for the exact same day....
Carbon Capture or Captured Futures? New Report From Biofuelwatch on California Climate Politics
New Report from Biofuelwatch Exposes Sordid Workings of California Climate Politics While California state authorities continue to promote markets-based and technological approaches to advance ‘net zero’ as a primary focus for climate policy, grassroots organizations...
Bioenergy in California
Background: For more than 5 years Biofuelwatch has been tracking and researching a variety of legislative, regulatory and permitting processes in California related to the mission of the organization to advocate for public engagement on bioenergy issues and land...
Tidal Wave of Draft Environmental Review Documents Released for California Biofuel Refinery Projects
Thousands of pages of draft environmental review documents for two massive proposed California refinery conversions to biofuels were released earlier this month, setting the clock ticking for public engagement on the permitting of these unprecedented bioenergy...
California Legislature Backs Off Of Net Zero Plan, Overwhelmingly Approves Geoengineering Bill Promoting Direct Air Capture, BECCS And Nature-based Solutions
By Gary Graham Hughes, California Policy Monitor, Biofuelwatch On Friday, Sept 10, the California legislative session drew to a close for the year with the typical flurry of political theater, last minute negotiations and behind closed doors horse trading. Of...
Forests Are Not Fuel, #AxeDrax online action
Thank you to everyone who took part in the action on the 21st April to protect forests and the climate #ForestsAreNotFuel #AxeDrax. Read article here from our volunteer Katy Brown in Liverpool Click here to read open letter to BEIS by groups in pellet supplying...
Love trees, #AxeDrax! online day of action, 22 April
Thank you to everbody who took part in this online protest and for all your wonderful photos! Please scroll down below to see the many contributions - including three videos. And look at #AxeDraxNotTrees on Twitter for the many different tweets sent on the day!...