Biomass Facility Hopes to Profit From Energy-credits Bill

LONGVIEW (AP) — The KapStone packaging plant in Longview, Washington wants its wood waste boilers to earn cash.

The Daily News reports that the mill's "biomass" facility could be a moneymaker if Gov. Jay Inslee approves a bill that has cleared the Legislature.

State Sen. Dean Takko, a Longview Democrat, says Inslee is expected to sign the measure on Monday.

The bill would allow older biomass facilities like KapStone's to sell renewable energy credits. KapStone stands to earn hundreds of thousands of dollars annually under the legislation.

Inslee vetoed a similar bill last year fearing biomass energy could undercut the competitiveness of other renewable energies. This year's bill is narrower.

Burning wood waste is considered a carbon-neutral form of energy because the wood on its own would eventually decay and release stored-up carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.