Renewable and Clean Energy

Regional clean energy investment is accelerating across the North State, but nearly all named projects — wind at Montgomery Creek, battery storage, and the West Biofuels facility in Fall River Mills — are sited in Shasta County. No Trinity County-specific metrics or funded projects appear in the current data. That said, two opportunities align directly with the county's existing priorities: biomass energy from forest health work and solar development. With millions of acres of fire-prone forestland and active fuel reduction programs, Trinity County is well-positioned to supply feedstock for biomass energy generation, turning a wildfire liability into an economic asset.

Carbon capture research, led by LLNL and DOE, has identified the broader North State as critical for a future carbon economy. While the sedimentary storage capacity (1.6–29 billion tons) maps to Glenn and Butte counties, carbon mineralization in ultramafic rock formations could be relevant to Trinity County's geology — worth investigating. For the board, the immediate play is biomass-to-energy tied to existing forest health contracts, with solar as a medium-term opportunity. Engaging regional energy partnerships now, before project siting decisions are locked, is how Trinity County avoids being bypassed again.