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I am advocating for a portion of the investment plan proceeds to be
dedicated to biochar research and development. Helping to develop
this new industry by dedicating a small portion of Cap and Trade
money represents a profound opportunity for the state of California
to:

1.Divert thousands of tons of biomass to a higher and better use 
2.Develop improved forest management practices
3.Jumpstart new businesses that can locally manufacture a valuable
soil enhancer that has been shown to stimulate crop production,
decrease nutrient losses, increase soil fertility, and decrease
water use over time.
4.Stimulate private industry to produce large amounts of base-load
renewable energy while also producing valuable co-products.
5.Help create both highly skilled and less skilled jobs in the
Clean Tech Sector
6.Assist in the creation of a viable carbon credit revenue model
for farmers by helping to develop standards for sequestering carbon
through the use of biochar in their soils

A large number of peer-reviewed scientific studies have been
conducted worldwide using biochar over the last 5 years, both in
the lab and in the field, and there is a growing body of evidence
that widespread use of biochar could help farmers build healthier
soils and also adapt to climate change, while decreasing their
nutrient and water requirements. This is certainly worth pursuing,
in my view, both from an economic standpoint for farmers and as a
hedge against the looming affects of climate change that are
growing ever more severe.