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SB 14 Waste Minimization Plan <br /> DTE Stockton, LLC April 2018 <br /> 2.5 Identification and Evaluation of Source Reduction Measures <br /> The primary objective of SB 14 is to develop and screen source reduction measures, considering at a <br /> minimum,five approaches.The five approaches and the results of screening source reduction measures <br /> against the approaches, at DTE Stockton, is summarized below. <br /> 1. Input changes:Biomass is the"input'for DTE Stockton;the woody materials used to fuel the <br /> electrical generation plant. The material is comprised of waste wood from sawmills, forest <br /> thinning produced in fire prevention,agricultural orchard removals and urban wood waste.The <br /> DTE Stockton accepts input locally from agricultural sources and urban wood waste. The input <br /> for DTE Stockton was initially coal,but that changed to biomass in 2013. <br /> 2. Operational Improvements: Originally a coal-fired cogeneration facility,DTE Stockton was <br /> converted to a biomass-fueled facility in 2013. That operational improvement significantly <br /> reduced environmental impacts associated with both waste and air quality. The plant now runs <br /> on 100% wood-waste biomass fuel derived from nearby urban and agricultural sources. DTE <br /> Stockton produces 49 megawatts of clean, renewable energy, enough to power more than <br /> 30,000 homes in San Joaquin County. <br /> 3. Production Process Changes:The primary function of the DTE Stockton facility is to produce <br /> electricity, and the process is consistent with industry standards. The fuel chosen to produce <br /> electricity is a variable that was changed in 2013. The facility was converted from a coal-fired <br /> cogeneration facility to a biomass-fueled facility. A further production process is highly <br /> unlikely in the near future. <br /> 4. Product Reformulations: The DTE Stockton facility "product' is electricity. Reformulation <br /> options are not technically feasible at this time. <br /> S. Administrative Steps: The generation of fly ash and bottom ash is a byproduct of using <br /> biomass to generate electricity. Administrative steps to prevent the disposal of this byproduct <br /> as a hazardous waste have recently been implemented. The facility is conducting an outreach <br /> effort to locate disposal options that will create a beneficial reuse, as opposed to the routine <br /> disposal of ash to a hazardous waste landfill. This administrative action will not alter the <br /> volume of material being used as fuel in the cogeneration process to make electricity, but it <br /> will reduce the volume of material disposed as hazardous waste. <br /> 2.6 Multi-Media Effects <br /> Implemented source reduction measures are not intended to shift the transfer of waste from one <br /> environmental medium (air, land, or water) to another. The Plan includes an evaluation and, to the <br /> extent practicable,a quantification of the effects of the chosen alternative on all three environmental <br /> media. <br /> Air - The DTE Stockton facility converted from the use of coal as a fuel to biomass (wood) in <br /> 2013.Different fuels emit different amounts of carbon dioxide(CO2)in relation to the energy they <br /> produce when burned. Changing the use of coal as a fuel to biomass has reduced the amount of <br /> CO2 released into the atmosphere at the facility. The preferred source reduction method discussed <br /> in Section 2.7 does not transfer waste impacts to impacts on air resources. <br /> 294354 5 <br />