A Renewable Energy Microgrid: Optimizing …Eugene-Based Electricity Generation: Optimizing...
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Eugene-Based Electricity Generation: Optimizing
Resiliency for Eugene Water and Electric Board –
Phase II
A collaborative investigation of opportunities to develop locally-based electricity
generation across the distribution system of a publicly-owned utility to improve
power system disaster resilience.
Prepared for the Eugene Water and Electric Board by:
Sayard Schultz, Stephanie Saracco, Warda Ajaz, Samreen Siddique, Caitlyn Clark, Haris
Mushtaq, and Mohsin Ayub
Through a partnership with the Oregon State University Policy Analysis Laboratory (OPAL),
with support from Dr. David Bernell and the OSU School of Public Policy
August 2016
http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/spp/opal
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 5
PART 1- CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES (CI) ................................................. 6
DESCRIPTION OF THE CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS ....................... 8
METHODS .................................................................................................................... 15
FINDINGS: INTERVIEWS .......................................................................................... 18
PART 1 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 20
PART 2- EUGENE’S ORGANIC WASTE STREAM ........................................ 20
EUGENE’S WASTE MANAGEMENT SECTOR ................................................................... 21
ORGANIC WASTE MARKETS .................................................................................. 28
WASTE-TO-ENERGY FACILITIES IN EUGENE & SURROUNDING AREAS ...... 28
UNDERUTILIZED ORGANIC WASTE STREAMS .................................................. 30
PART 2 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................ 31
PROJECT LIMITATIONS ................................................................................. 32
RECOMMENDATIONS ..................................................................................... 32
REFERENCES .................................................................................................... 36
APPENDICES ...................................................................................................... 40
APPENDIX A: CI INTERVIEW PROTOCOL ......................................................................... 40
APPENDIX B: INTERVIEW PROTOCOLS FOR HAULERS AND PROCESSORS ....................... 42
APPENDIX C: THE 2014 HAZARD & CLIMATE VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT REPORT 44
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page
FIIGURE 1: Interdependencies Between the 16 Critical Infrastructure Sector .................. 7
FIGURE 2: Map of EWEB Service Area ......................................................................... 15
FIGURE 3: Map of Separated Regions ............................................................................ 16
FIGURE 4: Cascadia Damage Potential Map ................................................................... 17
FIGURE 5: Map of Lane Co. Transfer Stations (including Short Mountain Landfill) .... 26
FIGURE 6: Migration of Organic Waste Throughout Eugene ......................................... 27
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Background The purpose of this study was to assist the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) in
determining (1) Eugene’s private business community’s sentiment towards EWEB developing a
locally-based electricity generation system and options for collaboration; and (2) the feasibility
of using organic waste material as a feedstock for generating a local electricity supply. This local
electricity supply would be part of an overall Eugene community disaster readiness plan and help
protect the operational functions of critical infrastructures, such as police, fire, communications,
and hospitals, and promote community resiliency in the event of a disaster.
Objectives
The OSU Team had three main study objectives: (1) identify the different types of business
sectors located within the EWEB services area that contain critical infrastructures. Critical
infrastructures (CIs) sectors as defined by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (2015a)
are establishments, "whose assets, systems, and networks…are considered so vital…that their
incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic
security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof." DHS has identified 16
such sectors; which are either public or private. We have been asked to focus on the private
sectors; which account for 11 of the 16 sectors. (2) Once identified, interview a selected group
of Eugene CIs concerning their sentiments towards developing a locally-based power supply,
partnering with EWEB to establish this supply, and understanding their energy needs. (3)
Develop a detailed account of the organic waste stream flow within Eugene, tonnage amounts of
the waste, and how the waste is utilized.
Methodology
In order to conduct our analysis, we first separated the study into two main parts. Part 1 explored
the sentiments of the Eugene private business community, and the second part focused on
Eugene-based organic feedstock, which could be used to produce energy. Background research
and formal interviews were conducted to gather information for analyzing Part 1 of the study.
Our sample for interviews was developed by identifying businesses that represent the 11 private
CI sectors. All of these interviews were conducted in person. In Part 2, we also relied on
background research and interviews; however these interviews were less formal. Our target
sample was developed by identifying the main businesses that operate within the four main waste
management industries (haulers, sorters, processors, and policy implementation officials). We
then conducted phone interviews with businesses and policy officials. The entire scope of this
study centered on the EWEB service area because that is the area where EWEB has the capacity
to develop a locally based electricity generation system for community resilience.
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Key Preliminary Findings
Part 1
The OSU Team was able to interview nine companies representing the commercial,
communications, energy, financial services, and healthcare CI sectors. From these interviews we
found that there is interest in EWEB’s feasibility study and a general sentiment regarding the
need for a community-generated power system. Overall, we found a general eagerness on part of
the CIs to engage EWEB in a more in-depth discussion about potential public-private energy
resiliency partnerships. Nevertheless, many CIs had major reservations concerning EWEB
potentially requiring investments from the CIs and the amount of costs and benefits they would
incur in being a part of this project.
Further, some of the CIs have thought about and have acted to prepare themselves extensively in
the event of having to remain off the electric power grid due to a disaster. However, even the
most prepared CIs can only maintain power dependent operations for at most a week.
Furthermore, a significant item missing from most CIs disaster preparedness arsenal is the
capacity to store energy. Even the CIs that produce their own alternative power have back-up
diesel generators. Barriers to installing alternative power generation were also discovered. These
barriers included leasing building space and being a part of a franchise. Interestingly, a few CIs
commented that merely talking to the OSU team sparked a desire to have their own in-house
conversation about preparedness and planning.
Part 2
Based on our analysis of Eugene’s organic waste stream, we observed that the city’s waste
management system operates within an open market and offers many different avenues for
alternative usage other than landfilling waste. Therefore, if EWEB sought to develop a
community-based electricity system powered by waste-to-energy (WTE) generation, they would
need to collaborate with not one company per waste industry but several. We also identified two
main underutilized organic waste streams: Eugene and Springfield residential food waste and
organic material sent to the Short Mountain Landfill. In addition, there are six WTE facilities
either within or near Eugene that process organic waste material in order to produce electricity.
Currently, only two of the six WTE facilities, Seneca Sawmill and the Metro Wastewater
Treatment Plant, have contracts to sell their power to EWEB.
Recommendations Based on Preliminary Findings
Short-Term Recommendations
Continue Interviewing Eugene-Based Businesses That Have Critical Infrastructures:
Because the OSU team was only able to conduct interviews with companies that
represented 5 out of the 11 private sectors, there may be unknown partnerships or
unforeseen barriers that could be important to the feasibility of this project.
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Fleshing out Potential Partnership Arrangements:
Many CIs were open to discuss a possible arrangement with EWEB to help add to a
community-based power base, but none wanted to be involved in investments. We
believe there needs to be more clarity in potential partnership arrangements.
Potential Interview Contacts and Collaborators:
The 2014 Hazard and Climate Vulnerability Assessment report written by the University
of Oregon Community Service Center contains a list of the assessment participants and
which sector they represent. We believe that any future research utilizing interviews may
benefit from this ready-made contact list of interested community members. Pages 5-7 of
this report are located in Appendix C.
Collaborating with the Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant (MWTP):
Future research could interview the MWTP in order to uncover if the facility utilizes all
of its available feedstock material to produce energy.
Collaborating with the City of Eugene’s Waste Management Division:
Beginning fall 2016 the City of Eugene will be running a residential food waste pick-up
for a selected group of residential customers. We recommend that future researchers
interview the City’s Waste Management Division to determine who will have control
over this new source of separated organic waste.
Collaborating with Seneca Sawmill:
We recommend interviewing Seneca in order to understand if their WTE process can
accommodate different organic feedstock. Alternatively, can EWEB assist in retrofitting
Seneca’s operations to generate more power with a variety of feedstock?
Long-Term Recommendations
Flow Control Policy:
With this type of policy, the City of Eugene can mandate that the organic waste stream go
to a particular facility. We recommend conducting interviews with City officials to
determine how likely this type of policy could be employed.
Tipping Fee Change:
The City of Eugene has the ability to change the tipping fees waste haulers can charge
customers. Increasing or decreasing the tipping fee for certain materials or locations can
have an effect on where the waste stream flows. Because Eugene and Lane County both
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set their tipping fee rates, we recommend that EWEB consider this as a possible point of
discussion with both governments in order to divert the organic waste stream to a WTE
facility that services community-generated power system.
Relevant Reports and Studies Reviewed
Eugene-Springfield Natural Hazards Mitigation Plan (2014)
Hazard and Climate Vulnerability Assessment- For Lane Co. (2014)
ODOT Lifeline Selection Summary Report (2012)
The Oregon Resilience Plan: Reducing Risk and Improving Recovery for the next
Cascadia Earthquake and Tsunami (2013)
Eugene Solid Waste Management Market Analysis (2012)
Lane Wasteshed 2010 Recovery Plan Update (2013)
Solid Waste Master Plan Development Phase 1 – Operational Assessment Final Report
(2016)
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INTRODUCTION
Generating electricity locally is an important step in advancing community resiliency.
This concept can aptly be applied to a Eugene community disaster readiness plan since most fuel
and power utilized to run the community’s operations initially enters Oregon via Portland
(OSSPAC, 2013). For instance, over 90% of Oregon’s refined petroleum comes from
Washington State’s Puget Sound region (OSSPAC, 2013). This petroleum is then piped down to
Eugene. In addition, 74% of electricity EWEB provides to the community comes from a power
purchase agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) (EWEB, 2012). BPA’s
power is generated in the Columbia River Basin; which is approximately 156 miles away from
Eugene (Google Maps, 2016). The authors of the 2013 Oregon Seismic Safety Policy Advisory
Commission’s (OSSPAC) report, which details the current conditions of the state’s infrastructure
and how it will hold up to natural disasters, writes,
Due to the existing seismic hazards, the vulnerability of the exposed infrastructure, and
the potential consequences of an earthquake given both these factors, Cascadia
earthquakes pose substantial risk to the CEI Hub and to Oregon (OSSPAC,2013, p. 173). The CEI Hub refers to Oregon’s critical energy infrastructure hub that spans a six-mile
swath of land on the lower Willamette River in Portland. This hub services all of Oregon’s major
liquid fuel port terminals and high voltage electric substations and transmission lines (OSSPAC,
2013). This is particularly concerning since this hub services much of Eugene. Because of the
long distances Eugene’s energy has to travel and the potential for disconnections from disasters
along the way, developing a resiliency plan that incorporates locally developed energy would be
prudent.
In order to investigate such a proposal, a team of seven Oregon State University (OSU)
graduate students affiliated with the OSU Policy Analysis Laboratory (OPAL)1 partnered with
the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB) in order to assist the Board in determining (1) the
Eugene private business community’s sentiment toward EWEB developing a locally-based
electricity generation system and options for collaboration; and (2) the feasibility of using
organic waste material as a feedstock for generating a local electricity supply. This local
electricity supply would be part of an overall Eugene community disaster readiness plan and help
1 OPAL http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/spp/opal
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protect the operational functions of critical infrastructures, such as police, fire, communications,
and hospitals, and promote community resiliency in the event of a disaster. The OSU team
partitioned the project into two parts: Part 1 explores the different types of critical infrastructures
in Eugene and looks at the commercial community’s sentiments about the proposed plan. Part 2
examines Eugene-based organic feedstock types that can be used to produce energy. A detailed
report follows outlining the OSU team’s methods, findings, and recommendations from their
feasibility study.
PART 1- CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURES
Infrastructure sectors are distinct groupings of industries that share a common service to a
community. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS, 2015a) has identified 16 sectors that
they believe to be critical to the functioning of a community. DHS defines these critical
infrastructures sectors as establishments, "whose assets, systems, and networks…are considered
so vital…that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security,
national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination thereof" (DHS,
2015a). Of all the sectors, communications, energy, transportation, and water are considered
lifelines to all other sectors (see Figure 1). This implies that if these four sectors are
compromised, the operations of all others will be exceedingly affected (NIPP, 2013). Within this
report, we focus exclusively on private organizations, so public sectors (including Dams,
Defense Industrial Base, Emergency Services, Government Facilities, and Nuclear Sectors) were
not included. The following 11 sectors were utilized in our study:
1. Chemical Sector 7. Food and Agriculture Sector
2. Commercial Facilities Sector 8. Healthcare Sector
3. Communications Sector 9. Information Technology Sector
4. Critical Manufacturing Sector 10. Transportation Systems Sector
5. Energy Sector 11. Water and Wastewater Systems Sector
6. Financial Services Sector
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In order for a Eugene-based electricity generation system to promote community
resilience in the event of a disaster, having the support from industries that have critical
infrastructures (CIs) is paramount. The support from these industries can come in many forms.
For example, support can take the form of adding to a Eugene-based electricity generation
system power mix or upgrading infrastructure to better withstand disasters. To determine the
level of support among the Eugene private business community, we identified Eugene-based
companies working within the above 11 sectors and then selected a sub-sample to interview.
What follows is an explanation of the 11 sectors, a synopsis of methods used, and key findings
from our interviews.
Figure 1: Interdependencies among the16 critical infrastructure sectors. Those in red are
the four critical lifeline sectors. Blue indicates all other sectors. Source: DHS, 2015f.
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Description of the 11 Critical Infrastructures Sectors
Chemical
The chemical sector is a key component of the U.S. economy and is primarily comprised
of privately owned industries. These industries can be divided into five specialties based on the
distinct characteristics of what each industry manufactures. These five specialties are: basic
chemicals (sodium chloride, ethanol, & sulfuric acid manufacturing), specialty chemicals
(adhesives, sealants, & explosives), agricultural chemicals (fertilizers & pesticides),
pharmaceuticals (medicines, biological products, diagnostic substances, & vitamins), and
consumer products (soaps, detergents, bleaches, &
toothpaste). The owners and operators of these types of
chemicals can be found within these types of companies,
chemical manufacturers, petrochemical manufacturers,
pharmaceutical companies, agricultural facilities,
chemical distributors, universities, and hardware stores.
The functions of the chemical sector are very
incorporated with other sectors such as water,
transportation, communications, and energy. In order
to lessen consequences from loss of lifeline function,
cross-sector collaboration is key (DHS, 2015b). Within the EWEB service area we have
identified several owners and operators that include Georgia-Pacific, University of Oregon, and
Arclin USA.
Commercial Facilities
Industries that function in the commercial facility sector general work within an open
public access principle. This principle implies that the general public may move freely in and out
of these facilities. A majority of these industries are privately owned with minimal contact with
regulatory agencies (DHS, 2015c). There are four main industry groupings within this sector,
which have the ability to contribute to community resiliency in the time of a disaster:
1. Hotels and Motels: Used as shelters during times of disasters.
Sector Interdependencies, Source: DHS, 2015b.
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2. Public Assembly: Facilities provide extended shelter and/or serve as emergency services
command centers for local and federal first responders.
3. Sports Leagues Facilities: Can be utilized as mega-shelters and used to house evacuees.
4. Retail: These structures can act as distribution points to provide supplies, services, and
money.
According to the DHS (2015c), the commercial
facilities sector would not be able to maintain operations
without the support from the energy, communications,
water and wastewater systems sectors. Located in the
EWEB service area, we have identified several industries
within the commercial facilities sectors. Some examples
include Autzen Stadium and Comfort Suites Hotel. Also,
major grocery stores such as Fred Meyers, Safeway,
Albertson’s, and Market of Choice are also critical
infrastructures that could provide community food security
following a disaster.
Communication
This is a lifeline sector. The majority of communication infrastructure is owned and
operated through private industry. The main segments of this sector are: broadcasting systems
operating in medium frequency (AM radio), very high frequency (FM radio and TV), and ultra-
high frequency (TV); the cable industry systems made up of analog and digital video
programming services, digital telephone service, and high-speed broadband services; satellites
that can transmit voice, video, or data signals; wireless
technologies including cellular phones and wireless hot
spots (WiFi); and lastly wireline consisting of private
activity data and telephony networks (the main
infrastructure of the Internet and the PSTN – public
switched telephone network). Furthermore, the
communications sector is strongly connected to others:
energy (provides power to run cellular towers, central
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015c.
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015d
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offices, and other critical functions); information technology (aids in critical control systems,
physical architecture and internet infrastructure); financial services (which needs
communications for financial market operations); and emergency services (DHS, 2015d).
Examples of communication companies in the EWEB service area include Verizon, KLCC, and
COMCAST Service Center.
Critical Manufacturing
A unique aspect about the critical manufacturing sector is the need for a constant large
supply of water and energy to maintain operations. The primary industries that comprise this
sector are: primary metals manufacturing (iron, aluminum,
and nonferrous metal); machinery manufacturing (engine,
turbine, and construction equipment); electrical equipment
manufacturing (electric motor and generator); and
transportation equipment manufacturing (vehicles, ships,
and locomotives). Other critical sectors that rely on the
continued operations of critical manufacturing are energy,
water, communications, IT, transportation systems, and
chemical (DHS, 2015e). Key industries found in the
EWEB service territory are Coyote Steel & Co., J.H. Baxter &
Co., and Grainger Industrial Supply.
Energy
The energy sector is divided into three industry
segments: electricity, oil, and natural gas. The heavy reliance
on pipelines to distribute products across the nation highlights
the interdependencies between the energy and transportation
systems sector. In addition, this sector relies heavily on water
and communications to maintain activities. In turn, just about
every other critical sector needs energy to run its functions. A
break in the transmission of power has the potential to
significantly inhibit all other sectors (DHS, 2015f). There are
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015e
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015f.
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several production and distribution industries concentrated within the EWEB area. Some of these
are Seneca Sawmill Company, Kinder Morgan, and Tyree Oil.
Financial Services
The financial services sector is comprised of the varying
organizations that provide customers with deposit, withdrawal,
borrowing, and investment and other financial services.
Following an event that would disconnect power supplies, the
sector’s ability to provide customers with access to their assets,
as well as secure their systems to protect these assets would be
greatly affected (DHS, 2015g). Within our study, local financial
service organizations within the EWEB service territory were the
focus, as opposed to national or international organizations, due to the ability of local
organizations to respond to community-specific needs. These organizations include Summit
Bank, Pacific Cascade Federal Credit Union, Umpqua Bank, Pacific Continental Bank, and Bank
of the Cascades.
Food and Agriculture
The critical infrastructure services of the food and
agriculture sector account for all the farms, restaurants, and
registered manufacturing, processing, and storage facilities.
Following a disaster in the Pacific Northwest, this sector
becomes crucial to providing a safe, reliable food supply. This
sector relies heavily upon energy and transportation sector
support for food-specific storage and transport, as well as the
water and chemical sectors for irrigation and fertilization
required in growing food (DHS, 2015h).
In Eugene’s EWEB service area, there exist a series of food growers, distributers, and
processors that could provide a reliable source of food. Farms and food processing companies in
the area include the dairy fields associated with Umpqua Dairy Products, Nancy’s Yogurt, and
Springfield Creamery. Further growers include the system of community farms and gardens
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015g
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015h
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associated with the City of Springfield, such as Skinner City Community Farm. There are also
several private farms near the center of Eugene, including the 1-acre urban farm, Question Mark
Farm, and University of Oregon’s Urban Farm Project. Further food manufacturing, processing,
and storage facilities include Snowtemp, Grain Millers, Hummingbird Wholesale, Organically
Grown Company, and McDonald Wholesale.
Lastly, food security and sustainable development organizations could provide
organizational services during the aftermath of a disaster. Food for Lane County, for instance, is
a food bank with large food stores of mostly non-perishable items, and is already taking
measures toward resiliency by supplementing their energy supply with a rooftop photovoltaic
array. Similarly, Willamette Food and Farm Coalition facilitates secure and sustainable food
systems by organizing local food growers, markets, restaurants, retailers, caterers, processors,
and Community Supported Agriculture programs in the Eugene-Springfield area. This
organization would be a valuable resource in organizing response plans to mobilize these local
food producers, manufacturers, and storage facilities in the case of a disaster, and would take
relatively little power to operate.
Healthcare and Public Health
The Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sector critical infrastructures will provide not
only emergency services to patients directly affected by an event that might cause a large-scale,
long-term power outage, but will also provide ancillary
and long-term services to the community by helping
provide health services for people affected by direct or
secondary effects caused by the disaster (such as water-
borne illness or infectious disease outbreaks). The HPH
sector can be subdivided into eight categories based on
service type. Six of these categories are within the
private industry realm, which includes direct patient
care, health information technology, health plans and
payers, mass fatality management services, medical materials,
and laboratories, blood, and pharmaceuticals. This sector is
heavily reliant on seven other CI sectors in order to provide uninterrupted operations:
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2016a.
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communications, emergency services, energy, food and agriculture, information technology,
transportation systems, and water and wastewater systems. The two governmental categories are
public health and federal response and program offices (DHS, 2016a).
Within Eugene, local healthcare facilities include hospitals, urgent care facilities, and
other emergency healthcare facilities. PeaceHealth health system, which includes Sacred Heart
Medical Center hospital, Medical Group medical clinic, and Medical Group Urgent Care facility,
has three locations in Eugene and can provide emergency care, urgent care, and long-term
medical services. PeaceHealth has extensive backup power generation capability already, and
would require minimal support from EWEB. McKenzie Willamette Medical Center also has the
capability to provide inpatient, outpatient, surgery, and emergency care in the event of a disaster.
If roads are impassable or overwhelmed following a large-scale disaster, neighborhood
medical clinics and urgent care facilities will also be an important source for community medical
needs. These facilities include smaller organizations such as Eugene Urgent Care, Benson Health
Clinic, and Oregon Medical Group. Cascade Health Solutions also serves as a non-profit medical
center that specializes in supportive medical services such as hospice, mental health care,
healthcare education services, and physical therapy services. Also crucial in providing healthcare
support services to help sustain community health are pharmacies such as Rite-Aid and
Walgreens. As well as support services, such as Dove Medical Center and Pacific Women’s
Center prenatal clinics.
Information Technology (IT)
Communication and connectivity is largely dependent on the information technology
sector. The IT sector is made up of both private and public companies that provide services such
as physical resources, virtual systems, and networks. IT collaborates closely with the
communication sector to provide Internet and crucial services that are used by other critical
infrastructures, such as healthcare (DHS, 2016b). Industries within the Eugene area include
Ambient I.T. Solutions, Advanced Energy Systems, and Partnered Solutions IT.
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Transportation Systems
The transportation system serves to safely and quickly move people, goods, and
information. This system includes both transportation infrastructure and the means for
transportation. Both private and public entities own and operate the industries that make up this
sector. With regard to natural disasters, the county’s
aging transportation infrastructure is concerning due to a
high risk of destabilization of the transportation
network. As previously mentioned, transportation is a
lifeline function essential to the undertaking of the other
sectors (DHS, 2015i). The transportation network
includes highways and motor carriers (such as trucks
and vehicles that carry supplies or hazardous materials),
mass transit and light rail, freight rail, pipelines,
aviation, maritime, and postal services. Specific industries
among the Eugene area include Amtrak Train, Greyhound Bus,
and Eugene Airport. In addition, located in Eugene is the private company Kinder Morgan. This
company plays a major part in the refined petroleum distribution infrastructure in Oregon, with a
pipeline that transports gasoline and diesel from Portland to Eugene (Kinder Morgan, no date).
Water and Wastewater Systems
This sector is an intricate system made up of drinking
water and wastewater infrastructures of different sizes and a
variety of private and public ownerships. Water is a
prerequisite for both survival and safety. These systems are
particularly vulnerable during an emergency. In addition its
role in the avoidance of disease or sickness, water is also
needed to help maintain the needs of other critical areas, such
as hospitals, fire stations, or agricultural lands. Even though
the water sector is a lifeline, there are sectors whose
operations are vital to the water system. These sectors are
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015i
Sector Interdependencies
Source: DHS, 2015i
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chemical, energy, food and agriculture, healthcare, transportation, IT, and dams (DHS, 2015j).
Within the Eugene-Springfield area, the main wastewater treatment facility, Eugene-Springfield
Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF), is publicly owned and operated. This facility runs 24
hours a day, every day and collects wastewater from homes, businesses, and industries (MWMC,
2014). In addition, the Eugene Drinking Water and Wastewater Services, a private company,
services both residential and commercial drinking water and wastewater systems. It generally
serves the greater Eugene and surrounding Lane County areas (Oregon Water Services, Inc.).
Methods
In order to identify Eugene-specific critical infrastructures (CIs) contained in the EWEB
service territory, we referenced the EWEB Service Area Map (see Figure 2 below). With this
service map as our guide, we then used Google Maps to locate specific industries of concern.2
Figure 2: Map of EWEB Service Area (Source: EWEB)
2 The full list of identified CIs is located in the supplementary material. See SM-1, Table 1: Master Critical
Infrastructures List (Sheet: Private Sector).
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In addition, because potential disasters could render bridges and overpasses impassable,
this report separated the areas of Eugene into three main regions. Our reasoning behind this was
to ensure that CIs in each potentially isolated region were identified to facilitate accessibility to
needed resources in all areas of Eugene following a disaster. We used major roads (W 11th Street
and Interstate 5) and rivers (McKenzie and Willamette Rivers) to divide Eugene (see Figure 3).
Figure 3: Map of Separated Regions
Furthermore, we used the Eugene-Springfield Disaster Map (see Figure 4) for the
purpose of understanding the potential structural threat the identified CIs may experience in a
disaster. This disaster map indicates how certain topographical locations within the Eugene-
Springfield area will respond to earthquakes. The map is based on intensity of ground velocity,
with weak intensities having slow ground velocity, and therefore decreased potential for damage,
and violent intensities having rapid ground velocity, corresponding to high damage potential. It
should be noted that all of EWEB’s service area has either a strong or very strong (yellow areas)
intensity rating, with West Eugene having especially large areas of very strong effects (McRae,
2014).
Region 1 Region 2 Region 3
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Figure 4: Cascadia Damage Potential Map (City of Eugene, no date)
Lastly, we randomly choose different CIs representing each sector to contact for
interviews. These interviews were conducted in person at the CIs facility. The purpose of these
interviews was to gain an understanding of what type of energy needs and interest the private
business community has in regard to emergency planning. The interview protocol is located in
Appendix A. The OSU research team was able to interview nine companies representing the
commercial, communications, energy, financial services, and healthcare sectors.
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Findings: Interviews
In this section, we highlight the general sentiments and themes that emerged from our
interviews with nine Eugene-based private CI businesses.
Back-up Energy System Within Eugene
All the individual CIs we interviewed overwhelmingly agreed that there is a need for a
backup energy system within Eugene. Furthermore, a majority of CIs believe that developing a
back-up power generation system should begin now. There was one CI, however, that did not
believe there is an immediate need because the potential for a large-scale natural disaster has, in
their opinion, been overblown. Nevertheless, a majority of the CIs indicated that they are
interested in first having a discussion with EWEB about being a part of this system and
potentially connecting to a local power supply to maintain their critical services. However, their
willingness to pay an additional amount now for this connection with the understanding that after
a disaster the company will have priority in the power supply to maintain services to the
community would largely be based on the initial connection costs and paybacks.
Current Status of Power Systems and Needs
Four CIs indicated that they currently supplement their electricity supply with onsite solar
panel energy generation. A major barrier expressed by CIs that do not employ alternative energy
was having to lease rather than own their property.
There are three CIs that are able to run their operations without power from EWEB, and
all employ diesel generators. The longest any CI can run emergency back-up generation is at
most one week. Of the five CIs that do not have their own back-up power supply, only one was
considering the installation of emergency generation. Barriers to installing back-up generation
include leasing of the building and certain business practices. For example, one CI indicated that
their data center is housed outside of Eugene and their customer information is on a database.
Therefore, the physical building is not as important as other assets.
When asked how EWEB could help meet the CIs’ power needs and upgrades, the general
preference was to initially engage in an open discussion with EWEB. Other comments involved
needing help with power storage for onsite generation. In addition, one suggested that EWEB
have a conversation with commercial landowners to help diminish barriers to tenants looking to
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increase energy efficiency and resiliency in their office space. Reducing these tenant barriers
could prove to be especially important if the tenant provides critical services.
Lastly, a total of six CIs had in place disaster readiness plans, ranging from renting a
generator when needed to having a very extensive plan and already purchased provisions. For
example, one CI’s extensive plan entailed working with the city of Eugene to develop a plan and
practicing disaster scenarios with staff. Interestingly, a few CIs commented that merely talking to
the OSU team sparked a desire to have their own in-house conversation about preparedness and
planning.
Partnerships with EWEB
The majority of CIs are willing to have a discussion with EWEB about how they could
contribute to the production of electricity that could be added to a Eugene-based power
generation supply. However, most expressed their hesitancy if the partnership involves major
investments. The OSU team believes that the idea of what investments may be needed should be
fleshed out by EWEB. Only one CI flat out said no to any partnership where they would help
produce power. Circumstances that did not allow some CIs to engage in a power production
partnership involved being leasing tenants or a part of a franchise. For instance, one CI noted that
as an individual storeowner he would be willing to help. However, as part of a franchised
company he's not able to make an actionable decision. In addition, other CIs that were not able to
provide power were more than happy to brainstorm others ways to partner. For instance, one CI
noted they cannot help produce power, but could provide commercial services after a disaster.
Part 1 Conclusion
Based on the information learned through interviewing nine companies representing
several CI sectors, we can say that there is interest in EWEB’s feasibility study and a general
sentiment of a need for a community-generated power system. Overall, we found a general
eagerness on part of the CIs to engage EWEB in a more in-depth discussion about potential
public-private energy resiliency partnerships. Nevertheless, major reservations many CIs had
centered on EWEB potentially requiring investments from the CIs and the amount of costs and
benefits they would incur in being a part of this project.
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Further, some of the CIs have thought about and have acted to prepare themselves in the
event of having to remain off the grid due to a disaster. However, even the most prepared CIs can
only maintain power-dependent operations for at most a week. Furthermore, a significant item
missing from most CIs disaster preparedness arsenal is the capacity to store energy. Even the CIs
that produce their own alternative power have back-up diesel generators. Besides low storage
capacity for onsite generation, barriers to installing alternative power generation were also
discovered. If EWEB could assist in reducing these barriers and provide ways for CIs to store
power, these actions can help pave the way for more companies to have the ability to join a
community-generated power system and maintain critical operations during a disaster.
PART 2: EUGENE’S ORGANIC WASTE STREAM
In the Starrett at el. (2015) report to EWEB, the authors explain that waste-to-energy
(WTE, or Energy-from-Waste) is the process of diverting solid waste from landfills and
composting facilities in order to be used to produce energy. Energy from organic waste is
primarily produced from direct combustion or through a transitional stage of gasification through
anaerobic digestion. The feedstock (raw material to supply or fuel a machine or industrial
process) used in both energy production methods is typically supplied from local areas (Starrett
at el., 2015).
For this portion of the project, the OSU team investigated the composition of organic
waste feedstock and tonnage available in the Eugene area. This investigation served as a means
to evaluate the potential development of a WTE generation system using organic waste
feedstock, which could theoretically be used to supplement power to a Eugene-based electricity
generation.3 To gain a better understanding of the organic waste stream, the team interviewed
several industries that make up the waste management sector. 4 These industries include waste
3 Organic waste is material that is biodegradable and comes from either a plant or animal. Organic waste is usually
broken down by other organisms over time and may also be referred to as wet waste. Most of the time, it is made up
of vegetable and fruit debris, paper, and/or animal byproducts. Municipal organic waste primarily comes from forest
products, agriculturally processes (plants from farm, manure), non-treated wood debris, and food products from
households and retail industry (Kumar, S. & Bharti, A., 2012) 4 Interview protocols for both Haulers and Processors are located in Appendix B. Detailed information about each
company OSU researched is located in supplementary material SM 2 – Table 2: Specific Information on Interviewed
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haulers, waste sorters, waste processors, and governmental officials. The goal of Part 2’s are to
understand the waste management sector and organic waste market within Eugene and the
surrounding areas, learn about the WTE facilities active in the Eugene area, and identify
underutilized organic waste streams.
Eugene’s Waste Management Sector Eugene has an open waste management market; which means haulers, sorter, and waste
processors may compete with each other for customer service and these industries can service
anywhere in Eugene barring certain regulations.5 The City regulates all solid waste, recycling,
and organic waste industries within the city limits. These regulations also extend to developing
standards and setting rates for collection services (Wisth, 2016). What follows is a synopsis of
the organic waste industries within the Eugene-Springfield area.
Waste Haulers
There are several private hauling companies within Eugene and the surrounding Eugene-
Springfield area that service both residential and commercial waste producing customers. The
primary function of these haulers is to transport waste from designated areas (households,
businesses, and drop box locations) to either a waste sorter or waste processor. In accordance
with the Oregon’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) regulations concerning waste,
most waste picked up by haulers is already source-separated material (DEQ, no date).6 Currently,
close to 65% of the entire Lane County waste stream is serviced by private haulers, with the
remaining 35% being hauled by county residents or commercial self-haulers. In addition,
approximately 30% of all county waste is diverted by private haulers (R3 Consulting Group,
2016).
Waste Management Industries. Transcribed interviews are located in supplementary material SM 4: Transcribed
Waste Processor Interviews.
5 Some companies operate in multiple industries. For example, a waste hauling company may also own its own
sorting facility. Royal Refuse Services in Eugene is one of these businesses. 6 Source separation refers to separating materials by type (i.e. recyclables, compostable, trash) at the point of
disposal.
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Because it is vital for the organic feedstock used within a Eugene-based WTE generation
system to be in close proximity to EWEB’s service district, we are particularly interested in any
hauler, regardless of their service area, who brings in or takes out organic waste materials within
the Eugene area. We identified seven private haulers that service the Eugene-Springfield area.
1. Sanipac
2. Lane Apex
3. Royal Refuse
4. Sequential Biofuels
5. Cottage Grove
6. Lane Forest Products (also a processor
7. City of Eugene (residential leaf hauler)
Based on our interviews with the above haulers, Sanipac, Lane Apex, Royal Refuse are
the primary haulers of commercial food waste and yard debris, and here Sanipac controls 75% of
the market (Wisth, 2016). Lane Forest Products, City of Eugene, and to a lesser extent Cottage
Grove predominantly hauls yard debris and landscaping debris. Sequential Biofuels focuses on
hauling fats, oils, and grease (FOG). In combination, these haulers report that on average they
transport 117,540 tons per year of source separated organic waste consisting of commercial food
waste, commercial and residential yard/landscape debris, agricultural manure, and wood
construction materials. The majority of this tonnage is yard debris and construction waste.7
Waste Sorters
Even though there are some haulers that are based outside of the city of Eugene, waste
sorters, or material recovery facilities (MRF- pronounced murf), have been commonly found to
be located within Eugene. These MRFs act as an intermediary stage in the life cycle of organic
waste.8 These MRFs separate out materials that can be readily sold to different processors or
7 Sequential Biofuels not included in calculation due to only providing information on already processed/finished
product of liquid weight.
8 Life cycle in this report refers to the process that begins at the starting point of waste disposal and finishes at the
end point of waste processing.
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straight to the market. Typically these processors are scrap metal yards, compost facilities, WTE
facilities, or the construction and demolition debris industry. These Eugene MRFs only service
commercial construction companies and commercial haulers that transport construction
materials. Therefore, most of the material that is brought to these MRFs is semi-sorted. Once the
MRFs separate out the organic material, they haul the material to an organic waste processor or
sell directly. We have identified two main MRFs within the Eugene area.
1. McKenzie Recycling: McKenzie Recycling receives construction and demolition (C&D)
waste from Royal Refuse Services.9 McKenzie receives approximately 40 tons of C&D per
year. The organic construction and yard waste is sorted and hauled to Land Forest Products,
where it is further processed. This company is located at 110 Cleveland Street, Eugene,
Oregon.
2. Ecosort: Ecosort receives C&D waste, wood, and trees from Sanipac and private construction
companies. Ecosort receives about 6,570 tons of C&D per year. It sorts out the organics from
the waste and hauls it to Lane Forest products for processing. Their sorting facility is located
at 3425 East 17th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon.
Waste Processors
Waste processor is a very broad term. A processor can be considered a landfill,
incinerator, compost facility, or recycling facility. Within our research scope, we concentrate on
processors that work with organic material. This would entail compost facilities, WTE facilities,
and landfills. Moreover, we use the term processor within this report to mean any industrial unit
that processes organic waste material to be ready to be sold on the market and/or utilized by the
processor.10 The Eugene-Springfield area has four main processors:
9 Royal Refuse Services owns McKenzie Recycling. 10 This can include direct or indirect sales of compost or ground cover to commercial and residential customers. It
can also include using organic waste to provide the processor’s energy needs. For instance, methane produced from
the breakdown of organic material in landfills may be used to produce energy (see Lane Co. Emerald People’s
Utility District http://www.epud.org/about/power-resources/short-mountain-landfill-gas/).
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1. Rexius: This is Lane County’s principal organic waste processor. Rexius is a compost facility
that receives material from Sanipac, Lane Apex Disposal, Royal Refuse Services, and the
City of Eugene Bloomberg Park leaf composting facility. It is the only composting facility
within the area that is DEQ licensed to process food waste. The organic stream Rexius
receives is a combination of commercial food waste, yard and landscaping debris. The
primary market Rexius works in involves selling their compost directly to the general public
and to local retailers. It has a partnership with the city of Eugene in the Love Food Not Waste
Program to process Eugene commercial food waste.11 At this time, Eugene only has a system
in place to source separate commercial food waste not residential food. The compost facility
is located at 92574 N. Coburg Road, Coburg, Oregon.
2. Lane Forest Products (processing plant is JC composting Yard): Lane Forest products is a
multi-facility company that both hauls and processes organic waste. It is the main processor
in the Eugene area for all organic non-food material. This material includes agricultural
waste, wood, manure, yard waste, landscape waste, and construction waste. The company
receives the waste from different companies and then processes it into different products
such as wood fiber, hog fuel, soil, and mulch compost. The majority of the material comes
from the City of Eugene Bloomberg Park leaf composting facility, Junction City residential
yard debris program, Ecosort, and McKenzie Recycling. The processing is done at their
facility located at 92744 State Highway 99 North, Junction City, Oregon.
3. Short Mountain Landfill: Short Mountain is Lane County's only municipal solid waste
landfill. Waste that is not source separated or sent to a MRF is hauled to the Short Mountain
Landfill. If a Lane county resident hauls their own waste, they have the option to drop off
pre-separated recyclables no charge at any of the county’s 16 transfer stations, which are
shown in Figure 5.12 This can help reduce the resident’s tipping fee, which is the cost levied
upon a given quantity of waste received at a waste processing facility. Based on our
conversation with Lane County’s Waste Management Division Manager, Daniel Hurley
(2016), Lane County does not track landfill bound material from where it originated. Lane
11 Love Food Not Waste Program, https://www.eugene-or.gov/759/Commercial-Food-Waste-Collection. 12 Further information on Waste Disposal & Recycling Sites can be found at
http://www.lanecounty.org/Departments/PW/WMD/Pages/WasteDisposalSitesIndex.aspx.
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County only has data on who brings the waste into the facility – either from a customer with
an account (commercial haulers) or from a residential customer. The majority of the waste
received (about 70% by weight) arrives to the facility from commercial haulers, the largest
being Sanipac, followed by Lane Apex, and Royal Refuse. In addition, Short Mountain does
not receive information on the origins of organic material hauled to the landfill.
With regard to the operations of any U.S. landfill, the primarily function is to store waste
in a manner that is both environmentally conscious and that reduces public health impacts. In
addition, the Short Mountain Landfill like all others produces methane gas from the
anaerobic (without oxygen) breakdown of waste. Methane captured by Short Mountain is
burned in their landfill-gas-to-electricity plant (EPUD, no date A). This energy is then sold to
the Emerald People’s Utility District (EPUD) to provide electricity to local homes.13 From
this partnership, the energy recovered is enough to supply 1,500 average homes a year
(EPUD, no date B).
It has been estimated that the Short Mountain Landfill has more than a 100 years of
capacity left and is considered one of Lane County’s primary solid waste management assets
(R3 Consulting Group, 2016). The main factors that contribute to this are the landfill’s
location, size, and capacity. These factors benefit the landfill by providing the ability to
develop long-range material management operations, create facilities, and increase revenue
by importing waste from other counties (R3 Consulting Group, 2016). The Short Mountain
Landfill is located at 84777 Dillard Access Road, Eugene, Oregon.
Figure 5: Lane County Transfer Stations (including Short Mountain Landfill)
13 EPUD is a public utility district. It generates approximately 3% of its own electricity from Short Mountain
Methane Power Plant. However, most of EPUD’s electricity comes from Bonneville Dam. For additional
information, see http://www.epud.org/wp-content/uploads/2016epuddistrictmap.pdf. EPUD is located at located at
33733 Seavey Loop Road, Eugene OR 97405.
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Source: Bring Recycling,
http://www.bringrecycling.org/home/brg/smartlist_30/lane_county_transfer__recycling_sites.html
4. Sequential Biofuels: This company is both a hauler and a processor. It specializes in
collecting and processing FOG (fats, oils, and grease). Sequential has two stations in Eugene
where residential customers can drop off up to five gallons of FOG. In addition, Sequential
also has arrangements with local businesses to collect their unwanted FOG. The collected
FOG is then transported by Sequential to its processing plant in Salem where it is converted
into biofuel. The finished product is then transported back to Eugene to the company’s
publicly open retail fueling stations. Each fueling station contains two underground tanks.
One tank is filled with 6,000-7,000 gallons of B99 and the other contains 6,000-7,000 gallons
of a biodiesel blend. Station 1 is located at 86714 McVay Hwy. Eugene, Oregon. Station 2 is
located at 1695 West 18th Avenue, Eugene, Oregon.
Migration of Organic Waste Throughout Eugene
To better understand how the organic waste streams move in Eugene, the OSU team
developed a map displaying this movement. Figure 6 shows the three primary industries
operating in Eugene’s waste management sector are emphasized. All of the organic waste that is
source separated is hauled outside of the Eugene City limits. The green arrows represent
primarily non-food waste hauled to the Lane Forest Product, approximately five miles North of
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Eugene. The yellow arrows represent predominately food waste hauled to Rexius, nearly seven
miles Northeast of Eugene. The black dash lines denote mixed waste (non-separated material)
landfill by all haulers. The landfill is located eight miles Southeast of Eugene. Lastly, SeQuential
Biofuels, which is located in Eugene, hauls FOG materials to their Salem processing plant.
Figure 6: Migration of Organic Waste Throughout Eugene
Green Stars ( ) Represent Processors:
JC Composting Yard
Rexius
SeQuential Biofuels
Yellow Stars ( ) Represent Haulers:
(S) Sanipac
(LA) Lane Apex
(RR) Royal Refuse
(LF) Lane Forest Products
(City) City of Eugene
Sequential Biofuels
(CG) Cottage Grove
Red Stars ( ) Represent Sorters:
(Mc) McKenzie Recycling
(EcoS) EcoSort
Organic Waste Markets
Johnson and Sonnichsen’s 2012 study examining the economic impact of the solid waste
management system in Eugene and Lane County found that processing and disposal industries
are weaker in this region compared to other parts of Oregon. The authors propose that the reason
for this weakness is that several of these waste operations are being conducted in more populated
parts of Oregon due to their economies of scale capacity.
City Boundary of Eugene (not to scale)
N
aka JC
Composting
Yard
Mixed material
from all
haulers
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According to our interview with Michael Wisth (2016), Eugene’s Solid Waste & Green
Building Analyst, the haulers Sanipac and Lane Apex have the largest market share within the
residential customers. With regard to the commercial customers, Sanipac and Royal Refuse
command large market shares. In addition, the market demand for compost, the end product for
the majority of Lane County’s organic waste processing facilities, is not very high. Therefore
processing organic waste into energy could be an alternative market. Furthermore, Wisth
explains that for a potential WTE system to materialize, EWEB could help WTE processing
facilities reduce their tipping fees, so that organic waste haulers would be more likely to go to
these facilities as opposed to compost facilities that would have higher tipping fees. For example,
Eugene lowered the licensed organic waste hauler’s tipping fees in order to encourage these
haulers to help out with the emerging 2011 Love Food Not Waste Program (Grimm, 2013).
Another way to increase the WTE market would be to utilize a Flow Control Policy. With this
type of policy, Eugene can mandate that the organic waste stream go to a particular facility
(Wisth, 2016).
Waste-to-Energy Facilities in Eugene and Surrounding Areas
We have identified six WTE facilities either within or near Eugene that process organic
waste material in order to produce electricity. We concentrate our discussion here on brief
descriptions of each facility’s organic feedstock used, amount of electricity produced, and how
they use their electricity.
JC-Biomethane plant in Junction City
JC-Biomethane obtains feedstock primarily from Portland and the Willamette Valley.
The material is mainly made up of post-consumer commercial food waste, such as food scrapes
and cooking oil. With this feedstock, the company is able to process 25,000 tons of biowaste per
year. The total capacity of the plant is 1.6 MW megawatts of electricity via a co-generation
engine. JC-Biomethane generates 12,250 MWh annually. The energy produced is enough to
power approximately 1,500 homes. The power produced is then sold to Portland General Electric
(PGE) through a wheeling arrangement with the Blachly-Lane County Cooperative Electric
Association and Bonneville Power Administration (PGE, July 25, 2016; EnergyTrust of Oregon,
2016).
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Lochmead Dairy, Inc. in Junction City
Lochmead Dairy Farm utilizes a psychrophilic (low temperature), sequential-batch
anaerobic digester to processes animal manure into power. The farm has a 750 dairy cow
operation on 3,000 acres. Unfortunately, we were not able to ascertain the amount of feedstock
used to run the digester each year. Revolution Energy Solutions (RES), the company that
installed the digester also provides revenue to Lochmead. RES pays Lochmead a percentage of
revenue from the sale of the farm’s generation of approximately 1.5 megawatts of power to the
Emerald People’s Utility District (Lochmead, 2015; Sullivan, 2012).
Seneca Sawmill Company in Junction City
Seneca Sawmill has a cogeneration process that generates power and thermal energy
from wood biomass. The wood biomass used to fuel this facility is sourced onsite from the
sawmills bark, sawdust and shavings. In addition, forest biomass (logging residuals or slash) is
also used from Seneca Jones Timber Company’s managed tree farm. However, this tree farm is
offsite near the Oregon’s Coast and Cascade Ranges. The combined feedstock sums to about
135,000 Bone Dry Tons (BDT’s), which feeds a 19.5 megawatt system. This energy can supply
approximately 13,000 family homes a year. All energy that is produced is sold to EWEB (Seneca
Sawmill, 2016).
Short Mountain Landfill in Eugene
As mentioned above, the Lane County landfill transforms methane produced from
decomposition of waste into electricity. This power is in turn sold to EPUD where the energy is
enough to supply 1,500 average homes a year (EPUD, no date B).
The Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant, also known as the Eugene-Springfield Water
Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) in Eugene
The Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant uses dewatered biosolids in an anaerobic digester
to produce energy. The digester produces methane, which is used to fuel an engine that generates
power. In addition, WPCF recovers the energy lost as heat from the working engine and
redistributes it into its hot water supply system. This system helps maintain the digester’s high
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temperature since heat is an important element to promote digestion of the biosolid. WPCF has
three anaerobic digesters, each with a capacity of 1 million gallons (City of Eugene, no date B).
Future research could involve further investigating the WPCF in order to learn if the facility
utilizes all its available feedstock materials to produce energy. Currently, EWEB receives 0.8
MW of electricity from WPCF’s cogeneration biogas fuel (EWEB, no date B)
Stahlbush Island Farms in Corvallis
The fruit and vegetable waste Stahlbush Island Farms produces from its 4,000 acre
farming operation is used to produce energy. In this system, approximately 55,000 wet tons per
year of mixed biomass (mainly fruit and vegetable waste) are processed in two 900,000-gallon
capacity hydraulically mixed anaerobic digestion tanks. In turn, the biogas that is produced is
used to fuel a 1.6-megawatt capacity heat and power unit. The recovered heat (as hot water and
steam) is employed to aid in the digestion process. The electricity produced is sold to the
PacifiCorp Utility (Regional Roundup, 2009).
Underutilized Organic Waste Streams
From our research, we have identified two main underutilized organic waste streams:
Eugene and Springfield residential food waste and organic material sent to the Short Mountain
Landfill.
Currently, there is only a system in place within Eugene to collect food waste from
businesses. Residential food waste is being landfilled. However, the city of Eugene will begin a
Residential Food Waste Collection Pilot Program in the fall of 2016. This will be similar to the
current commercial food waste collection program. The program aims to help residents in single-
family homes source separate their food waste from landfill bound waste. The food waste will be
picked up from the haulers who already pick up residential yard debris. This service will be
provided free to four test areas within Eugene.
According to the Lane Wasteshed 2010 Recovery Plan Update (Grimm, 2013), organic
waste and C&D collected within Lane County are the two main categories of waste that are still
landfilled and therefore are not being fully utilized within the market. In 2009, it was estimated
that 53,660 tons of organic waste was landfilled, in which food scraps comprised 40,695 tons and
yard debris comprised 12,965 tons. Construction & Demolition (C&D) still being landfilled
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comprise 17 to 33 percent of total material (Grimm, 2013). The city of Eugene estimates that
10,000 tons of commercial food waste is hauled to the Lane County Short Mountain Landfill
each year (Johnson & Sonnichsen, 2012). In addition, Sanipac approximates that 23% of the
commercial waste stream consists of food waste (Johnson & Sonnichsen, 2012).
Part 2 Conclusion
Based on our analysis of Eugene’s organic waste stream, we observed that the city’s
waste management system operates within an open market and offers many different avenues for
alternative usage other than landfilling waste. This includes organics being diverted to compost
facilities, such as Rexius, and scrap metal being separated out and sold on the market. Equally,
there are several different companies that offer services to transport these different streams of
materials. If EWEB seeks to develop a community-based electricity system powered by waste-
to-energy generation, it would need to collaborate with not one company per waste industry but
several. In addition, developing a municipal solid waste or biogas generation plant is often costly
(Starrett at el., 2015). If there is consideration on EWEB’s part to own and/or operate a WTE
plant, partnering with third party investors and entering into a power purchase agreement could
help make EWEB’s costs more manageable (Starrett at el., 2015).
However, partnering with a WTE facility may be a more feasible way to develop a
community-based electricity system. Currently, most WTE plants in or near Eugene already have
established agreements with other utility companies, this could be a possible challenge in
utilizing WTE for a Eugene-based power generation system, though Seneca Sawmill already has
a partnership with EWEB and sells power directly to it. Because Seneca only utilizes bone dry
clean, woody biomass feedstock, it is unclear if this facility could accommodate heavier, wetter
feedstock, which is the main underutilized organic feedstock in Eugene and the surrounding
areas. Nevertheless, if Seneca can accommodate different organic feedstock and/or EWEB could
assist Seneca in retrofitting its operations to generate more power with a variety of feedstocks,
WTE could be a viable option for establishing a Eugene-based electricity generation.
PROJECT LIMITATIONS
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Limitations that were identified in this study mainly were concentrated among the data.
The results in Part 1 of the project are not representative. This is in part due to obtaining a small
sample size among the companies that provide critical goods and services. In addition, the OSU
team was only able to interview companies representing five out of the eleven private critical
sectors. With respect to Part 2 of the project, the sample size was more representative. However,
there are still gaps in the data that can be filled with follow-up research and interviews.
PROJECT RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on what we learned through our research and interviewing commercial community
members, we recommend the following next steps to pursue.
Short-Term Recommendations
Interviewing Eugene-based Businesses That Have Critical Infrastructures
While we interviewed several different types of companies, the individuals we talked to
generally had similar concerns, questions, and positive reactions to the EWEB feasibility project.
We believe that conducting these interviews has been very helpful in understanding how the
commercial community thinks about community resiliency. We recommend that further
interviews take place.
Interview all CI Sectors and a Variety of Industries within Them
Because the OSU team was only able to conduct interviews with companies that
represented 5 out of the 11 private sectors, there may be unknown partnerships or
unforeseen barriers that could be important to the feasibility of this project. To uncover
this information, we recommend interviewing individuals from sectors that were not
represented in this study: Chemical, Critical Manufacturing, Food and Agriculture, IT,
Transportation Systems, and Water and Wastewater Systems, Dams, Defense Industrial
Base, Emergency Services, Government Facilities, and Nuclear Sectors. In addition, not
all of the industries within the previously interviewed CI sectors are representative in this
report. For example, within the communication sector, the cellular operator and radio
station industries have not been interviewed, but the TV station and cable provider
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industry have been. We recommend trying to interview a company from each industry,
because each industry may have specific needs, barriers, and abilities that can contribute
to the project.
Fleshing out Potential Partnership Arrangements
Many CIs were open to discuss a possible arrangement with EWEB to help add to a
community-based power base, but none wanted to be involved in making new
investments. We believe there needs to be more clarity in potential partnership
arrangements. Many individuals commented that their involvement, “depends on the
initial cost and payback.” Therefore, with regard to any follow-up interviews or new
ones, we recommend that EWEB have a few potential arrangements that they feasibly
believe would work for various parties. For instance, many CIs would like help with
energy storage capacity, and perhaps this something that EWEB could help to
accommodate. Furthermore, any further research teams may want to collaborate with
EWEB solar microgrid project to better understand what types of costs and paybacks a
CI could foresee.
Potential Interview Contacts and Collaborators
The 2014 Hazard and Climate Vulnerability Assessment report written by the University
of Oregon Community Service Center asked several governmental personnel and
community business leaders to share their knowledge and expertise in the CI sector in
which they work. This report contains a list of all the participants and which sector they
represent. We believe that future research utilizing interviews may benefit from this
contact list of interested community members. The contact list is in Appendix C.
Collaborating with the Organic Waste Sector
From our research, we have identified two main underutilized organic waste streams:
Eugene and Springfield residential food waste, and organic material sent to the Short Mountain
Landfill. We also have noted that even though the City of Eugene has an open market for the
waste industries, this market is heavily regulated by the city. Lastly, Seneca Sawmill, an
established WTE processor, is one of the only WTE facilities that sells power directly to EWEB.
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Based on these key elements, we recommend that EWEB collaborate with the organizations
below to develop a more concrete vision of how WTE can be incorporated into the power mix of
a community-based power generation system.
Metro Wastewater Treatment Plant
Future research could interview the WPCF in order to uncover if the facility utilizes all of
its available feedstock material to produce energy.
City of Eugene Waste Management Department
Beginning in fall 2016, based on the established food waste pick-up for commercial
customers, the City of Eugene will be running a residential food waste pick-up for a
selected group of residential customers. We recommend that future researchers interview
officials from Eugene’s Waste Management Department to determine the flow and
ownership of this new source of separated organic waste. See https://www.eugene-
or.gov/427/Recycling-and-Solid-Waste
Seneca Sawmill
We recommend interviewing Seneca in order to understand if their WTE process can
accommodate different organic feedstocks. Alternatively, EWEB should explore whether
it can assist in retrofitting Seneca’s operations to generate more power with a variety of
feedstocks.
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Long-Term Recommendations
Critical Infrastructures
In response to two key barriers to installing onsite alterative energy or participating in a
community-based power generation system, we recommend that further research and interviews
look at ways that companies that lease their commercial space or a part of a franchise can
alleviate these barriers.
Organic Waste Sector
If EWEB decides that a community energy-generated WTE system could be developed,
due to the fact that unused organic waste streams maybe utilized, we recommend that EWEB
look into policies that the city could reasonably implement to better help EWEB utilize much of
the source separated organic waste. Two key policies that are worth discussing are:
Flow Control Policy
With this type of policy, the City of Eugene can mandate that the organic waste streams
go to a particular facility. We recommend conducting interviews with city officials to
determine the feasibility and likelihood of such a policy change.
Tipping Fees
The City of Eugene has the ability to change the tipping fees waste haulers can charge
customers. Furthermore, all haulers that work within Eugene have to be licensed.
Similarly, the government of Lane County sets county tipping fees. However, unlike
Eugene, which relies on private companies for all its waste management needs, Lane
County owns and operates the landfill and all the 16 county transfer stations and does not
franchise out the hauling of the transfer station waste to the landfill (Hurley, 2014).
Increasing or decreasing the tipping fee for certain materials or locations can have an
effect on where the waste stream flows. Because Eugene and Lane County both set their
tipping fee rates, we recommend that EWEB consider this as a possible point of
discussion with both governments about the possibility of diverting organic waste
streams to a WTE facility that services a community-generated power system.
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2015-508.pdf
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508.pdf
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13. Dept. of Homeland Security. (2015i). Transportation System Sector-Specific Plan. Retrieved
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2015-508.pdf
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14. Dept. of Homeland Security. (2015j). Water and Wastewater Systems Sector-Specific Plan.
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508.pdf
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public-health-2015-508.pdf
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508.pdf
17. DEQ. (2016). Landfill Methane Outreach Program- Basic Information. Retrieved from.
https://www3.epa.gov/lmop/basic-info/
18. DEQ. (nd). Oregon Recycling Laws: A History. Retrieved from.
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studies/CS-Willamette-Valley-Biomethan.pdf
20. EPUD. ( n.d. A). Short Mountain Landfill Gas. Retrieved from.
http://www.epud.org/about/power-resources/short-mountain-landfill-gas/
21. EPUD. ( n.d. B). Power Resources. Retrieved from. http://www.epud.org/about/power-
resources/
22. Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB). (n.d A). EWEB Service Area. Retreievd from.
http://www.eweb.org/map
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OR/@44.8495818,123.6136428,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x5495e7d00d
2ce141:0xb922e9e1f966198c!2m2!1d121.9406369!2d45.6442837!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c119b0a
c501919:0x57ec61894a43894d!2m2!1d-123.0867536!2d44.0520691!3e0
26. Grimm, S. (2013). Lane Wasteshed 2010 Recovery Plan Update. Retrieved from.
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wide%20Assessment%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf
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27. Hurley, D. (2014). Memo: Discussion / In The Matter Of Amending Chapter 60 Of Lane
Manual To Revise System Benefit And Disposal Fees For Lane County Solid Waste Services
(Lm 60.875). Retrieved from.
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T.11.B.pdf
28. Hurley, Daniel. (2016). Interview via phone. Lane County’s Waste Management Division
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Community Service Center: University of Oregon. Eugene, OR.
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http://www.mwmcpartners.org/index.htm
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2013-508.pdf
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polymeric substances to improve activated sludge dewatering. Journal of hazardous
materials, 106(2), 83-92.
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Resilience Plan. Retrieved from.
http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/osspac/docs/Oregon_Resilience_Plan_Final.pdf
38. PGE Customer Relations (Jessica R.). July 27, 2016. via Email. [email protected]
39. R3 Consulting Group. (2016). Solid Waste Master Plan Development Phase 1 – Operational
Assessment. Retrieved from.
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wide%20Assessment%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf
40. Regional Roundup. (2009). BioCycle. Vol. 50, No. 9, p. 12. Retrieved from.
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41. Seneca Sawmill. (2016). Seneca Sustainable Energy. Retrieved from.
http://senecasawmill.com/seneca-sustainable-energy/
42. Starrett, M., Anderson, L., Louie, A., Johnson, B., & Harpool, S. (2015). The Renewable
Energy Microgrid: Optimizing Resiliency for Eugene Water and Electric Board.
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44. Wisth, Michael (2016) interview via phone. Eugene’s Solid Waste & Green Building Analyst
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APPENDICES
Appendix A: CI Interview Protocol
OSU EWEB CI Project: Interview Protocol Interviewee/Contact Info
Company Name
CI Sector
Interview Date
OSU Interviewer
The OSU team will introduce themselves and explain the EWEB project: Hello , my name is ----- and I am a graduate student at Oregon State University. I am part of a research group collaborating with the Eugene Water and Electric Board (EWEB). OSU is helping EWEB explore potential ways to foster community planning in order to better respond to and recover from a disaster that could disable the main power supply within the EWEB service territory. Your business provides a critical service that will be important to the community in the event of an emergency, and maintaining electric power to your business is critical to ensuring that you can continue to provide services. The purpose of this interview is to gain an understanding of what type of energy needs and interest the business community has in regard to emergency planning. EWEB believes that developing a local energy supply for organizations that provide critical services in the community, in partnership with these organizations, would be the best way for Eugene to maintain some level of electricity supply in the event of a disaster.
Interest in Being Connected to Electricity Supply:
1. Do you believe there is a need for a backup energy system within Eugene?
a. How immediate is the need?
2. Are you interested in being connected to a local supply for critical services?
If Yes: Would you be willing to pay an additional amount now for this connection; however
after a potential disaster (no BPA) your business will maintain power. (extra fee: may
help with micro-grid infrastructure) :
3. Do you currently supplement your electricity supply with onsite alternative
energy supplies, such as solar?
If Yes: If No:
1. What type(s)? 1. Are you considering using onsite
alternative energy?
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4. Without a power supply from EWEB, would you be able to run your operations?
If Yes: If No:
1. What type of emergency generation do
you have?
1. Are you considering the
installation of emergency generation?
2. What fuel type does it use? 2. How can EWEB help to meet your
electricity needs?
3. Do you know what your cost would be if
using your backup power?
3. In an emergency situation, can
you reduce how much power your
facility needs by turning non-essential
equipment off?
4. For how long will the back-up power run
your critical operations?
4. Would you like help from EWEB
with efficiency upgrades to your
essential electricity needs? 5. Is a data center part of your critical
operations?
6. What is the power supply needed to
power these critical operations?
7. Are your emergency loads on a separate
(split the distribution) bus?
8. Is your backup power configured in a
way that EWEB could control/access it?
Interest in Contributing to the Critical Infrastructure Supply: 5. Would you be able and willing to produce electricity that could be added to a CI
supply?
If Yes: If No:
1. In what ways would you be able and willing to
contribute?
1. Can you please explain the
circumstances that impact
your ability to be a part of this
effort?
2. What could a potential partnership look like to
you?
3. Would you consider partnering with EWEB,
whereby after a disaster companies that
contribute to the critical energy supply would
assist EWEB in distributing power to critical
organizations (e.g., those providing food or
medical services)?
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General Questions:
6. Do you have a disaster (any type of disaster) plan already in place?
7. What suggestions might you have about adding a backup energy source in Eugene?
8. Are there any CI sector specific questions that can be asked (i.e. Fuel CI- how many gallons do you have on site)?
9. Do you have any other comments that you would like to share?
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Appendix B: Interview protocols for Haulers and Processors
Interview Protocol for Haulers: Hello , my name is ----- and I am a graduate student at Oregon State University. I am part of a research project collaborating with EWEB(Eugene Water & Electric Board) which is looking at resilience to natural disasters within the city of Eugene. We are trying to get a better understanding of the organic waste streams such as (forest, agriculturally (plants from farm, manure), non-treated wood debris, and food products) that are in and surround Eugene. May I ask you some questions about your process? Hauler /Contact info: About them (from internet): Interview Date: Spoke to (role):
1. Main districts of Lane County /Eugene/ Outside of Lane County you service (or do they service all over)?
2. Who supplies your product (residential/commercial)? a. Type of Organic product? b. Quantity (tonnage)?
3. Where do you haul your product to? a. Is this located within the city of Eugene -ask if they do not indicate location? b. Tipping fees? c. Relationship to other companies:
4. Do you have a natural disaster readiness plan? 5. Are you able to power your stations without the main EWEB power supply? 6. Would you be interested in collaborating with EWEB on their micro-grid
community resilience analysis? 7. Have you thought about WTE? 8. Comments:
Interview Protocol Processor
Hello , my name is ----- and I am a graduate student at Oregon State University. I am part of a research group collaborating with the Eugene Water and Electric Board. We are helping EWEB explore potential ways the community can response/recovery from a disaster within the city of Eugene and maintain a potential micro-grid. We are trying to get a better understanding of the organic waste streams such as (forest, agriculturally (plants from farm, manure), non-treated wood debris, and food products) that are in and surround Eugene. May I ask you some questions about your process? Processor/Contact info: About them (via internet): EPA Facility Registry Service (FRS) Detail Report: Interview Date: Spoke to (role):
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1. Main districts of Lane County /Eugene/ Outside of Lane County you service (or do they service all over)?
2. Who supplies your product? a. Type of product? b. Quantity? c. Tipping fees for haulers ? d. Do you haul material yourself to other companies?
a. Do you have a tipping fee? 3. Do you produce your product within Eugene? 4. Do you have a natural disaster readiness plan?
a. Are you able to power your stations without the main EWEB power supply? 5. Would you be interested in collaborating with EWEB on their micro-grid community resilience analysis? 6. Have you thought about WTE? 7. Comments:
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Appendix C: The 2014 Hazard and Climate Vulnerability Assessment Report (Pages 5-7)
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