A Renewable Energy Microgrid: Optimizing …Eugene-Based Electricity Generation: Optimizing...

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


O S U P O L I C Y A N A L Y S I S L A B O R A T O R Y – B R I E F S A N D P A P E R S

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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.


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


Source: DHS, 2015e


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


Source: DHS, 2015g


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:


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.

https://www.dhs.gov/communications-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/emergency-services-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/energy-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/food-and-agriculture-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/information-technology-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/transportation-systems-sector

https://www.dhs.gov/water-and-wastewater-systems-sector


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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


Source: DHS, 2015i


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


19

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.


20

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


21

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.


22

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.


23

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/).

http://www.epud.org/about/power-resources/short-mountain-landfill-gas/)


24

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.

https://www.eugene-or.gov/759/Commercial-Food-Waste-Collection

http://www.lanecounty.org/Departments/PW/WMD/Pages/WasteDisposalSitesIndex.aspx


25

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.

http://www.epud.org/wp-content/uploads/2016epuddistrictmap.pdf


26

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

http://www.bringrecycling.org/home/brg/smartlist_30/lane_county_transfer__recycling_sites.html


27

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


28

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).


29

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


30

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


31

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


32

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


33

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.


34

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.

https://www.eugene-or.gov/427/Recycling-and-Solid-Waste



35

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.


36

REFERENCES

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37

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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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19. EnergyTrust of Oregon. (2016). Retrieved from. http://energytrust.org/library/case-

studies/CS-Willamette-Valley-Biomethan.pdf

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http://www.epud.org/about/power-resources/short-mountain-landfill-gas/

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resources/

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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.

http://www.lanecounty.org/departments/pw/wmd/documents/2010wsteshedplanupdate.pdf

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wide%20Assessment%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf

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https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/nipp-ssp-water-2015-508.pdf

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/nipp-ssp-healthcare-public-health-2015-508.pdf

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https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/nipp-ssp-information-technology-2016-508.pdf

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https://www3.epa.gov/lmop/basic-info/

http://www.deq.state.or.us/lq/sw/recyclinglaws.htm

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https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Bonneville+Dam,+Cascade+Locks,+OR+97014/Eugene,+OR/@44.8495818,123.6136428,8z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x5495e7d00d2ce141:0xb922e9e1f966198c!2m2!1d121.9406369!2d45.6442837!1m5!1m1!1s0x54c119b0ac501919:0x57ec61894a43894d!2m2!1d-123.0867536!2d44.0520691!3e0




http://www.lanecounty.org/departments/pw/wmd/documents/2010wsteshedplanupdate.pdf

http://www.lanecounty.org/Departments/PW/WMD/Documents/WMD%20System-wide%20Assessment%20-%20Final%20Report.pdf



38

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

Manager

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Community Service Center: University of Oregon. Eugene, OR.

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31. Lochmead. (2015). Our Sustainability Story. Retrieved from.

https://www.lochmead.com/sustainability/

32. Kumar, S. & Bharti, A. (Editors) (2012). Management of Organic Waste. Publisher: InTech.

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33. Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC).(2014). Retrieved form.

http://www.mwmcpartners.org/index.htm

34. National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). (2013). Retrieved from.

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/National-Infrastructure-Protection-Plan-

2013-508.pdf

35. Neyens, E., Baeyens, J., & Dewil, R. (2004). Advanced sludge treatment affects extracellular

polymeric substances to improve activated sludge dewatering. Journal of hazardous

materials, 106(2), 83-92.

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Resilience Plan. Retrieved from.

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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

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https://www.biocycle.net/2009/09/16/regional-roundup-70/

http://www.lanecounty.org/Departments/BCC/Documents/2014_AGENDAS/062414agenda/T.11.B.pdf

http://www.lanecounty.org/Departments/BCC/Documents/2014_AGENDAS/062414agenda/T.11.B.pdf

https://olis.leg.state.or.us/liz/2011I1/Downloads/CommitteeMeetingDocument/81292

https://www.lochmead.com/sustainability/

http://www.intechopen.com/books/management-of-organic-waste

http://www.mwmcpartners.org/index.htm

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/National-Infrastructure-Protection-Plan-2013-508.pdf

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/National-Infrastructure-Protection-Plan-2013-508.pdf

http://oregonwaterservices.com/index.php

http://www.oregon.gov/OMD/OEM/osspac/docs/Oregon_Resilience_Plan_Final.pdf

mailto:[email protected]



https://www.biocycle.net/2009/09/16/regional-roundup-70/


39

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.

43. Sullivan, D. (2012). Anaerobic Digestion In The Northwest. BioCycle. Vol. 53, No. 3, p. 33.

Retrieved from. https://www.biocycle.net/2012/03/14/anaerobic-digestion-in-the-northwest/

44. Wisth, Michael (2016) interview via phone. Eugene’s Solid Waste & Green Building Analyst

http://senecasawmill.com/seneca-sustainable-energy/

https://www.biocycle.net/2012/03/14/anaerobic-digestion-in-the-northwest/


40

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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