The California Bioenergy Interagency Working Group has released its 2012 Bioenergy Action Plan, with the goal of facilitating the development of bioenergy in California on a variety of levels, including research and development support, streamlining and consolidating permitting, facilitating access to transmission, pipelines, and other distribution networks, and policies and laws to monetize the benefits of bioenergy.  The Working Group is a broad coalition of state energy, environment, and resources agencies, including the California Public Utilities Commission, Energy Commission, Air Resources Board, Natural Resources Agency, Cal Fire, Cal Recycle, and the Department of Food and Agriculture, as well as the California Biomass Collaborative and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.  The 2012 Plan builds on the Working Group’s 2006 and 2011 Bioenergy Action Plans, providing a more detailed set of actions for the constituent agencies to undertake and incorporating more of Governor Brown’s policies for energy, waste reduction, and job creation.  Bioenergy has met some obstacles in California in recent times, including challenges by major and local environmental groups to biomass-fueled electrical generation contesting claims of greenhouse gas neutrality and the Energy Commission’s suspension, in most cases, of pipeline biomethane as an eligible renewable fuel for gas-fired facilities to help meet the state’s 33% renewable portfolio standard.  A concerted focus by the state agencies on specific Action Plan items will undoubtedly help move bioenergy forward in California.  Bioenergy advocates should also keep an eye on several bioenergy and biomethane bills still active during this last week of the California 2011-2012 Legislative Session, including A.B. 1900, A.B. 2196, and S.B. 1122.