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Cass to participate in carbon credit study CASS COUNTY BOARD Cass County Correspondent WALKER - Cass County Board voted Tuesday to participate in a carbon credit study to be used in future contract negotiations for the sale of carbon credits.
This plan will enable the county to sell carbon credits on standing county timberland if federal authorities implement a cap and trade program to enable industrial producers to buy carbon credits as a trade-off for causing excess emissions from such processes as coal-fired power plants.
Land Commissioner Norm Moody told the board he estimates the county could receive $1 to $7 per acre payments if carbon credits were sold.
Results of this study also could enable other area governments or private property owners to estimate the revenue their carbon credit sales might generate, he added.
Forest and paper industry plays an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, according to Josh Stevenson, assistant land commissioner. Forests have a unique ability to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, while wood and paper products also store carbon dioxide, he said.
Peat land restoration also will be a part of the study.
Stevenson said results of the study likely will affect future county timber harvest plans.
The board voted to follow the county comprehensive plan in asking the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission to accept the existing direct line corridor from Bemidji to Grand Rapids for the new 230 kilovolt transmission line.
Three other options, running north through Blackduck or south through Walker along Highway 200 or south to Hackensack then across County State Aid Highway 5, are being considered. The county comprehensive plan calls for any new transmission lines to use the existing corridor transmission line corridor.
Cass officials will review the potential impact on timber sales from the planned closing of the Ainsworth Lumber Company plant at Bemidji. Stevenson said, while the closing has been announced at this time as temporary, it likely will have an impact on timber sales from county land, because of diminished market for area loggers.
In September, the county sold $145,363.10 worth of timber to loggers from county land. Aspen sold for $29.65 per cord or about $2 higher than last month.
Stopping short of formally closing county trails to recreational off-highway vehicle use during firearms deer hunting season, Cass County Board voted Tuesday instead to try to issue public information about the safety hazards for OHV riders when hunters likely are using firearms near most trails.
Stevenson said if the county board voted to close trails, county deputies would have to enforce that closure. State enforcement officers can only enforce state laws and rules, he explained. The state has issued a ban for OHV riding on state trails during firearms season.
The commissioners approved, contingent upon Shingobee Township approval, contributing another $40,000 to cover increased bituminous costs to complete Phase 1 of a connecting paved bicycle trail between the Paul Bunyan Trail and Walker.
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