8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY january 2-8, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com news For more than a year, Soledad-based Sitos Group has operated a pilot program at ReGen Monterey’s waste management facility in Marina, transforming wood waste and other organic materials into a usable product while removing carbon that would otherwise end up in the atmosphere. The end product is biochar, a charcoal-like substance that results from a slow pyrolysis process that sequesters carbon and can be used to improve soil health. Sitos Group co-founder and CEO Mayo Ryan says the goal of the pilot program is not only to perfect the use of the pyrolysis machine, but also show that such a process is commercially viable. In late October, Sitos Group announced its first commercial biochar facility with Treehouse California Almonds in Delano. The $9 million, 25,000-squarefoot facility, expected to go online by the end of 2025, will process 6,000 pounds of almond shell feedstock per hour. For every ton of biochar put in farmland soil, 2.5 tons of CO2 is prevented from entering the atmosphere, according to Ryan. Sitos Group was co-founded by Mayo, who has experience in agribusiness firms, and Steve McIntyre, owner of vineyard management company Monterey Pacific, which manages 20,000 acres of vineyards across the state, including in Monterey County. The pilot program at ReGen will end in July 2025, and is estimated to absorb 20,000 tons of carbon through its lifecycle. “We’ve accomplished many of our goals, which is to improve the process so we get the very best biochar quality we can out of the machine,” Mayo says. “We’re very grateful we have this partnership with ReGen. We’ve learned so much.” Sealing the Deal A company that uses tech to absorb carbon lands its first commercial project. By Erik Chalhoub The U.S. Department of Education has been around since the mid-1800s, but it’s relatively new in the modern era as a cabinet-level agency. In 1980, Congress split the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into two: Education, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Since its creation, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump have called for its elimination. During his first term, Trump proposed combining the Department of Education with the Labor Department, but the idea didn’t take off. During the 2024 election, Trump again voiced his idea to eliminate the department. As he prepares to begin his second term on Jan. 20, local educators are considering what federal changes could mean. “My first thinking was, ‘Oh my, how is that going to impact our programs?,’” Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss says. The federal government funds key local programs such as Early Learning for 3- to 5-year-olds and Migrant Education. (Monterey County has the largest such program in the state.) “If we do not begin to provide that early education to our youngest learners, they may not have the same resources and support as children coming from higher-income families,” she says. In November, State Superintendent of Schools Tony Thurmond urged Congress and Trump to reiterate their commitment to public education. According to a California Department of Education analysis, abolishing the Department of Education could reduce the funding for California schools by $7.9 billion, greatly impacting special ed and jeopardizing federal financial aid for postsecondary education. In December, Thurmond met with about 20 congressional representatives, including Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, and Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-San Jose, to plan strategies to support the department. “Eliminating the U.S. Department of Education would have devastating consequences for public education, especially for students with disabilities and families in low-income communities,” Thurmond said in a statement. “The stakes couldn’t be higher. Every student deserves access to a quality education.” Trump plans to nominate business executive Linda McMahon as Secretary of Education. In a statement on social media, Trump said McMahon “will fight tirelessly to expand ‘Choice’ to every State in America, and empower parents to make the best Education decisions for their families.” School choice programs allow students to choose alternatives to traditional public education settings, such as private and charter schools, using public school funds through voucher programs or other arrangements. Trump has yet to voice a detailed plan for dismantling the Department of Education, such as what would happen to federal programs such as Title I, which supports low-income students, and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, which provides services for special education. Noelle Ellerson Ng, associate executive director for advocacy and governance at the School Superintendents Association, says moving education programs to other agencies would cost money, and that local agencies might need to reach out to multiple departments instead of one. “One thing the Department of Education does is centralized contacts for state educational agencies,” Ellerson Ng says. The loss of the U.S. Department of Education would hurt the youngest students in Monterey County, Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss says. School Test As Donald Trump pledges to eliminate the Department of Ed, local educators brace for impact. By Celia Jiménez Sitos Group’s pilot pyrolysis machine at ReGen is capable of converting organic material into 3,000 tons of biochar annually. The program ends its two-year run in July. “The stakes couldn’t be higher.” Daniel Dreifuss Daniel Dreifuss
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