The USDA and U.S. Department of Energy are making up to $9 million in funding available through the Biomass Research and Development Initiative to support the development of bioenergy feedstocks, biofuels and biobased products.
Commercial forests in the Southeast are owned by millions of private individuals and families who are currently struggling to see the value in taking on the cost of certification.
As the industry looks ahead to the 2017 heating season, many producers might ask themselves, should we overbook? Like the airline business, the pellet business runs on thin margins, so no company can face many bad years.
Lawmakers are beginning to realize the public interest in biomass energy policy is about much more than renewable electricity and heat displacing demand for high carbon, nonrenewable fossil fuels.
The Dutch are motivated buyers of North American wood pellets, but the lack of sustainability certification of small forest owners in the U.S. and Canada has created an intense need for intercontinental collaboration.
In what he described as a move to fulfill his duty to protect America and its citizens, President Donald Trump has officially begun the process to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Climate Accord.
In the U.K., the Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association has lowered its forecast for new biomethane plants expected to be commissioned this year, citing a delay with Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) reforms.
Georgia Pacific has finished a $388 million boiler system overhaul at its Brewton, Alabama, containerboard mill. The project has enabled the mill to generate all of its own energy by burning a mix of biomass and natural gas.
Sustainability of biomass supply is already a well-monitored, efficiently managed issue in some European countries, regarding supply chains for industrial-scale power and heat generation.
DTE Biomass Energy has acquired two renewable natural gas projects in Texas. Ford Bend Power Producers LLC, located near Rosenberg, is currently operating, while the Seabreeze project in Angleton, Texas, is expected to begin construction in June.
The U.S. Department of Energy recently announced an open meeting of the Biomass Research and Development Technical Advisory Committee and has published a notice soliciting nominations for new members.
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell recently announced over $8.3 million to substantially expand and accelerate wood products and wood energy markets. Federal funds will leverage almost $37 million in matching funds.
President Donald Trump has released his proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2018, which includes $3.6 trillion in cuts. According to the White House, the reductions are the most proposed by any president.
The renewable energy industry directly and indirectly employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, an increase of 1.1 percent over the previous year, according to the International Renewable Energy Agency's newly released annual jobs report.
Nova Scotia-based Dalhousie University has announced plans to update its 30-year old biomass energy plant and steam distribution system. The $24.2 million project is expected to be complete by May 2018.
Lignetics Inc. recently announced the acquisition of the Marth Companies LLC, which includes manufacturing plants in Marathon, Athens, and Peshtigo, Wisconsin, as well as the Marth Transportation trucking assets.
On May 23, the U.S. EPA announced a 90-day administrative stay of two final rules announced in mid-2016 that aim to reduce methane emissions from MSW landfills. The stay will allow the agency to reconsider certain aspects of these regulations.
U.S. Sens. Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., recently announced $500,000 in new federal funding for Clarkson University. The funding will advance anaerobic digestion techniques for small-to-medium-scale dairy farmers.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting applications for project funding through its Dairy Digester Research and Development Program, which has enabled construction of numerous California digester energy projects.
On May 17, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo released a methane reduction plan that, in part, supports energy production from biogas at farms and landfills across the state. It targets three sectors: oil and gas, landfills and agriculture.
The American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers has begun the process to adopt as a national standard an ISO document on wood chips used as heating fuel.
Capstone Turbine Corp. recently announced that it received an order for a C600 Signature Series microturbine to become part of an extensive upgrade for a wastewater treatment plant in upstate New York.
Smithfield Foods Inc. recently announced the release of the second installment of its 16th annual sustainability report. The Environment section highlights Smithfield's environmental leadership in key areas, including biogas production.
Rentech Inc. has released first quarter financial results, reporting consolidated revenues from continuing operations of $32.2 million, down from $39.9 million during the same period of the previous year. Gross loss was $700,000.
The Energy Department's Bioenergy Technologies Office and Argonne National Laboratory have developed an Bioenergy Career Map, an educational tool that helps users discover traditional and nontraditional career opportunities in the bioenergy industry.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, which includes 2017 and 2018 forecasts for biomass power generation.
On May 11, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue released a plan to reorganize the USDA that creates an undersecretary for trade and agricultural affairs and eliminates the undersecretary for rural development.
The American Biogas Council applauds the recent introduction of the bipartisan Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Act, which provides a 30 percent investment tax credit (ITC) for qualifying biogas and nutrient recovery systems.
Parkland County officials announced on May 3 that the Pinnacle Renewable Energy Inc. will build a new, $85 million pellet plant near Entwistle in central Alberta.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., has introduced legislation that would even further level the playing field for biomass-derived power, heat and liquid fuels.
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