Biomass Week - October 22, 2010

Updated: BCAP final rule will be published Oct. 27 U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack mistakenly announced yesterday that the Biomass Crop Assistance Program final rule would be published in the Federal Register today. The rule will be on public display today and will be published on Oct. 27. READ MORE SHARE
NEBTWG wants biomass thermal in biofuels strategy The USDA’s National Biofuels Strategy should focus just as much on heating oil as it does on transportation fuels, according to Charlie Niebling, an organizer and member of the Northeast Biomass Thermal Working Group. READ MORE SHARE
	BTEC webinar to explore residential biomass heat The Biomass Thermal Energy Council will host an educational webinar on Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. EST, a free event focused on the benefits and challenges of residential biomass heating. The webinar marks the second in a series of five being held by BTEC. READ MORE SHARE
BPA: Proposed rule endangers forests, bioenergy goals The Biomass Power Association submitted comments contesting a proposed ruling by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources on biomass, on the grounds that it will severely handicap the state’s ability to meet its renewable energy goals. READ MORE SHARE
Conference panel addresses supply chain aspects Getting it Right: Designing a Sustainable Biomass Supply Chain, a discussion panel at the Southeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show in Atlanta, promises to delve into supply chain issues and logistics, using existing projects as reference points. READ MORE SHARE
Dukes team up for AD pilot project in NC Duke University and Duke Energy have teamed up to develop a pilot anaerobic digestion project at a hog farm in North Carolina that could serve as a model for other hog operations looking for ways to manage waste and generate their own power. READ MORE SHARE
Oregon farmers begin first biomass sorghum harvest A grower-owned energy cooperative in Oregon has begun harvesting its first crop of high-biomass sorghum, a purpose-grown energy crop that will be used for electricity production. Agri Energy Producers Association will harvest about 1,500 acres. READ MORE SHARE
First Argus-indexed biomass deal concluded RWE and U.S.-based commodity management firm Gavilon have concluded the first physical supply contract to be priced against Argus’ European industrial wood pellet index. The one-year deal was brokered by Geneva-based Starsupply Commodity Brokers. READ MORE SHARE