Biomass Week - June 17, 2011

June 17, 2011

House votes to defund BCAP, fate lies with Senate BCAP is in jeopardy as the House voted to defund it, now its fate will be decided by the Senate. On June 16, the House passed the agricultural appropriations spending bill, H.R. 2122, containing a component that eliminates 2012 funding for BCAP. READ MORE SHARE
We Energies, Domtar biomass plant decision to come soon The verdict on whether a 50-megawatt, woody biomass-fired cogeneration plant in Rothschild, Wis., will move forward is still out, but a decision will be made soon. READ MORE SHARE
	100 companies now growing the US biogas industry Illustrating it is the voice of the biogas and anaerobic digestion industry, the American Biogas Council welcomed its 100th member. The ABC represents organizations dedicated to maximizing the production and use of biogas from organic waste. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass Secure Power building pellet plant in BC Biomass Secure Power has announced official plans for its first torrefied wood pellet plant to be located in British Columbia, Canada. The plant will produce 500,000 metric tons of white wood pellets per year. READ MORE SHARE
BTEC webinar explores biomass heating environments in Europe U.S. biomass incentives do little for heating applications, unlike many European countries that extensively use wood for heat or are implementing strategies to increase that use. To point out those programs, the BTEC held a webinar June 15. READ MORE SHARE
Vilsack makes major BCAP announcements While the fate of 2012 funding for USDA's Biomass Crop Assistance Program is still up in the air, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack made some major announcements June 15 regarding the program's project area component. READ MORE SHARE
	Real Ventures announces 2 wood-fired CHP projects in U.K. Real Ventures is proposing two 50-megawatt biomass-fired combined-heat-and-power projects in its home country of the U.K. Together, the projects, located in Immingham and on the Isle of Wight, represent an investment of $422 million. READ MORE SHARE
Montpelier votes 'yes' for biomass district heat In a referendum Tuesday, June 14, citizens of Montpelier, Vt., approved a bond issue for a biomass district heating system to be installed in its downtown district. In an impressive turnout for a special meeting vote, the bond was passed 963-609. READ MORE SHARE
DTE Energy's coal-to-biomass conversion approved DTE Energy has received approval from the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District in California to convert a coal-fired power plant to biomass fuel. DTE plans to begin the conversion July 1, and expects to complete work in July 2012. READ MORE SHARE
Buena Vista Biomass Power project proceeds With an environmental lawsuit behind it, the 18-megawatt Buena Vista Biomass Power plant in Buena Vista, Calif., will continue its reconfiguration from coal to biomass, having suffered no significant setbacks as a result of the litigation. READ MORE SHARE
Longview Fibre upgrades existing biomass plant Instead of building the 65-megawatt biomass power plant it proposed in 2010, Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging Inc. in Longview, Wash., will upgrade its existing 25 MW biomass plant. The upgrade is expected to begin this month. READ MORE SHARE
Wolverine Power plant awaits air permit decision Wolverine Power Corp.'s proposed 600-megawatt power plant planned for Rogers City, Mich., will be fueled with a 95:5 coal/biomass mixture if the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality grants the company a final air permit. READ MORE SHARE
Iberdrola's natural gas plant proposal amended to biomass A proposed natural gas power plant in Klamath Falls, Ore., will instead be a 35-megawatt biomass-fired power plant supplying power to the grid. The plant is expected to be operational in 2012. READ MORE SHARE