Biomass Week - September 16, 2011

House subcommittee passes EPA Regulatory Relief Act The EPA Regulatory Relief Act, which would allow additional time for the U.S. EPA to fix the Maximum Achievable Control Technology Rules, was approved Sept. 13 in the House Energy and Power Subcommittee. READ MORE SHARE
New export pellet testing lab first of its kind in U.S. Biomass Energy Laboratory in Conyers, Ga., is expected to begin operation by Nov. 1, making it the first U.S.-based pellet testing facility that will be fully compliant and accredited under Europe's fuel quality specifications. READ MORE SHARE
	Viridis begins exporting pellets to Italy Continuing its expansion, British Columbia-based Viridis Energy LLC has added a second European wood pellet customer to its portfolio, announcing at the same time that it will have a third in the coming weeks. READ MORE SHARE
Nexterra awarded $6.9 million government gasification project To reduce greenhouse gas emissions 30 percent by 2020, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center awarded Nexterra Systems a $6.9 million contract to provide a biomass gasification system for its Battle Creek, Mich., location. READ MORE SHARE
River Basin Energy plans commercial biocoal plants River Basin Energy, with an existing biocoal demonstration facility in Laramie, Wyo., hopes to redefine the renewable energy industry by building commercial-scale torrefaction plants in the U.S. and Europe. READ MORE SHARE
Webinar outlines aspects, challenges of financing biogas projects The American Biogas Council held a webinar Sept. 14 titled Biogas Financing: Options, Steps and Resources for Biogas Project Development, where three presenters outlined the path to successfully orchestrating biogas projects. READ MORE SHARE
DOE webinar to report results of Billion-Ton Update The authors of an updated version of the Billion Ton Study will address details of the report during a DOE webinar, "The U.S. Billion-Ton Update," which will be held on Sept. 22 from 2-4 p.m. EDT. READ MORE SHARE
Global pellet industry on the rise, sustainability key The theme of the final panel discussion at the North American Biomass Pellet Export Conference, which was held Sept. 8-9 in New Orleans, was that the pellet industry is growing rapidly, and sustainability is of utmost importance. READ MORE SHARE
Ogdensburg project shows biomass potential in upstate NY Government leaders are promoting the potential for the biomass industry in upstate New York by supporting a proposed cogeneration facility in Ogdensburg. The proposal includes converting the Alliance Energy plant to utilize local woody biomass. READ MORE SHARE
Google endorses hog waste-to-energy project In 2007, Google made a commitment to be carbon neutral and began to invest in renewable energy and purchase carbon offsets. The company recently expanded its renewable scope by endorsing a pilot hog waste-to-energy (WtE) facility. READ MORE SHARE
Cate Street, Starwood Energy close financing for NH biomass plant Cate Street Inc. and Starwood Energy Group Global LLC, a private investment firm focused on energy projects, have closed financing for a $275 million biomass power plant in Berlin, N.H., and will begin construction immediately. READ MORE SHARE