Biomass Week - October 28, 2011

Coalition will fight for Farm Bill programs The House and Senate agriculture committees are scheduled to deliver a legislative package to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction on Nov. 1, outlining suggestions to cut $23 billion from agriculture programs as part of the 2012 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
Ontario company to co-locate biomass power, pellets Huntsville, Ontario, could be the site for a $50 million, co-located, 10-megawatt biomass power plant and 8-metric-ton-per-hour wood pellet plant, if the proper equity partner can be found to move on with development. READ MORE SHARE
	New biomass alliance focuses on wood, miscanthus pellets The newly-formed Green Energy Farms Alliance will focus on the creation of a diverse solid biofuel portfolio, through the production of woody and miscanthus pellets for European markets. READ MORE SHARE
UK power plant project may include eco park A 300-megawatt biomass power plant proposed for Holyhead, Wales, could represent the center of a strategy to build a number of eco parks in the U.K., according to the project's preferred bidder, Lateral Power Ltd. READ MORE SHARE
Maryland releases RFP for purchase of power from animal waste In an effort to promote renewable energy, create jobs and reduce Maryland's contribution to agricultural runoff polluting the Chesapeake Bay, the state released a request for proposals for the purchase of power produced from animal waste. READ MORE SHARE
Sen. Shaheen talks biomass heat in NH Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., visited her home state on Oct. 24 to discuss the importance of biomass heat and how to level the playing field so that it is able to compete with other renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. READ MORE SHARE
Tariff level reduced for large-scale biomass technologies in RHI The U.K.'s Department of Energy and Climate Change got approval from the European Commission Oct. 26 to launch its Renewable Heat Incentive with a sizeable reduction in the tariff for large biomass technologies. READ MORE SHARE
Rubber tree chips to fuel Danish power plant Danish utility Verdo Group has contracted with U.K.-based Africa Renewables Ltd. (AfriRen) for 750,000 metric tons (826,700 tons) of wood chips over five years, produced from unproductive rubber trees in Ghana, West Africa. READ MORE SHARE
BPA: Use real-world situation to determine biomass CO2 emissions Biomass Power Association President and CEO Bob Cleaves addressed the U.S. EPA's Science Advisory Board Biogenic Carbon Emissions Panel at its meeting Oct. 25 to review its recently released Accounting Framework for Biogenic CO2 Emissions. READ MORE SHARE
NAFO refutes OSU biomass study conclusions The authors of a study recently published by Oregon State University's College of Forestry says that the production of bioenergy from U.S. West Coast forests would increase carbon dioxide emissions by at least 14 percent over the next 20 years. READ MORE SHARE
REAP funds 19 anaerobic digester projects USDA's Rural Energy for American Program will help fund 19 anaerobic digester projects in eight states, the USDA announced Oct. 26. Digesters will be constructed in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Iowa, Florida, Oregon, Ohio and Vermont. READ MORE SHARE
ABC seeks support for PURPA Plus bill The American Biogas Council is asking its members to urge their representatives in the U.S. Senate to support a bill allowing states to make their own decisions about incentivizing small renewable energy generation. READ MORE SHARE
Westervelt holds groundbreaking for Alabama pellet mill Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley spoke at the groundbreaking event Oct. 25 for Westervelt Renewable Energy's new pellet mill in Aliceville, emphasizing the facility's contribution to job growth. READ MORE SHARE