Pellet Mill Monthly - July 2, 2013

Obama unveils climate change action plan On June 25, President Obama laid out his three-part plan to address climate change during a speech at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. "As a president, as a father, and as an American, I am here to say we need to act," he said. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass Magazine webinar addresses European demand for pellets With more than 500 registrants, Biomass Magazine successfully launched its new webinar series with the first session focusing on the growing European demand for American wood pellets. READ MORE SHARE
	St. Joe signs letter of intent with Enova Energy Group The St. Joe Company has announced that it has signed a letter of intent (LOI) with Enova Energy Group that could lead to the development of a wood pellet export facility at the Port of Port St. Joe in Florida. READ MORE SHARE
N.C. Ports gains state approval for pellet export project The North Carolina Council of State approved recently approved a lease agreement between the North Carolina State Ports Authority and Enviva Holdings LP, giving the Ports the go-ahead to enter the highly competitive wood pellet industry. READ MORE SHARE
U.S. Forest Service funds 10 renewable energy projects U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell has announced the award of nearly $2.5 million in grants to 10 small businesses and community groups for wood-to-energy projects that will help expand regional economies and create new jobs. READ MORE SHARE
Irish facility to produce fuel briquettes with 50 percent biomass U.K.-based CPL Industries has announced plans to build a new E Coal 50 production facility. E Coal 50 is a blended home heating fuel that contains 33 percent biomass, 17 percent molasses and 50 percent fossil fuels. READ MORE SHARE
Emerson aims to improve performance on biomass power plants Missouri-based Emerson Process Management has integrated a biomass fuel moisture sensor with its Ovation Expert Control System to allow a biomass-fueled power plant to monitor feedstock moisture content and adjust combustion processes. READ MORE SHARE
Green Investment Bank publishes first annual report Roughly six months after the U.K. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills declared it open for business, the U.K. Green Investment Bank has released its first annual report, which details several biomass investments made to date. READ MORE SHARE
Minn., Sweden officials sign bioenergy agreement Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and Daniel Johansson, an official with the Swedish Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and Communications, have pledged to continue working together on research, technology and public policy related to the field of bioenergy. READ MORE SHARE
White paper addresses Asian biocoal market Poyry PLC has published a white paper on biocoal market potential in Asia. The report, titled "Biocaol-Bioenergy Game Changer in Asia?" explores what role biocoal production technologies might have in the Asian bioenergy industry. READ MORE SHARE
House votes down Farm Bill The U.S. House of Representatives has voted down its version of the Farm Bill, the "Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act," by a vote of 195 to 234. The bill did not include mandatory funding for Energy Title programs. READ MORE SHARE
BCNC publishes woody biomass assessment The Biofuels Center of North Carolina recently completed a statewide woody biomass assessment in cooperation with Gelbert, Fullbright & Randolph Forestry Consultants and North Carolina's seven economic development regions. READ MORE SHARE
USDA accepting applications for advanced biofuel, REAP programs The USDA has published a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of $98.6 million for payments under the Advanced Biofuel Payment Program. A separate notice announces increased funding for the Rural Energy for America Program. READ MORE SHARE
Senate passes farm bill with mandatory energy title funds The U.S. Senate passed its version of a new Farm Bill, leaving the ag energy industry satisfied with the inclusion of mandatory funding for energy title programs. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote on its version of the bill soon. READ MORE SHARE
UK reveals phase 2 awards in wetland biomass-to-energy program The U.K. Department of Energy & Climate Change has awarded three bioenergy companies a total of GBP1.34 million ($2.08 million) to support the scale-up of their process designs under phase two of the DECC's wetlands biomass-to-bioenergy competition. READ MORE SHARE