Biomass Week - December 20, 2013

Sen. Baucus releases proposal to overhaul energy tax incentives Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., has released a discussion draft of legislation that aims to overhaul U.S. energy tax incentives by creating technology-neutral incentives for clean electricity and clean transportation fuels. READ MORE SHARE
Drax, 2 others make UK renewable support list, Eggborough omitted The U.K. Energy Act became law Dec. 18, when it received royal assent. The U.K. Department of Energy and Climate Change also made several accompanying announcements, including naming four biomass projects that are likely to receive subsidies. READ MORE SHARE
	Bonds authorized to finance Mississippi pellet port improvements The Port of Pascagoula is one step closer to building a pellet export facility for the planned Green Circle Bio Energy Inc. pellet plant. County supervisors authorized a bond issue for up to $24 million for construction of the export facility. READ MORE SHARE
USDA, DOE give $8 million for energy crop research Seven projects focused on biomass genomics research will receive a total of $8 million from the U.S. DOE and USDA to study energy crops including switchgrass, energy cane, sorghum and pine and populus trees. READ MORE SHARE
PHG Enegy, GE convert waste to energy in Tennessee The first commercial collaboration between PHG Energy of Nashville, Tenn., and GE Power & Water business of the General Electric Co. is officially online and creating electricity from waste materials at a new Covington, Tenn., facility. READ MORE SHARE
Renewable Energy Group to acquire Syntroleum Renewable Energy Group Inc. and Syntroleum Corp. announced that they have entered into an asset purchase agreement pursuant to which REG would acquire substantially all of the assets of Syntroleum along with its material liabilities. READ MORE SHARE
FAO: 19 million metric tons of pellets produced in 2012 In its first report including wood pellet production figures, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations briefly discussed the surge in pellets, saying wood pellet production has increased 10 times in the last decade. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass for Heat: Think It, Speak It, Promote It! The domestic pellet industry needs to emulate other U.S. or Canadian businesses: we are going to have to promote our product. READ MORE SHARE
Metso announces future Valmet will sharpen its focus on bioenergy Metso announces Valmet's offerings will include boiler islands, small power plants based on bubbling fluidized bed (BFB) and BioGrate combustion technologies, and large heating plants based on BFB and pellet technologies. READ MORE SHARE
EIA publishes AEO2014 reference case The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published the early release of its Annual Energy Outlook 2014 (AEO2014), increasing its projections for biomass energy and other renewables. The analysis also predicts increased consumption of biofuels. READ MORE SHARE
Crop-Based Pellets for Power, Fuel and Ag Heat Two Missouri companies are looking to pelletize crop residues and energy crops, following very different business models. MFA Oil Biomass is first developing a new energy crop and Enginuity Worldwide started with an engineered pellet. READ MORE SHARE
Senators push for clean energy tax credit extensions A group of 24 senators, led by Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., issued a letter to leaders of the Senate Committee on Finance on Dec. 16 calling for support of programs that spur investment in the clean energy sector. READ MORE SHARE
CR&R, Eisenmann build North American green waste AD project CR&R Environmental Services is building what it believes is the largest organics conversion facility in North America at its Perris, Calif., location, having recently completed navigation of a comprehensive permitting process. READ MORE SHARE
Get Involved in Developing ISO's Wood Pellet Safety Standards It is imperative the U.S. identify experts to participate in the development of ISO pellet safety standards. If not, they will be developed by the predominant interests of other countries. READ MORE SHARE
Report highlights Canadian biogas potential In Canada, the Biogas Association recently published a report that highlights the potential of its domestic biogas sector and estimates that the country's biogas sources have the potential to contribute 810 megawatts of power to its energy supply. READ MORE SHARE
UK lawmakers say DECC policy jeopardizes Eggborough conversion Several members of the U.K. parliament have issued a letter to Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Edward Davey, expressing concern that the Eggborough Power Station's planned conversion to biomass is threatened by recent policy changes. READ MORE SHARE
Sen. Cochran hopeful Farm Bill agreement can be reached soon Congress has adjourned for the year, leaving the Farm Bill unfinished. Lawmakers are expected to take up the legislation in January, and Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, said progress is being made. READ MORE SHARE
Biomass-powered mini-grid project wins USAID funding The U.S. Agency for International Development recently awarded $1 million to Camco Clean Energy plc to support its Biomass Mini-Grids Project in Africa. The company will work with Vermont-based Village Industrial Power to complete the project. READ MORE SHARE
Getting Green Heat to Main Street In the Northern Forest region of New Hampshire and the western foothills of Maine, the Northern Forest Center's Model Neighborhood Project is helping residents switch from fuel oil to wood pellet boilers and fostering growth in the pellet industry. READ MORE SHARE
Bills to extend tax credits benefiting biofuels introduced On Dec. 12, Rep. Scott Peters, D-Calif., introduced two bills that would benefit the biofuels industry. One aims to extend the second generation biofuel producer credit and the special allowance for second generation biofuel plant property. READ MORE SHARE