Pellet Mill Monthly - February 4, 2014

Senate approves Farm Bill conference report On Feb. 4, the U.S. Senate approved the conference report for the 2014 Farm Bill by a vote of 67 to 32. The vote was the final legislative action needed before President Obama can sign the legislation into law. READ MORE SHARE
EU proposal sets renewable energy targets, ignores biofuels The European Commission has published a proposal calling for a greenhouse gas reduction of 40 percent below the 1990 level along with an EU-wide 27 percent binding target for renewable energy by 2030. The proposal doesn't address transport fuels. READ MORE SHARE
	Webinar focuses on port development for pellet projects More than 200 listeners tuned into Biomass Magazine's Jan. 30 webinar, which showcased pellet port developments and projects. The event featured four speakers who discussed various aspects of developing pellet export facilities. READ MORE SHARE
Seminar addresses carbon accounting and forest management Resources for the Future hosted a seminar Jan. 29 focused on the issues of carbon accounting and forest management. The event was titled "Considering the Contributions of Forests in the Management of Greenhouse Gas Emissions." READ MORE SHARE
Herty announces mobile pellet mill The Herty Advanced Materials Development Center has announced the addition of a new mobile pellet development unit (MPDU), a versatile pellet system designed for rapid screening of feedstocks and processing conditions. READ MORE SHARE
Houses approves Farm Bill conference report The U.S. House of Representatives has approved the conference report for the 2014 Farm Bill by a vote of 251 to 166. The farm bill conference committee approved the conference report for the bill on Jan. 27. A U.S. Senate vote is expected next week. READ MORE SHARE
Swedish facility warms up pellet production in Russia Swedish forestry company RusForest AB has announced the start of wood pellet production at the LDK-3 sawmill at Arkhangelsk in the northwestern region of Russia. Construction on the plant began in June 2103. READ MORE SHARE
From Recipe to Scientific Formula Penn State Researchers are working to develop a solid understanding of energy crops and their densification behavior, which could remove much of the guesswork in creating a quality pellet. READ MORE SHARE
Obama: climate change is a fact Job creation, higher wages and investments in the U.S. education system were a few of several focus points during President Obama's State of the Union address, which reiterated the administration's "all-of-the-above" energy strategy. READ MORE SHARE
Winter Brings Industry Boosts Maine Pellet Fuels Association Executive Director Bill Bell weighs in on winter sales trends and Maine pellet policy developments. READ MORE SHARE
EurObserv'ER solid biomass report reflects growth in the EU EurObserv'ER has published its annual Solid Biomass Barometer, reporting that primary energy production from solid biomass is growing. The analysis estimates that solid biomass use in the E.U. increased to 82.3 million tons of oil equivalent in 2012. READ MORE SHARE
Dean Tiessen Memorial Fund to honor agricultural entrepreneur A memorial fund has been established to honor the vision and memory of southwestern Ontario agricultural entrepreneur Dean Tiessen of New Energy Farms, who died tragically in Brazil late last year. READ MORE SHARE
CBI flail debarking, chipping system chosen for Rentech expansion A new project is underway for Continental Biomass Industries Inc. to design and build three flail debarking and chipping systems for Rentech's Canadian wood pellet facilities scheduled for installation in the spring of 2014. READ MORE SHARE
New York to launch biomass heating initiative New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has released his agenda for 2014, which includes plans to launch a biomass heating initiative in the state. The effort will help the "high-efficiency and low-emission biomass heating industry reach scale." READ MORE SHARE
Rabobank predicts greater use of agricultural residues in the EU A report recently published by the Netherlands-based Rabobank predicts that agricultural residues will play an increasing role in European bioenergy production through 2020. Woody biomass, however, is expected to continue to dominate the industry. READ MORE SHARE
Aconex software supports development of Zilkha pellet plant Aconex, a provider of construction project management software, is supporting Zilkha Biomass Energy in the design and building of its 275,000 metric ton-per-year black pellet fuel plant, which is expected to be operational in 2015. READ MORE SHARE
NY creates $1 billion Green Bank for clean energy development New York has committed $210 million in initial funding for the $1 billion NY Green Bank initiative. First introduced by N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo in his 2013 state of the state address a year ago, the bank is expected to open for business early in 2014. READ MORE SHARE
CCEMC supports biogas, MSW pellet projects Alberta-based, Climate Change and Emissions Management Corporation has added its support to 12 new renewable energy projects during 2012 and 2013, bringing its total to 51 projects with $213 million in committed funding. READ MORE SHARE