Biomass Week - December 20, 2017

Biofuels industry celebrates 10th anniversary of EISA Dec. 19 marks the 10th anniversary of former President George W. Bush signing the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 into law, establishing the current version of the Renewable Fuel Standard. READ MORE SHARE
EIA releases pellet production, sales data for September The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the December edition of its Monthly Densified Biomass Fuel Report, announcing respondents reported producing 433,464 tons of utility pellets and 133,344 tons of heating pellets in September. READ MORE SHARE
	Florida PSC approves RNG program for Peoples Gas The Florida Public Service Commission has approved a renewable natural gas (RNG) program for TECO Peoples Gas system that will allow it to upgrade biogas generated by customers, and—in some circumstances—transport the resulting RNG in its pipeline. READ MORE SHARE
Alberta to provide funding to support biofuels, bioenergy In early December, the government of Alberta announced plans to award $1.4 billion over seven years to support innovative projects funded by the Climate Leadership Plan. A portion of that funding will support bioenergy and biofuel projects. READ MORE SHARE
Drax reports biomass outage following rail-related fire Drax Group plc has announced an unplanned outage on the rail unloading facilities at Drax Power Station is restricting biomass deliveries to plant. Drax also said generation on two biomass-fired units has been reduced. READ MORE SHARE
ACE asks conference committee to extend biofuel tax credits Brian Jennings, CEO of the American Coalition for Ethanol, is asking the conference committee negotiating changes to House and Senate tax bills to extend the cellulosic biofuel tax credit and biodiesel tax credit as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. READ MORE SHARE
Brazil’s Senate passes bill creating a national biofuels policy Brazil's Senate approved a bill Dec. 12 creating a national biofuels policy, RenovaBio, to increase use of biodiesel and ethanol, in addition to other biofuels, to improve the nation's energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. READ MORE SHARE
Scotland biofuel company to build whisky residue biofuel plant A Scottish biofuel start-up, Celtic Renewables, plans to build a commercial demonstration plant in Grangemouth, which will produce over 500,000 liters (132,000 gallons) of biofuel annually, according to a press release. READ MORE SHARE
House Agriculture Committee launches Farm Bill webpage, videos On Dec. 13, the House Agriculture Committee launched a landing page for the 2018 Farm Bill that is designed to provide updates and information related to development of the legislation. The committee is also launching a Farm Bill video series. READ MORE SHARE
The biofuels industry reacts to White House RFS meetings President Trump has hosted two meetings with Sen.Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and others focused on the RFS and RINs. Members of the biofuels industry are speaking out against efforts to undermine the RFS and are offering solutions to help lower RIN prices. READ MORE SHARE
NB Power to find new fuel source for Belledune plant New Brunswick, Canada-based NB Power has announced plans to eliminate coal from its energy mix by 2030 by identifying a new energy source for its Belledune Generating Station. The utility is investigating the use of hydrogen, biomass and natural gas. READ MORE SHARE
EIA revises 2017, 2018 bioenergy, wood heating forecasts The U.S. Energy Information Administration has released the December edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook, revising its 2017 and 2018 forecasts for bioenergy production and residential wood heating. READ MORE SHARE
Canada releases Clean Fuel Standard framework Environment and Climate Change Canada released the preliminary Clean Fuel Standard regulatory framework Dec. 13, according to a press release from non-profit Renewable Industries Canada. READ MORE SHARE
SRP to seek proposals for large renewable energy projects Salt River Project is preparing to issue a request for proposals (RFP) in early 2018 for 100 MW of new renewable energy. The RFPs will be issued next month and will consider a number of technologies, including solar, wind, geothermal and biomass. READ MORE SHARE
Researchers convert dairy waste water into animal feed, biofuel Scientists have developed a bioprocess that enables conversion of acid whey, a dairy by-product, without the use of additional chemicals. The process uses microbiome cultures similar to those in the human gut. READ MORE SHARE
Neste considers expanding renewable capacity in Singapore Neste's board of directors has decided that Neste's additional production capacity for renewable diesel, renewable aviation fuel and raw materials for various biochemical uses will be located in Singapore. READ MORE SHARE
Bacteria development marks new era in cellular design Scientists at the universities of Kent and Bristol have built a miniature scaffold inside bacteria that can be used to bolster cellular productivity, with implications for the next generation of biofuel production. READ MORE SHARE
Grant supports research to turn bacteria into biofuel producers Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis have received a $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to develop bacteria that manufacture renewable biofuels—energy sources made from plants or microbes. READ MORE SHARE
NREL develops novel method to produce renewable acrylonitrile A new study from the Energy Department’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory establishes a novel catalytic method to produce renewable acrylonitrile using 3-hydroxypropionic acid (3-HP), which can be biologically produced from sugars. READ MORE SHARE
California Biodiesel Alliance changes name, expands scope The board of directors of the California Biodiesel Alliance has voted to broaden the scope of membership to include advanced biofuels. To reflect the change, the organization has changed its name to the California Advanced Biofuels Alliance. READ MORE SHARE
NREL researchers engineer better cellulose-degrading enzymes Researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory have gained new insights into how glycosylation—the natural attachment of sugars to proteins—affects a key cellulase enzyme. READ MORE SHARE