Biomass Week - May 15, 2019

Bill introduced to establish a federal clean energy standard Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., and Rep. Ben Ray Luján, D-N.M., introduced legislation May 8 that aims to establish a federal clean energy standard. Several forms of bioenergy meet the bill’s definition of clean energy. READ MORE SHARE
USDA: US pellet exports reach 610,554 tons in March The USDA Foreign Agricultural Service released updated export data May 9, reporting the U.S. exported 610,554.3 tons of wood pellets in March, up from 501,563.9 tons exported in February, and up from 374,446 tons in March 2019. READ MORE SHARE
	Inslee signs bill establishing 100% energy standard in Washington Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a suite of clean energy legislation into law May 7, including The Washington Clean Energy Transformation Act, which sets a goal of 100 percent clean electricity by 2045. READ MORE SHARE
Schumer urges Army to honor terms of 2014 agreement with ReEnergy Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., has spoken out to urge the U.S. Army to fully honor the terms of a 20-year agreement it negotiated with ReEnergy in 2014 to provide power to Fort Drum, a military installation in New York. READ MORE SHARE
Capstone signs agreement with GESS for RNG projects Capstone Turbine Corp.has signed a long-term national account agreement with Green Energy Sustainable Solutions Inc. As part of the agreement, Capstone secured an initial order for 9.6 MW of micoturbines for use in biogas projects. READ MORE SHARE
Enviva discusses plans to expand pellet capacity in Q1 results Enviva Partners LP discussed plans to increase production capacity during a first quarter 2019 earnings call held May 9. Permitting is underway for the Port of Pascagoula and a new pellet plant in Lucedale, Mississippi. READ MORE SHARE
Pinnacle to increase capacity at 2 British Columbia pellet plants Pinnacle Renewable Energy has announced plans to expansion production at its Williams Lake and Meadowbank pellet plants. The company also has a plan in place to rebuild the dryer area of its Entwistle plant, which experienced a fire in February. READ MORE SHARE
Forest Service announces 2019 Wood Innovation Grant awards On May 7, the Forest Service awarded over $8.9 million through the Wood Innovations Grant program. Thirty-nine business, university, nonprofit and tribal partners in 20 states are matching the grants with an additional $8.8 million. READ MORE SHARE
EIA predicts increase in renewable energy generation The U.S. Energy Information Administration released the May edition of its Short-Term Energy Outlook on May 7, predicting nonhydropower renewables will provide 11 percent of electricity generation in 2019, increasing to 13 percent in 2020. READ MORE SHARE
US Gain brings sixth RNG development project online U.S. Gain ha announced the completion of its sixth renewable natural gas (RNG) landfill development project located in Church Hill, Tennessee. The project will generate enough RNG to displace nearly 1.5 million gallons of diesel annually. READ MORE SHARE