Biomass Week - October 2, 2019

Fiber costs fall for US pellet producers, rise for Canadian Wood fiber costs for U.S. pellet manufacturers fell in the Q2 2019, while Canadian pellet producers experienced higher costs due to reduced supply of sawmill residues, reports the North American Wood Fiber Review. READ MORE SHARE
Senate bill provides tax incentives for biogas investments Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Pat Roberts, R-Kan., introduced the Agricultural Environmental Stewardship Act on Sept. 24. The bill provides a 30 percent investment tax credit to help offset the upfront costs associated with building a biodigester. READ MORE SHARE
	EPA: 1.65 billion RINs generated in August The U.S. EPA has released renewable identification number (RIN) generation data for August, reporting that that nearly 1.65 billion RINs were generated during the month, including 37.37 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
Agenda announced for North Dakota Energy Conference & Expo Produced by BBI International in partnership with HB Sound & Light, the North Dakota Energy Conference will cover the vast energy resources available in the state. The event will take place in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Nov. 13-14. READ MORE SHARE
NYSERDA: New York renewable fuels jobs up 2.5% in 2018 The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority announced Sept. 24 the state’s clean energy economy employed nearly 159,000 workers last year. Employment in renewable fuels, which includes biofuels and wood pellets, was up 2.5 percent. READ MORE SHARE
USDA: Final rule to speed development of infrastructure projects The USDA published a final rule Sept. 23 that allows agency administrators additional flexibility to obligate federal funds associated with certain infrastructure projects, including those associated with several of its rural development programs. READ MORE SHARE
Valmet builds biorefining pilot facility in Sweden Valmet is developing a pilot facility at its Fiber Technology Center in Sundsvall, Sweden, to strengthen its research and development capabilities related to bioenergy, biofuels and biochemicals. The new pilot facility will start up in October 2020. READ MORE SHARE
ORNL customizes microbes for better biofuel production Scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated a method to insert genes into a variety of microorganisms that previously would not accept foreign DNA, with the goal of creating custom microbes to break down plants for bioenergy. READ MORE SHARE