Biomass Week - March 11, 2020

UDSA: US pellet exports reach 500,904 tons in January The U.S. exported 500,904 metric tons of wood pellets in January, according to data released by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service on March 6. Exports were up from both the previous month and January 2019. READ MORE SHARE
Wyden introduces energy bill amendment that benefits biomass Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., filed an amendment to the American Energy Innovation Act on March 3 that includes an expansion of the residential energy tax credit to include efficient biomass thermal boilers and furnaces. READ MORE SHARE
	Court extends deadline to challenge SRE ruling until March 24 The Trump administration will have 15 additional days to decide whether to challenge a Jan. 24 ruling by the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that struck down three small refinery exemptions (SREs) approved by the U.S. EPA. READ MORE SHARE
New Mexico governor signs bill to extend biomass tax credit New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a bill on March 4 that extends the state’s agricultural biomass income tax and corporate income tax credit for 10 years, through Jan. 1, 2030. The bill also establishes new reporting requirements. READ MORE SHARE
Food waste recycling bill sent to New Jersey governor The New Jersey Senate on March 5 passed a food waste recycling bill that expands the definition of Class I renewables to include electricity generated from methane produced by food waste processing. The bill will now be considerd by the governor. READ MORE SHARE
Kinetrex celebrates opening of RNG plant in Indiana Kinetrex Energy, EDL and South Side Landfill on March 3 celebrated the completion of the Indy High BTU plant at the Indianapolis South Side Landfill. The plant will convert landfill methane gas into RNG. READ MORE SHARE
Drax achieves industry-leading safety record Drax achieved an industry-leading safety record during 2019 with Morehouse BioEnergy surpassing the two-year mark with no recordable safety incidents. The company's port operation in Baton Rouge also reached a new safety benchmark. READ MORE SHARE
Perdue appoints Brand to lead USDA Rural Development U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue on Feb. 28 announced the appointment of Bette Brand to serve as USDA Rural Development Deputy. Brand replaces former Rural Development Deputy Donald “DJ” LaVoy following his retirement. READ MORE SHARE
USDA issues rule on Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program The USDA’s Commodity Credit Corp. and Farm Service Agency published a final rule on March 2 implementing changes to the agency’s Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP), as required by the 2018 Farm Bill. READ MORE SHARE
Brightmark partners with Michigan dairy farms to produce RNG Brightmark Energy has partnered with three Western Michigan farms on the latest in a series of biogas projects the company has launched over the past two years. Dairy manure from the farms will be used to produce RNG. READ MORE SHARE