Biomass Week - April 1, 2020

Inslee signs bill recognizing carbon benefits of forest industry Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill March 25 that recognizes the contributions of the forest products sector to the state’s climate response and affirms it is in the public interest to support all aspects of a fully integrated forest sector. READ MORE SHARE
Drax: Operations continue during COVID-19 pandemic Will Gardiner, CEO of Drax Group, released a statement on March 25 explaining how Drax and its employees are working to ensure the U.K. is supplied with the power it needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. READ MORE SHARE
	Trump signs $2 trillion CARES Act into law President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law on March 27. The bill is the third COVID-19 stimulus packaged signed into law. A fourth stimulus package is in the works that could provide more targeted relief for renewable fuel producers. READ MORE SHARE
EPA issues guidance on future SRE actions, RFS compliance date The U.S. EPA on March 27 announced it intends to develop an “appropriate implementation and enforcement response” to the Tenth Circuit Court’s SRE ruling “after appeals have been resolved and the court’s mandate has been issued." READ MORE SHARE
After delay, PA pellet producers deemed essential workforce Despite guidance from federal agencies recognizing forest product manufacturing sites as an essential critical infrastructure workforce, Pennsylvania wood pellet producers were temporarily forced to shutdown March 19. The issue was resolved March 21. READ MORE SHARE
EPA: 36.77 cellulosic RINs generated in February The U.S. EPA recently released RIN generation data for February, reporting that nearly 1.54 billion RINs were generated under the Renewable Fuel Standard during the month, including more than 36.77 million cellulosic RINs. READ MORE SHARE
COVID-19 delays construction of 299 MW biomass power plant in UK Construction on the Tees Renewable Energy Plant (Tees REP) a 299 megawatt (MW) biomass power plant in the U.K. was suspended on March 24 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A small number of critical maintenance staff remain onsite. READ MORE SHARE
Renova reaches financial close on 75 MW biomass power plant Renova Inc. announced March 24 it has reached financial close on the 74.95 megawatt (MW) Ishinomaki Hibarino Biomass Power Generation Project in Ishinomaki, Japan. The facility will be fueled with wood pellets and palm kernel shells. READ MORE SHARE
FFJ launches directory on wood bioenergy research Future Forests + Jobs announced on March 25 the launch of the FFJ Research Directory, a repository of academic research, papers and studies that document the positive contributions wood bioenergy is making to the energy sector. READ MORE SHARE
PFI urges states to exempt pellet plant from business shutdowns On March 24, the Pellet Fuels Institute sent letters to the governors of wood pellet producing states urging them to align their essential businesses policies with those outlined by the Department of Homeland Security in guidance released March 19. READ MORE SHARE