Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced $10 million in research grants to spur production of bioenergy and biobased products that will lead to the development of sustainable regional systems and help create jobs.
On Dec. 7, the Oregon Environmental Quality Commission elected to begin implementation of the state's Clean Fuels Program. A spokeswoman for the Oregon DEQ confirmed the commission voted four to one to implement the the proposed rules for phase one.
A Savannah, Ga., export terminal once used for the export of the paper industry product kaolin clay, will now give Enova Wood Pellet Group LLC a 1.35 million metric ton per year wood pellet export capacity at a single port.
The World Bioenergy Association released a new biomass fact sheet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December. The document asserts that theories on carbon debt and "payback time" of biomass are not credible.
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal has announced that Dublin-based Green Power Solutions will open a power plant at an existing paper mill in Laurens County, creating 35 permanent jobs with an initial capital investment of $95 million.
The government of Nova Scotia has sold a 30 MW biomass-fired cogeneration facility to Emera Inc. for $25 million. The Brooklyn Energy facility was recently purchased by the government as a part of a larger deal with Resolute Forest Products.
A vessel with nearly 20,000 tons of wood pellets was discharged at Wismar seaport the week of Dec. 3, according to wood pellet manufacturer German Pellets.
On Dec. 6, the U.S. Air Force announced it entered into a license agreement with New Generation Biomass, LLC, Oct. 16 to explore development of a biomass renewable energy generation facility at Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
Curtin University researchers have received $1 million of state government funding to develop a technology that rapidly and efficiently converts biomass into vapor and finely ground char particles that can be efficiently cofired with coal.
The U.K. Department for Business, Innovation & Skills recently declared the U.K. Green Investment Bank plc open for business. The entity is the world's first investment bank dedicated solely to green investments.
Researchers at the University of Maine at Fort Kent's Center for Rural Sustainable Development have been granted more than $62,000 to gauge farmer interest in growing energy grass on a large scale, and evaluate economic and market feasibility issues.
The National Resources Defense Council has unveiled a proposal to cut carbon emissions from power plants. The proposal calls on the U.S. EPA to set standards under the Clean Air Act for existing power plants, and includes proposed roles for biomass.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration has published Annual Energy Outlook 2013 Early Release Overview. The document, which provides up an update of the AEO reference case, predicts a lower rate of growth for biofuels than the AEO2012.
Bristol, England's first food waste recycling plant, which will produce enough renewable energy to power around 3,000 homes, has officially been opened. The plant, operated by Wessex Water subsidiary GENeco, will treat 40,000 metric tons of waste.
EurObserv'ER Barometer released three reports in early December outlining growth in the EU's solid biomass, biogas and renewable municipal waste sectors. According to the reports, electricity production from all three sectors increased in 2011.
The World Energy Council recently published its Energy Sustainability Index, which shows that most countries are still far from achieving fully sustainable energy systems. The U.S. ranked 27 in energy security, and 12 overall.
The Asian Development Bank and China Everbright International Ltd. have signed a loan agreement for agricultural and municipal waste-to-energy (WTE) projects in the People's Republic of China to reduce the environmental impact of waste disposal.
The U.S. DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy program has granted $130 million to 66 projects focused on breakthrough energy technologies demonstrating fundamental technical promise, but are too early for private-sector investment.
The Mexico Ministry of Energy has published information on the potential for biomass energy in a report produced as part of the country's initiative for the development of renewable energy, identifying a competitive target of 1,500 MW.
Resolute Forest Products has announced plans to build a $10 million wood pellet plant at its sawmill in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The company has secured a 10-year agreement with Ontario Power Generation to supply 45,000 metric tons of pellets annually.
The U.S. Forest Service has announced two stewardship contracts worth a combined $13.4 million to improve the health of subalpine and mountain forests affected by mountain pine beetle in the Medicine Bow-Routt and White River national forests.
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