Mississippi approves $75M loan to biomass company for five new plants
Posted on Tuesday, August 31, 2010The Mississippi state legislature has approved Governor Barbour's special session request for a $75 million loan to KiOR for a proposed development of five biofuel plants. The projects will create 1,000 direct and indirect jobs over a five-year period and will generate $85 million in incremental payroll for the state, according to KiOR. In addition, timber feedstock for the woodchip-based pyrolysis process will be acquired in Mississippi.
Biomass industry seeks revamp of proposed boiler rules
Posted on Friday, August 27, 2010The biomass industry is demanding that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revamp newly proposed standards (PDF) that would impose strict emissions limits on boilers in wood-burning plants, claiming the new standards would require billions in equipment upgrades that would "endanger" the "entire renewable energy industry," reports SolveClimate News.
Montana biomass project slated to receive federal funds
Posted on Friday, July 30, 2010The Energy and Water Appropriations Act passed the Senate Appropriations Committee last week would provide $800,000 for the Tri-County Biomass Pilot Project, which would use woody biomass produced in Lewis and Clark, Jefferson and Broadwater counties to create renewable energy for the city of Helena. The three counties yield about 350,000 tons of biomass a year, from sources like dead trees.
MORE: The Washington Department of Natural Resources has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Forest Service to study the state forests' biomass supply.
Biomass battle heats up in Massachusetts
Posted on Friday, July 9, 2010Biomass-plant developers have blasted the Massachusetts governor's move to curtail use of wood-burning power plants in the state, saying the decision was based on a "mischaracterized" environmental study. Even some of the authors of the “Manomet” report blamed the media for distorting what the report found.
Meanwhile, Stop Spewing Carbon, a group working to get a ballot question before voters to stop state financial incentives for wood-burning power plants, pulled the question after the state signaled it would fundamentally alter how it calculates the plants' greenhouse gas emission benefits.
Forest Service and U.S. Endowment launch biomass partnership
Posted on Wednesday, July 7, 2010The USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities have developed a joint-venture designed to advance sustainable uses of woody biomass. Each organization has committed a minimum of $2 million in the initial phase of the partnership. Funded projects will provide at least a 50% local match extending the reach of the initiative to more than $6 million. Several projects are already in the pipeline and will be announced soon.
USDA announces woody biomass utilization grant projects
Posted on Wednesday, June 30, 2010The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week the award of more than $4.2 million in grants to 13 small businesses and community groups developing innovative renewable energy projects and new product development using woody biomass from hazardous fuel reduction projects on National Forest land.
New Pinchot report on biomass supply, sustainability, and policy
Posted on Wednesday, June 23, 2010A new report from the Pinchot Institute for Conservation and the H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment concludes that with planning and foresight, the U.S. can meet both important policy goals of expanding the use of renewable energy and ensuring the sustainable use of the nation’s sustainable forest resources. "Forest Sustainability in the Development of Wood Bioenergy in the U.S.," summarizes the results of a two-year study of the challenges and opportunities for sustainable wood bioenergy.
BPA requests apology for misleading biomass report
Posted on Wednesday, June 16, 2010The Biomass Power Association is requesting an apology and a clarification statement from the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for misinformation communicated in a study released June 10, which examines biomass energy in the state.
Mass. releases biomass sustainability study
Posted on Friday, June 11, 2010The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources has released a Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy study, which it commissioned in November 2009. The study was performed by a research team led by the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences. Findings indicate that the use of sustainably harvested forest biomass to replace oil heat would likely begin to yield benefits in greenhouse gas emissions reduction in as little as five years, but electricity from biomass compares unfavorably with fossil fuels, including coal.
EPA emissions standards for boilers
Posted on Thursday, June 3, 2010The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a set of regulatory proposals under the Clean Air Act to reduce emissions from boilers, process heaters, and certain solid waste incinerators. Under this proposal, new and existing biomass boilers would be required to meet certain emission limits for carbon monoxide and particulate matter. EPA is seeking feedback on these draft emission standards in a Federal Register notice; comments must be received on or before July 19.
