Biomass energy

USDA secretary tours biofuels plant in CO

smccreary — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 -0400

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer toured a 25,000-square-foot pilot plant operated by Range Fuels in Denver this week to get a close-up view on efforts to provide a steady supply of domestic alternative fuel.

Forest Guild report identifies strategies for successful biomass removal from forests

smccreary — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 14:06:34 -0400

The new report released by the Forest Guild, Synthesis of Knowledge from Biomass Removal Case Studies, highlights successful strategies from biomass removal projects from across the country. Through funding from the Joint Fire Sciences Program and help from the U.S. Forest Service and Guild members, the Guild collected over 45 case studies of biomass removal from public, tribal, conservation, and private lands.

DOE and USDA release National Biofuels Action Plan

smccreary — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 12:18:38 -0400

USDA Secretary Ed Schafer and Department of Energy Secretary Samuel W. Bodman released the National Biofuels Action Plan (NBAP) last week, which details the collaborative efforts of federal agencies to accelerate the development of a sustainable biofuels industry.

Heightened call for fuel wood, pellets a worry for Maine foresters

smccreary — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 09:21:43 -0400

From the Bangor Daily News: As more wood is used for fuel, the demands on Maine’s forests are changing quickly. “More people don’t want to buy oil but would like to buy wood, or wood pellets,” said Tony Filauro of the Maine Division of the New England Society of American Foresters.

Renewed interest in wood as power source

smccreary — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:04:28 -0400

From the Associated Press: While airwaves have been permeated by advertisements for solar and wind power, last year wood generated more net electricity in the U.S. than those two up-and-comers combined. New wood-burning electricity plants are again being proposed from Massachusetts to New Mexico as the nation finds itself in a third energy shock.

USFS 2009 woody biomass grants

smccreary — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:32:31 -0400

The Forest Service State and Private Forestry Technology Marketing Unit announced in the Federal Register on September 11th, 2008, a Request for Proposals for Woody Biomass Utilization Grant - Forest Restoration Activities on National Forest System Lands (PDF, 60 KB) for woody biomass utilization grant applications for 2009.

Silver lining: renewable fuels company says it wants wood debris from storm

smccreary — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 13:25:12 -0400

In the midst of hurricane season, some renewable fuels companies see a potential benefit from storm debris that may occur. New York City-based Green Energy Resources is preparing for the damage recovery from Gustav and any others that may hit landfall this season. “We're very interested in getting as much as we can,” said Green Energy's CEO.

PA releases guidelines for landowners and industry on harvesting biomass

smccreary — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:54:19 -0400

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is offering guidelines for harvesting forest biomass as an alternative energy source. The guidelines were prepared with comments from various stakeholder groups after DCNR's two-year study of forest biomass energy and related issues and include a number of recommendations for private forest landowners, for example, how much biomass should be left in the forest during harvesting to protect soil quality, wildlife habitat and future forest productivity.

New DOE genome sequencing projects include Loblolly pine

smccreary — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:35:09 -0400

Loblolly pine is the most commonly planted tree species in America – accounting for about 75 percent of all seedlings planted each year – and will be the focus of one of 44 DNA sequencing projects the DOE's Joint Genome Institute will undertake in the coming year.

Major tech advances necessary for renewable energy goals to be affordable

smccreary — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:01:37 -0400

Dramatic progress in renewable energy technology is needed if the U.S. desires to produce 25 percent of its electricity and motor vehicle fuel from renewable sources by 2025 without significantly increasing consumer costs, according to a new RAND Corporation study. The study finds that biomass resources and wind power have the greatest potential to contribute toward reaching the 25 x '25 goal.