Biomass Thermal Energy Council Update
| August 2011
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Greetings!
Heating season is not that far off, and BTEC's current and upcoming activities ensure that we and our members are present at the decision making table, educating decision makers and engaging stakeholders. The Biomass Caucus, our recent accomplishment in engaging and educating Congresspeople, has doubled in size, due to the efforts of BTEC members who contacted their Representatives and encouraged them to join. At the same time, BTEC, in coordination with other biomass and thermal groups, is developing a Thermal Summit in Washington, D.C. that specifically targets Representatives and Senators regarding biomass thermal bills and a recognition of our industry's benefits. BTEC has received a continuation from the Forest Service to conduct seven additional webinars on key issues of the industry. The next webcast is scheduled for next Tuesday, August 30, at 1 PM ET and will examine public perception of biomass and key points developers need to consider in the development of a biomass project. Many thanks to our Research Fellow, Sam Glass, who has helped develop this webcast and other resources for BTEC. Sam went back to SUNY-ESF last week to finish his Master's degree, but will remain engaged in research and analysis activities for the Midwest group. Enjoy the newsletter, and consider joining BTEC to get involved in our many national and regional activities. Contact me or visit our site >> for more information. Best, Emanuel Wagner Program Coordinator - Outreach, Education and External Affairs emanuel.wagner@biomassthermal.org202-596-3974 x 360 |
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Congressional Biomass Caucus is Growing
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On July 14, 2011, BTEC applauded the formation of the first Congressional Biomass Caucus. Created by Representatives Charlie Bass (R-NH2) and Peter Welch (D-VT) to educate legislators on the benefits and challenges of the biomass industry, the coalition has won over two Representatives due to BTEC members' targeted outreach to Congressional staffers.
The U.S. Representatives Paul Tonko (D-NY21) and Michael H. Michaud (D-MA2) joined last week and BTEC thanked the new members for their commitment. We especially would like to thank Bill Bell of the Maine Pellet Fuels Association and David Dungate of ACT Bioenergy for their outreach to these two Representatives.
We invite you to also call your representative and urge them to join the Congressional Biomass Caucus. For specific instructions, click here >>
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Membership Policy Call - September 14, 1 PM ET
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Join BTEC to attend the next BTEC's Members-only Policy call, September 14 at 1 PM ET. On this call, you'll learn about: - Progress on biomass tax incentives,
- Outlook on fall's Congressional session,
- Preparations for BTEC's November membership meeting and the Washington, DC fly-in.
Calls were not held in August due to Congress's summer legislative recess, but members can track weekly biomass thermal policy developments through reading BTEC's Legislative Roundup sent Monday afternoons. Join BTEC now >> |
Thermal Summit / Membership Meeting 2011
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BTEC is currently developing the 2011 Membership Meeting, tentatively planned for mid-November. The Membership Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Thermal Summit, a broad outreach effort by a dozen industry and environment groups supporting a stronger role for thermal energy in U.S. energy policy, led by BTEC.
Plans for the Summit are currently under development, but will include numerous meetings with Congressional representatives, a Congressional Briefing and reception. Updates will follow once more details are available.
Become a member now to participate!
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Forest Service Grants BTEC Additional Webinars
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The Forest Service* has granted BTEC a no-cost extention for the Wood Education and Resource Center's 2010 grant to conduct a series of educational activities on key topics of the biomass thermal sector. The extension will enable BTEC to conduct seven additional webinars, free of charge.
The next webinar is titled "Public Perceptions of Biomass Thermal Energy: Identifying Sentiment, Overcoming Challenges" and will focus on strategies to engage communities to buy-into new biomass projects. the webinar is scheduled for August 30, 2011, 1PM ET and registration is required. Click here to register now >>
All dates for the following webinars are tentative.
- Agricultural vs. Woody Biomass - Contrasts and Comparisons
The expansion of biomass thermal energy markets will rely on the sustainable use of both woody and non-woody biomass. This webinar will note the differences and common applications of both agricultural and wood biomass feedstocks for use in thermal energy applications. (September 2011)
- The Future of Biomass Thermal Energy - Advanced Technologies
Advanced wood combustion systems, gasification systems, and other thermal energy conversion technologies are changing the path and perception of wood-to-thermal energy. This webinar will invite research scientists, combustion engineers, and leading U.S. manufacturers to share and discuss their vision of next generation biomass thermal technologies, noting barriers to implementation and identifying favorable policy and market conditions for industry growth. (September 2011)
Biomass Thermal Outlook - Regional Perspectives (Webinars 4-6): - Northeast
With federal renewable efforts delayed due to fiscal concerns, activity on renewable thermal initiatives has shifted towards states and regions. Regional advocacy groups, proposed legislation, and regional-focused market data will provide an overview of challenges and opportunities on the increased use of woody-biomass for thermal energy purposes. This will be a three-part series within the grant extension with the first webinar featuring the Northeast U.S. (October 2011)
- Midwest
The U.S. Midwest will be featured in the second regional-focused webinar. Regional advocacy groups, proposed legislation, and regional-focused market data will provide an overview of challenges and opportunities on the increased use of woody-biomass for thermal energy purposes. (October 2011)
- West
The U.S. West will be featured in the third regional-focused webinar. Regional advocacy groups, proposed legislation, and regional-focused market data will provide an overview of challenges and opportunities on the increased use of woody-biomass for thermal energy purposes. (November 2011)
- Biomass Thermal Markets - Outlook 2012-2015
Using a compilation of state, regional, and federal market data, this final webinar in the extended WERC grant series will analyze and describe the projected growth of the biomass thermal market from 2012 to 2015. Feedstocks, end-users, regulations, and potential incentives will be considered as market researchers, policy experts, and industry participants project the woody-biomass to thermal energy market over the next three years. (December 2011)
All published materials produced under the grant are available on BTEC's resource page: www.biomassthermal.org/resource
*The USDA's Forest Service is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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Progress Report on the Biomass Thermal Front
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By Charlie Niebling, BTEC Chairman
Published in Biomass Power and Thermal
When the Biomass Thermal Energy Council was founded in 2009, federal and state policy makers barely understood the potential of making heat from biomass to meet our nation's lofty energy goals.
Early forays by BTEC leaders into congressional offices were met with blank stares. State energy and climate plans overlooked this energy pathway. If it wasn't about making electricity or a liquid transportation fuel, it did not merit consideration in policy platforms such as state renewable portfolio standards (RPS) or federal renewable fuel standards.
After years of persistence by BTEC and activists, this is changing. Every day I see indications that heating and combined heat and power (CHP) with biomass is increasingly being viewed as a wise component of America's broader renewable energy strategy.
Take the Northeast, for example. In the past six months, biomass heating has moved forward on several fronts: - Read the entire article here >> |
EPA Sued By Environmentalists on Biomass Emissions Review
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On August 17, BTEC issued a statement about a new lawsuit seeking to undercut the Environmental Protection Agency's review of carbon emissions from biomass energy. The suit, filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit, challenges EPA's three-year deferral of permitting requirements for biomass-based CO2 emissions sources.
The Southern Environmental Law Center, the Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation Law Foundation and the Natural Resources Council of Maine were among the groups that joined the action.
To recap: EPA finalized the three-year deferral rule in July 2011. The agency plans to use the three-year "time out" to conduct further scientific analyses in an effort to determine how best to account for biomass emissions. Based on this analysis, the agency will then develop a rule that will specify whether or not facilities utilizing biomass-based fuel sources will require Clean Air Act permits.
Joseph Seymour, BTEC's Acting Executive Director, responded: "Using the legal system as a way to dismiss EPA's review creates further uncertainty in the industry and threatens the potential capacity of biomass in contributing to our nation's renewable energy goals."
We will keep you informed about the developments on this issue. See the press release here >> and other news reports here >>
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BTEC Helps Identify Barriers for Biomass in Massachusetts
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Partnering with Meister Consulting Group (MCG), BTEC co-hosted a biomass thermal workshop in Boston, MA on August 16 that explored state and industry barriers to wider use of biomass heating equipment. The workshop, commissioned by the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council's and in coordination with the state Department of Energy Resources, is part of study on renewable thermal technologies and incentives.
Approximately 15 biomass thermal-related business representatives from Massachusetts and the surrounding areas attended and shaped the discussion. MCG will conduct similar workshops with other renewable thermal technologies and will produce a report noting the findings in the upcoming months.
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Biomass Industry News
| BTEC Members receive a more comprehensive list of noteworthy biomass news.
Acquisitions, Expansions & Mergers Plum Creek (BTEC Member) Posts Higher 2Q Earnings
Plum Creek, a BTEC member, and the largest private landowner in the United States, has reported a 2Q profit increase of 26%. Read more >>
Project Development
Enviva (BTEC Member) Announces New Pellet Mill Construction in North Carolina Facility will produce 400K metric tons of pellets and create 62 jobs. Read more >> BERC (BTEC Member) Publishes New Evaluation Tool to Assess Viability of Biomass Technology in NH The "Community Roadmap to Renewable Woody Biomass Energy: A Step-by-Step Decision-Making Tool for New Hampshire Communities" was developed as an evaluation process to help communities determine whether woody biomass technology makes sense at a facility or district level. Read more >> Feedstocks & Fuels
Twin Ports Testing (BTEC Member) outlines details of pellet mill quality management
All pellet producers intending to qualify under PFI's new standards program will need to write a quality management program, as will any individual production facility.Read more here >> and here >>
State and Federal Policy & Regulatory Developments
NH - NH PUC Enhances Residential Wood Pellet Heat Incentive The New Hampshire Public Utilities Commission is enhancing its rebate program for residential pellet heat, offering a 30 percent system and installation rebate of up to $6,000 on bulk-fed wood pellet central boilers and furnaces. Read more >>
Regional Activities Bear Mountain Forest Products (BTEC Member) Visited by Obama advisers to Study Forest Practices
Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, along with a team of additional advisors toured several forestry and wood energy related sites in Oregon, including a pellet manufacturing plant. Read more >>
Developments Abroad
UK Campaign Backs Biomass
The U.K. Renewable Energy Association on Aug. 23 launched its Back Biomass campaign, aimed at ensuring suitable levels of government support for biomass power and combined heat and power. Read more >>
Other News Alliance for Green Heat (BTEC Member) Demands Subsidy Parity for Biomass Installations to Solar Policy makers need to recognize that a $1,000 tax incentive for a biomass stove could offset as much fossil fuel as a $10,000 solar rebate. Read more >> |
New Publications
| This section features new research papers, studies and publications relevant to the biomass thermal industry. Major publications are available on the BTEC website, under Resource Center - Publications. See all publications >>
IEA Report: Biomass and Carbon Capture and Storage has Potential to Generate Energy with a Negative Carbon Balance According to a new study by the International Energy Agency, biomass energy/thermal production, along with Carbon Capture and Storage Technology, has the potential to remove 10 gigatonnes of carbon from the system per year, while providing significant levels of heat and electricity. Read more >>
Updated "Billion Ton" Study Released
The Department of Energy and the Oak Ridge National Laboratory released the seminal "Billion Ton" study, detailing biomass inventories in the United States, in 2005. This month they have released the the updated version of this report - dubbed by some as the "Son of the Billion Ton Study." Read More >>
University of Washington LCA Study Finds Biomass Emits Significantly Less Carbon than Coal
A life cycle analysis by Bruce Lippke of the University of Washington has found that biomass emits only 4% of the carbon dioxide than coal. Read More >>
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BTEC Press Releases
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BTEC Supports EPA's 3-Year Deferral Decision on Biomass Emissions
A lawsuit filed against the EPA would jeopardize the agency's ability to conduct further research on biogenic emissions
August 17, 2011 Washington, DC - The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) expressed serious concern today about a new lawsuit seeking to undercut the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) review of carbon emissions from biomass energy. The suit, filed by several environmental groups in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia circuit, challenges EPA's three-year deferral of permitting requirements for biomass-based CO2 emissions sources. Read more >> BTEC Publishes Educational Materials on Biomass Thermal, Announces Continuation of Webinar Series
The complete series of biomass-themed webinars, factsheets, podcast interviews, and comprehensive presentation are now available online
August 11, 2011 Washington, DC - The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) today announced the availability of an array of educational materials funded in part by a grant from the U.S. Forest Service's Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC). Over 12 months, BTEC produced a series of seven webinars, five fact sheets, ten podcasts, and a comprehensive slide show presentation on key issues impacting the biomass thermal industry. Read more >>
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Events & Conference Discounts
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For a complete overview of upcoming conferences, workshops and events, visit http://www.biomassthermal.org/events. BTEC Supported Events: Northeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show 
Date: September 14-16, 2011 Location: Pittsburgh, PA
More info: http://ne.biomassconference.com
BTEC Member Discount: YES
Details: The Northeast Biomass Conference & Trade Show program will include more than 60 speakers, including technical presentations on topics ranging from anaerobic digestion and gasification to combined heat and power and large-scale biomass combustion, within the structured framework of general session panels and four customized tracks.
RETECH 2011: The Renewable Energy Technology
Conference & Exhibition
Date: September 20-22, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
More info: http://www.retech2011.com/
BTEC Member Discount: YES
Details: RETECH 2011 continues the tradition of assembling all of the renewable energy technologies, industries and applications in one place; providing government officials, executives, engineers, financiers, and other professionals a one-stop annual update on renewable energy.
Update: BTEC will present on a panel, discussing key regulatory, tax and other policy impediments and opportunities for wider use of renewable biomass and thermal technology. Be sure to use your member discount and let us know if you're planning to attend. ### Interested in discounts or need the discount code? Join BTEC and call Emanuel Wagner at 202-596-3974 x360.
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