• Biomass Thermal Energy Council Update
• BTEC Received USDA Forest Service WERC Grant
• Proposed EPA Emission Standards for Biomass Boilers
• Tax Incentives for Biomass Heating Systems
• Manomet Study
• Member News
• BTEC Press Releases
• Heating the Northeast With Renewable Biomass - A Bold Vision for 2025
• Event and Conference Announcements
  
  

Greetings,

Welcome to the July Newsletter of the Biomass Thermal Energy Council.

Big news to report. In June, BTEC was awarded a $58,000 grant from the U.S. Forest Service. This was the first grant BTEC ever applied for and we were one of 24 recipients selected. This grant is in support of a project to develop educational resources on the benefits of biomass thermal energy for industrial, commercial and residential use. This project will include fact sheets, web resources, webinars, audio interviews, and a slide presentation. These are the kinds of resources that those in the industry will be able to use to educate potential customers, investors, and other key stakeholders about the use of biomass for thermal energy. An advisory group of BTEC members will be guiding our efforts on this project. To get involved in the development of these resources, join BTEC today.

Also in June, we issued two press statements aimed at elevating awareness of the benefits of biomass thermal energy. One of these statements was a joint press release with the recently formed American Biogas Council. Links to both statements are included below.

Several member-led work groups are tackling issues important to the industry. One of the most active groups is focused on developing public comments to EPA’s recently proposed boiler emission standards. Other groups are working on biomass fuel and appliance standards and a market study for biomass thermal industry.

Read on to learn more about what BTEC has been up to and ways you can lend your support. Of course, the easiest and most valuable way to get involved is through membership.

If you are in the business of using biomass for heating, cooling, or CHP, you will benefit from membership in BTEC. For reasons why, visit our website at www.biomassthermal.org/membership to or contact us to discuss how to get involved.

If you have any comments, questions, or feedback, feel free to email me or give me a call. Thanks for reading!

Emanuel Wagner
BTEC Program Associate
202-596-3974 x360

In June, the USDA Forest Service Wood Education Resource Center (WERC) awarded BTEC a $58,000 grant to advance education and outreach on biomass thermal energy.

This project will produce an array of educational tools on biomass thermal energy, including fact
sheets, web resources, webinars, audio interviews, and a slide presentation for use by all stakeholders. All tools will be free and available to the public through BTEC and WERC.

• WERC Press Release >> 
  
• View the Project Proposal Summary >>
  

We are establishing an Advisory Group of BTEC members to provide guidance for this project. Members of the working group will be able to review draft documents and provide input into the content development for this project. If you want to get involved, join BTEC!

On June 4, EPA released four proposed rules intended to curb emissions from commercial and industrial boilers and incinerators, as well as redefine the fuel status of non-hazardous materials. It is our assessment that these new limits would severely impact biomass boiler systems and in response, BTEC formed a working group, composed of 10 BTEC members, to generate a formal response and recommend improved standards.

The official BTEC response to EPA's Area Source Boiler Rule will be circulated among members beginning mid-July and will be available for public viewing and dissemination shortly thereafter. EPA's deadline for comments on the proposed rule is August 3, 2010.

For more information BTEC's response, please visit: www.biomassthermal.com/legislative/mact.asp.

To read more about EPA's four proposed rules, please visit: www.epa.gov/airquality/combustion/actions.html.

Join BTEC today to get connected to our efforts in this area and to download our factsheet on the new EPA proposals >>

BTEC's governmental affairs team has seen an active month involving numerous meetings with congressional staff and continued monitoring of biomass thermal legislation. Through these interactions with key congressional office, BTEC's outreach efforts to members of the Senate Finance Committee are proving effective. Also, the governmental affairs team is gathering support for various House and Senate biomass bills (S. 3188, S. 1630, H.R. 5019, H.R. 2080, etc) as these initiatives head into a crowded fall legislative calendar.

A new biomass thermal tax incentive is in development on the Senate side; Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) is circulating draft legislation which would extend the renewable electricity production tax credit to thermal energy. The bill, tentatively labeled the "Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act," has yet to be introduced, but BTEC will evaluate the legislation once it becomes available. To view BTEC's current legislative priorities, please visit: http://biomassthermal.com/legislative/index.asp

BTEC's mission to provide its members the latest information on the many biomass thermal policy developments in Washington. 

Each Friday afternoon, BTEC members receive the Legislative Roundup, in which BTEC's legislative representatives and staff outline BTEC's activities and provide detailed, but accessible updates on the latest policy developments in Washington D.C. Contact us if you would like to read an example.

BTEC also provides members with one-page fact sheets on the bills and regulations that may affect their business. You may review a sample fact sheet here >>.

Join BTEC today to get connected to our efforts in this area and to download factsheets on each of these bills >>

In June, the Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences released “Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy Study”, a report that was the culmination of a 6 month study commissioned by the MA Department of Energy Resources (DOER) to answer questions about using forest wood for energy in Massachusetts. This study garnered a lot of media attention due to its new comprehensive framework for accounting for greenhouse gas emissions from biomass energy.

Some early media reports misinterpreted the results of the study and concluded that the use of biomass for energy is worse than coal. In response, BTEC issued a statement, which can be found below with some additional resources:

• BTEC Statement on the study >>
• Article reviewing the misinterpretations >>
• Manomet Press Release >>
  
• Full Report & Executive Summary >>
• Audio Interview with Tom Walker and Chris Recchia >>
• Statement of the Biomass Energy Resource Center regarding the Manomet study >>

DOER in Massachusetts is scheduling hearings in July on potential changes to biomass policies, and BTEC will follow these developments closely.

BTEC members' activities are featured items in BTEC communications and provide a snapshot of current developments in the biomass thermal industry. For general news on the biomass industry, see the news section on the BTEC website:

For general news on the biomass industry, see the news section on the BTEC website:  www.biomassthermal.org/news/biomassNews.asp

Member News:

Bear Mountain Forest Products (BMFP) Partnering With Ochoco Lumber Company
BMFP will market materials from Ochoco's new pellet plant. Read more >>

Beaver Wood Energy Proposed 29MW Biomass Plant & 110,000-Ton Integrated Wood Pellet Manufacturing Facility
Both plants would utilize wood waste from logging and forest residues from a 50 mile. Read more >>

Biomass Energy Resource Center Sponsors Public Forum Discussion in Montpelier, VT
Panelists included Natural Resources Council and the Sierra Club. Read more >>

Clean Power Development (CPD) Competes to Build Biomass Plant in Berlin, NH
Seeking permission for construction of small scale plant. Read more >>

FutureMetrics and Clean Power Development LLC to Present Case Studies at Biomass Conference
Will participate in panel, addressing conversion and CHP projects. Read more >>

Innovative Natural Resource Solutions Welcomes Forest Guild's Harvesting Guidelines
"[The Guidelines] certainly seem very well thought out." Read more >>

International Wood Fuels' Burnham Pellet Plant Now Slated for 2011
Plant is victim of tight financing and lower demand. Read more >>

Maine Pellet Fuels Association Welcomes Findings of Manomet Study
"[...] generating electricity from wood is a poor use." Read more >>

New England Wood Pellet, Sandri Announce Strategic Partnership, Sale of Propell Energy
Propell Energy was founded in 2008 to market commercial- and industrial-scale pellet boilers. Read more >>

Plum Creek Timber completes $200M repurchase
Company repurchased nearly 1.4 million shares in second quarter. Read more >>

PowerStock appoints Harrison Pettit to Development Role
Will take the position of vice president of business development. Read more >>

Rainforest Alliance Releases New Verification Mark to Recognize Achievements in Sustainability
New verification mark to recognize businesses and projects that have achieved significant and measurable sustainability milestones. Read more >>

Skanden Energy Reaches Semifinalist Round at CleanTech Open
Competes with 6 organizations for $50,000 award for best business plan in energy efficiency category. Read more >>

SUNY ESF Sees Future Of American Chestnut In Bioengineered Trees
90 ‘plantlets’ planted near Zoar Valley; may resist the blight. Read more >>

Turboden Breaks Into UK Heat Recovery Market
Sold two 1 MWe modular heat recovery ORC units to Blue-NG. Read more >>

Turboden Referenced by Canadian Bioenergy Association in Call to Develop Bioenergy in Canada
Utilization biomass for heat and power provides huge market opportunities with right policy support.Read more >>

Vapor Locomotive Company Reports Initial Operation of Biomass Combustor Successful
Combustion system for utilizing process residual woody biomass to operate a hydronically-heated dry kiln enters service. Read more >>

Vermont Wood Pellet Co. nearly doubles production
"Decision to expand production was based on demand with pre-buy orders for next season." Read more >>

WoodPellets.com Commends Patrick Administration for Groundbreaking Biomass Sustainability Study
"Study offers further evidence that using renewable biomass to generate heat is the cleanest, most efficient use of our biomass resources." Read more >>

BTEC issued two press statements aimed at elevating awareness of the benefits of biomass thermal energy. One of these statements was a joint press release with the recently formed American Biogas Council:  

• Bioenergy Associations Join Call for Shift in Energy Policy and Investment in Clean Energy Technologies

• Massachusetts Study Recognizes Significant Benefits of Biomass Thermal Energy

The report in the media:

• Study: Wood pellets could boost region
• Pellets Seen As Solution In Maine
• Pellets potential still underused
• Extolling the benefits of heating with pellets: The switch from oil makes sense on many levels, but it won't occur without government help.

	Vision Summary >>		Full Report (44 pages) >>

Northeast BIOMASS Conference & Expo Date: August 4 - 6, 2010 Location: Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA, USA More info: ne.biomassconference.com BTEC Member Discount: $150

Details: The Northeast BIOMASS Conference & Expo 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. Register here >>

International training seminar "Biomass heating - Market development and technologies"September 15-17, 2010, Linz/Austria

The market transformation towards modern, high-efficiency biomass heating presents enormous opportunities for local economic development, for decreasing energy costs and for climate and environment protection.

The seminar will offer interactive learning in an international group, educational site-visits and presentations by experts in biomass technologies, market development, forestry and environment.

Website and registration here >>

Southeast BIOMASS Conference & Expo Date: November 2 - 4, 2010 Location: Hyatt Regency, Atlanta, GA More info: se.biomassconference.com BTEC Member Discount: $50 on early bird registration, then $150

Details: The Southeast BIOMASS Conference & Expo 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.

The abstract deadline was extended to July 16, 2010.  Register or submit abstracts here >>