PFI's Weekly Newsletter

 

 

June 9, 2017

In this Week's Pellet Wire:



Book Your Hotel Room for the 2017 PFI Annual Conference and Win $150!     

Hotel rooms for the PFI Annual Conference in Stowe, VT, are going fast! Nearly 60% of our room block is already spoken for, so be sure to book as soon as possible. If you reserve your room by June 23, you will be automatically entered to win a $150 Visa gift card! What are you waiting for? Book your room today!

The PFI Annual Conference is the premiere trade show and conference for the domestic pellet fuels industry. By attending, you will have key opportunities to network with your colleagues across the country, and to learn about the latest trends in pellet fuels. Check out the latest conference schedule here

Staying at the Stowe Mountain Lodge makes attending the PFI annual conference convenient and easy. All PFI attendees receive a discounted rate of $259. Take advantage of this discount while it lasts!

Stowe has been a destination for world travelers for well over a century. The alpine style of the lodge reflects the beauty of the green mountains and rolling hills. Having opened in June 2008, Stowe Mountain Lodge sets a new standard of luxury and aesthetics for the East Coast's most magnificent resort.Built at the base of Stowe Mountain Resort, in the new "Vermont-Alpine" style, Stowe Mountain Lodge offers a truly luxurious setting while still paying respect to the Vermont traditions of utilizing local artisan products and embracing the tranquility of nature. We can't wait to see you this July in Stowe! Sign up today to secure your spot.

In conjunction with a dynamic conference program, you can visit some of the nearby sites like the Alchemist Brewery and some of the best shopping and dining Vermont has to offer. Combined with some of the area outdoor activities such as zip lining, biking, the PFI conference is a must-attend event. Take a look at all the great things Stowe has to offer.

We hope to see you this summer in Vermont! Please contact [email protected] with any questions. 


Connect with PFI on Linkedin

This week, PFI updated its LinkedIn page. We'd like to connect and interact with PFI members and anyone else involved in pellet fuels production!

Here's how you can help us build our online community:
1. Follow us on LinkedIn!
2. Encourage your colleagues and other business associates to follow us.
3. Send Carrie Annand news or other ideas to post on LinkedIn. 


Government Affairs Update: BTU Act, Administration

BTU Act

The National Wildlife Federation is preparing a letter in support of the BTU Act that it intends to send to members of the House and Senate. We have been courting NWF for the last several months and received word recently that they are endorsing the bill and will work with us in securing its enactment.

On the industry side, PFI has been approached by several organizations in the wood products space about also helping pass this critical bill. The Hardwood Federation, which is the national political voice of the hardwood forest products industry, has endorsed the bill and is working Congress to line up support. We will be briefing the Southeast Lumber Manufacturers Association later in June about bringing them on board as well. The growing residuals problem at wood products mills is driving their interest as enactment of the BTU Act would help address this issue.

Administration

On Monday, we will be on hand at a meeting with Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to discuss a range of forestry, forest products and bioenergy issues. The meeting was arranged to provide the new Secretary with a better understanding of the entire biomass value chain.


Bioenergy Day 2017 - Save the Date for October 18

Wednesday, October 18, marks the day for the Fifth Annual Bioenergy Day. With more than four months to go, there's plenty of time to decide how your organization will recognize the day, sharing with audiences old and new the many benefits of bioenergy. We hope you will join us on Thursday, June 22, at 2pm EDT/11am PDT for our first planning call of 2017. Dial in at 605-477-2100 (code 335079#).

This year, we are highlighting the economic benefits of bioenergy. The presence of bioenergy in a community creates jobs, enhances revenue and forest products markets, and reduces waste. Our video on bioenergy, forest products and forestry in Northwestern Montana will illustrate how manufacturers convert leftover fuels into energy. 
 
There are many ways to contribute to Bioenergy Day 2017. We've uploaded our Participation Guide on the site to help you brainstorm the ways to mark Bioenergy Day, with some best practices and sample materials. You can also look around out website, www.bioenergyday.org, to see how other groups have approached Bioenergy Day. 

Contact Carrie Annand with any questions on Bioenergy Day 2017 or to register your organization's event. 


2017 PFI Sponsorship & Advertising Opportunities

PFI invites you to become a 2017 sponsor! This year, we have developed a new, streamlined sponsorship program that will create multiple opportunities for your company in 2017. Your company will have great visibility at PFI events, on the PFI website, and in the PFI newsletter, amongst other benefits.

The 2017 Sponsorship packages include benefits such as:

  • PFI Annual Conference registrations
  • Breakfast & Biomass registrations
  • Company logo listed on the PFI website
  • 10x10 booth at the PFI Annual Conference
  • Weekly newsletter advertising
  • Website advertising
  • And more!

PFI's membership includes over 100 member companies, and our electronic newsletter is sent to over 3,500 people every week. Now is the time to become a sponsor of this organization. Visit our website to explore how you can become involved.


Follow and Connect With Us on Social Media!

We urge all PFI members to engage with us on social media. By joining PFI in being visible and active on social media, we can make our voices heard more loudly and by many more audiences.

Follow us on Twitter: @PelletFuel
Friend us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/pfipellets
Link with us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/pellet-fuels-institute


Have News to Share on Pellet Wire?

We'd love to feature your company's news in a future Pellet Wire! We want to be the first to know your company's recent developments to share them with the wider pellet fuels industry.

Please be in touch with Carrie Annand at [email protected] with information on your company's growth, job openings, promotions or other news. 


Join a PFI Committee

We welcome and encourage all interested PFI members to get involved in our committees. There are many opportunities to help steer the association. No matter where your expertise and interests lie, we have a committee that will suit you. Help us plan our next conference, shape our policy agenda, lead communications outreach or grow the PFI Standards Program. Visit PFI's website for more information. 



Upcoming Industry Events

July 23-25, 2017: PFI Annual Conference

Connect with PFI

PelletHeat.org
Facebook
Twitter
Join PFI


Fuel Availability

Are you a PFI member pellet manufacturer or distributor that has fuel available? Email [email protected] to have your listing updated or added to the PFI website.


Industry News

Opinion: Setting the Record Straight on the Paris Agreement 
Biomass Magazine 

Even though President Trump has chosen to withdraw the U.S. from the Paris Agreement, U.S .pellet producers will still be able to participate in mitigating the negative impacts of climate change by continuing to supply sustainable wood pellets to European power generators, thereby helping EU member-states meet their renewable energy targets under the Paris Agreement. To this end, legislation is currently making its way through the EU in the form of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II). Over the next six to 12 months, the RED II will be debated, drafted, amended, and redrafted several times before the European Parliament and European Council ultimately reach a consensus and approve language in the legislation. 

Read Full Article


New Law takes Aim at Minnesota's Biomass Industry  
Duluth News Tribune

If plant owners and the Public Utilities Commission agree to details, the new law allows Xcel Energy to purchase and decommission a small power plant in Benson in western Minnesota that burns turkey manure and wood chips for fuel. It also, with the same approvals, can stop buying power from a pair of municipal plants on the Iron Range that were converted to burn wood chips.

The law has upset environmental leaders who object to how the renewable energy fund will be used. And it has outraged loggers, who first heard of the plan late in the legislative session and said it could devastate many of their businesses.

Read Full Article


Letter: Support Biomass Plants  
Concord Monitor, New Hampshire

Since the 1980s, New Hampshire has had a strong biomass power industry that is the envy of many other states. Our biomass (wood chip) power plants provide significant annual economic benefit and jobs to New Hampshire while helping meet our electricity needs.

The biomass plants support many small and medium-sized businesses in the logging and forestry industry. New Hampshire is the second most forested state in the country, with two-thirds of all the standing timber considered low-grade (i.e. unable to produce lumber). Timberland owners, foresters, loggers and sawmills need the biomass plants as a market for this low-grade timber.

Read Full Article 


At Home: Wood Pellets a Hot New Trend in Grilling   
Syndicated Column

I started salivating the minute the truck pulled up with our new outdoor grill, an electric wood-pellet cooker that looks like a cannon and weighs just as much.

"Over here, no over here! Maybe in the garage." I try to steer the poor delivery guy and his gigantic overweight parcel around the patio like an awkward dance partner. He is demonstrating more patience than I deserve.

The box lands with a thud. I am eagerly tearing it open before the truck has left the street. 

Read Full Article

Pellet Fuels Institute |  [email protected]   | 206.209.5277