June 22, 2018

In This Week's Pellet Wire:



The Meeting within the Meeting

Tomorrow, many of you will begin your travel to Myrtle Beach to join us for the 2018 Pellet Fuels Institute Annual Conference. If that is you, I wish you safe travels. While I've been working in and on biomass industry conferences for a decade, our upcoming time together in Myrtle Beach is different in a significant way. PFI, like many other trade organizations, hosts a board meeting in conjunction with our annual conference. Taking this a step further, the executive committee that will fly into Myrtle Beach is not the same one that will pick up the ball on Tuesday when we adjourn. This is no small thing and I wanted to take just a moment to express my appreciation for the work performed by our board and executive committee, work that I was quite simply unaware of just six months ago. Finally, the PFI board is a volunteer board. Considering the pace of business and the demands on people's time I'm amazed and humbled that people participate in the way that they do. 

For the past week I've been trying to distill hundreds of conversations with members, non-members, vendor-members, and our partners in the broader wood heat community into something of value to share during my Executive Director's report. I anticipate working and reworking my thoughts all the way up until the meeting is called to order. For now, I think it is clear that PFI needs to align its resources, time and energy to two things. First, more consumers need to be made aware of and select wood pellet appliances to heat their home or business. Second, those consumers need to be assured that wood pellets of the highest quality and consistency will be available to them once they do. Based on the many conversations I've had, everything else is a distant third. On Sunday, our volunteer board will begin the work of figuring out how to get that done.

I'm looking forward to it.

- Tim Portz, Executive Director


The PFI Annual Conference is HERE! 

We are excited to see you in Myrtle Beach next Sunday, June 24th!

The PFI Annual Conference highlights the various applications of densified biomass, as well as trends and best practices within the densified biomass industry. It attracts a broad range of individuals from the public and private sectors, academia, and local, state and national governments from North America and beyond. The conference features two days of educational sessions as well as industry exhibits, extensive networking opportunities, and a golf tournament. The golf tournament is a great way to experience some friendly competition with your friends and colleagues in the industry while playing on a top-notch course.  

See the panels and information sessions we have in store on the PFI website


Send Us Photos

We're building a collection of photos of our members, their pellets mills and product. Send them to Carrie Annand at [email protected]. This week's featured photo is from Cory Schrock with Fiber By-Products. 


Become a 2018 PFI Sponsor in June

Don't miss the opportunity to sponsor PFI just in time for the annual conference! Sponsorship at all levels brings many perks, along with exposure for your company to the pellet fuels industry. By signing up to sponsor the association early in 2018, you will reap the benefits throughout the coming year. 

The 2018 sponsorship packages options include benefits such as:

  • PFI Annual Conference 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 list includes more than 100 companies, and the Pellet Wire, our electronic newsletter, is sent to close to 2,000 subscribers every week. Now is the time to become a sponsor of this organization. Visit our website to explore how you can become involved.




Follow PFI on Twitter, Friend Us on Facebook, and Connect with Us on LinkedIn 

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, Twitter, and Facebook!
  2. Encourage your colleagues and other business associates to follow us.
  3. Send Carrie Annand news or other ideas to post on LinkedIn.

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 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

June 24 - 26, 2018: PFI Annual Conference 

Connect with PFI

PelletHeat.org
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
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

Activist ValueAct Takes Stake in Wood Pellet Manufacturer Enviva 
Bloomberg

Jeff Ubben's activist fund ValueAct Capital Management has built a $20 million stake in wood pellet manufacturer Enviva Partners LP.

The San Francisco hedge fund made the investment through its new $250 million environmentally and socially focused fund, Ubben said in an interview. Enviva has a market value of about $772.1 million.

"With Enviva, we think we've found a jewel because it's still early days in using wood pellets to reduce coal plant emissions," Ubben said.

Read Full Article


Senate ag Committee Restores 2018 Farm Bill Energy Title Funding
Biomass Magazine

On June 13, the Senate ag committee approved its version of the 2018 Farm Bill with bipartisan support. The legislation includes an amendment offered by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., that restores mandatory funding to Farm Bill Energy Title programs. The legislation, officially titled the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018, will now be considered by the full Senate.

Klobuchar offered the amendment during a June 13 committee meeting held on Farm Bill legislation. The amendment aims to restore mandatory funding for Energy Title programs to 2014 levels.

"In the 2014 Farm Bill, I successfully pushed for a strong Energy Title with funding necessary to continue to support homegrown renewable fuels...which support thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in economic growth," Klobuchar said.

Read Full Article


EPA to Change How It Considers Costs, Benefits of Regulations
Biomass Magazine

On June 7, the U.S. EPA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking, announcing the agency is soliciting public input on whether and how to change the way it considers costs and benefits in making regulatory decisions.

Information released by the EPA claims the proposed regulations would aim to increase consistency across EPA divisions and offices, increase reliability to affected stakeholders, and increase transparency during the development of regulatory actions.

In a statement, the EPA explains that under the leadership of President Trump, the EPA has already taken some steps to change EPA's cost-benefit calculations. The agency offers the example of its cost of carbon estimations. While under Obama, the EPA estimated the social cost of carbon at $36 per ton of carbon dioxide emitted. However, under Trump's leadership, the EPA has calculated the social cost of carbon dioxide to be only $5 per ton.

Read Full Article

Pellet Fuels Institute

[email protected] | (206) 209-5277 | www.pelletheat.org