September 25, 2015

In this issue of the Pellet Wire:



PFI Annual Conference 2016: July 24-26 in Asheville, NC

The Pellet Fuels Institute is pleased to announce that the PFI Annual Conference will return to The Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC in 2016. Mark your calendars and plan to join us July 24-26, 2016. Conference registration information and full details will be available soon. 

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 industry, 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. 

If you are interested in learning more about the PFI Annual Conference, check out our conference archives.

Deadline Today to Provide Conference Feedback

Thanks to those of you who have provided valuable feedback to the PFI Conference Committee as it prepares for future conferences. If you haven’t responded to our conference survey, please take a few minutes to do so today! Deadline to submit your survey is 5pm EDT today.

All who submit a survey will be entered for a drawing for a $100 gift card from Amazon. Click here to participate in the survey. 



 


Congressional Biomass Caucus

We’re pleased to announce that the U.S. House Biomass Caucus has been reinstituted, as the House Administration Committee officially approved its charter last week. The co-chairs are Representative Bruce Westerman (R-AR) and Representative Ann Kuster (D-NH), members of the House Natural Resources and House Agriculture Committees, respectively. 

Caucuses are member organizations inside the House of Representatives that address dedicated issues. A kick-off event for the House Biomass Caucus is being planned in conjunction with the Third Annual National Bioenergy Day—October 21. 

We will be strategizing with our colleagues in the forestry, forest products and biomass energy spaces on recruiting members for the Caucus. Watch this space for more information on the kick-off event and other related opportunities.  

If your company is holding an event for National Bioenergy Day, don’t forget to register at www.bioenergyday.com, or contact Carrie Annand at [email protected]


 


U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition Winners Revealed

This week, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, in partnership with the Softwood Lumber Board and the Binational Softwood Lumber Council, announced the winners of the U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. The two winning development teams were granted a combined $3 million in funding to support the development of tall wood demonstration projects in New York and Portland, Oregon.

At a press conference hosted in New York, Secretary Vilsack congratulated the competition winners. "The U.S. wood products industry is vitally important as it employs more than 547,000 people in manufacturing and forestry, with another 2.4 million jobs supported by U.S. private-forest owners," said Vilsack. "By embracing the benefits of wood as a sustainable building material, these demonstration projects have the ability to help change the face of our communities, mitigate climate change and support jobs in rural America. I look forward to seeing how these two buildings help lead the way in furthering the industry.”

To read the full press release, please visit the USDA website.  


Senate Democrats Unveil Energy Bill that Fosters Clean Power

Senate Democrats unveiled a bill that would provide more tax credits for renewable energy while killing some tax incentives for oil and natural gas producers. 

Senators Maria Cantwell of Washington, Harry Reid of Nevada, Charles Schumer of New York and Ron Wyden of Oregon announced the legislation at a press conference in Washington Tuesday. 

The lawmakers described the bill as “a Democratic vision for a cleaner energy future,” in an e-mailed statement. It focuses on industries that will modernize the country’s power infrastructure while reducing the carbon emissions that are blamed for warming the planet.

Visit Bloomberg News to read the full article.  


Upcoming Industry Events 

  • October 21: 3rd Annual National Bioenergy Day
  • October 27-29: West Statewide Wood Energy Team Meeting 2015
  • November 3-5: WPAC AGM 2015
  • February 24-26, 2016: World Sustainable Energy Days 2016
  • July 24-25, 2016: PFI Annual Conference

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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

USIPA opens with an eye on new leadership in the UK
Biomass Magazine
Harold Arnold, USIPA Chairman and President of Fram Renewable Fuel opened the 5th Annual Exporting Pellets Conference in Miami by suggesting that wood pellets were not a commodity, but instead a “specialty fuel with every increasing requirements.” Arnold continued by contrasting current marketplace conditions with those from one year ago when conference attendees last convened, including the first conservative majority in the British Parliament in nearly two decades.

Read the Full Article


Pellets still the affordable, available, renewable one
Biomass Magazine 
As we at the United States Industrial Pellet Association get ready for our 5th Annual Exporting Pellets Conference in Miami, it continues to be an exciting time in the industrial wood pellet industry. European policymakers are poised to come back from recess with one thing on their minds when it comes to energy policy and decarbonization—how do they accomplish their goals in an affordable way without creating additional economic burdens on taxpayers?

Read the Full Article


South Mississippi could benefit from adding lines near Lucedale
Sun Herald
PASCAGOULA -- A railroad project to lay $200 million in track along a 56-mile gap between Waynesboro and Lucedale has ties to the Coast. The idea is to complete a connection between railroad lines in northeast Mississippi, through Meridian and Waynesboro to Lucedale, and subsequently the Coast -- making a continuous rail line from the Tennessee line to the Gulf of Mexico. The gap begins at Waynesboro and ends at Lucedale, where rail lines already connect to the Port of Pascagoula and Mobile.

Read the Full Article

Pellet Fuels Institute |  [email protected]   | 703.522.6778