Wood Pellet Industry News

Did we mention we're passionate about pellets? We like to let the world know when something rockin' is happening in the pellet industry. Read on for all the best "go green" success stories from New Earth Pellets partners and around the world. Check out new renewable energy incentives from the government. And discover how even the "mainstream" energy world is getting on the biomass bandwagon.

FOX 31 STORY ON BEETLE KILL NEWS

NEWS WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT

NEWS MAKING US THINK

NEWS WE'RE MAKING:

Choose Outdoors Helps Pioneer Efforts as Coalition Forms to “Take On” Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic

Denver, CO, Jul 08, 2011 -Denver, CO – Choose Outdoors, a national nonprofit based in Colorado and its partners have officially launched a national awareness campaign to educate and inform the public about the mountain pine beetle and its effect on many forests.

For several years, state and federal organizations and officials such as the US Forest Service, Undersecretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman and Senator Mark Udall have fought the mountain pine beetle epidemic. Choose Outdoors is hoping to build on those efforts and help stop the tiny bark beetles that are eating away at Colorado’s forests. 

During a recent meeting at the Silver Plume New Earth Pellets Company that processes dead lodgepole pine, Senator Udall said:  "I am very excited about this new coalition that is developing around the importance of utilizing the millions of acres of dead trees caused by the mountain pine beetle epidemic.  An innovative company like New Earth Pellets is converting dead trees into an affordable, renewable heating source. Using these trees as a source of energy may be the scalable solution we need to mitigate the impacts of the bark-beetle epidemic. Their approach cleans up our forests while promoting Colorado-based energy and local jobs.”

The infestation of the mountain pine beetle, “bark beetle,” in Western North America has reached epidemic proportions with more than 50 million acres of brown, dead trees stretching across entire landscapes in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and South Dakota and still spreading. Currently, the devastation now covers more than 3 million acres in Colorado alone.

The impacts of the mountain pine beetle devastation in Colorado are numerous and staggering, including increased potential for catastrophic wildfires, risk to water supply and electric/gas transmission lines, decline of air quality, negative impacts on wildlife and loss of recreation and tourism revenue.

The initiative began when Undersecretary of Agriculture Harris Sherman asked Choose Outdoors to develop and implement strategies that increase public awareness about the impacts the mountain pine beetle epidemic has on forest health, as well as encourage private sector engagement to promote the use of mountain pine beetle wood and assist with mitigation efforts.

At a recent forum in Aspen, Sherman reinforced that point, stating: “We need to start this process of restoration and creating the resiliency that these forests deserve and part of that clearly will be to involved a broad range of folks, including our timber industry, including those who are involved in bio energy because they can certainly be part of the solution.”



Over the last year, Choose Outdoors has worked with the Forest Health Task Force in Summit County and the US Forest Service in creating a Mountain Pine Beetle Draft Communications Plan for the Colorado Bark Beetle Cooperative. In addition, through meetings and conversations with key stakeholders and thought leaders, they have developed a youth-oriented mountain pine beetle education campaign that has been adopted by Summit County teens through SOS Outreach. According to Todd Litzman, Choose Outdoors board member and president of Brandwise, a B2B technology company serving the outdoor industry, the time has come to expand these regional and local efforts to execute a national campaign that combats “the Katrina of the West.”
 
The Mountain Pine Beetle National Awareness Campaign will be coordinated by Choose Outdoors in cooperation with 360 Media, and conducted with the support of the USDA Forest Service, New Earth Pellets, Colorado State Forest Service, Colorado State University, The Intermountain Timber Industry Association, Brandwise, Brookfield Residential Properties, the Sierra Club, Greenland Reserve, the Forest Health Task Force, Summit County Homebuilders Association and many others.

ABOUT CHOOSE OUTDOORS
Choose Outdoors was founded in 2008 with help from the National Ski Areas Association, the Outdoor Industry Association, America Outdoors Association (guides and outfitters) and the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds. Their mission is to promote outdoor recreation and active lifestyles through support for public lands and waters; recreation infrastructure; and programs connecting Americans to the outdoors. To learn more about Choose Outdoors, please visit www.ChooseOutdoors.org.

Beetle-Kill Wood Pellet Company Works to Save Locals Millions on Heating Bills
By Jo Ann M. Colton
March 2011

Rosalie Bianco, New Earth Pellet President

A few years ago, ecology-minded Rosalie Bianco became determined to help find utilization solutions for the beetle-kill epidemic affecting our local forest by opening a local pellet mill in Silver Plume,Colorado.  “Wood pellets are a domestic, renewable, carbon-neutral fuel,” Rosalie explained. “Not only can they help decrease our dependency on fossil fuel, but also they can help us save millions of dollars in heating bills, which can be put back into our local economy.”   

Rosalie Bianco and some environmentally-minded friends opened the community mill in Silver Plume, Colorado, as well as a 21,000 square-foot retail center in Lakewood, Colorado,to serve the local people.  “New Earth Pellets’ mission is to change energy paradigms,” Rosalie said, “by making ‘going green’ not only an earth-saving experience, but also a money-saving experience.”  

Bianco stated that people using propane or electricity for heating can save 40-100% off their heating bills by changing over to pellet fuel. She cited University California-Irvine as stating that one average home could save $800-$1000 per year and also save the earth of as much CO2 emissions as buying 2 hybrid cars, just by making the switch.  

However, Rosalie conceded that even people who are willing to switch are finding it difficult to write a check to purchase a pellet stove in this economy.  “Even though they can save up to $1000 per year, they can’t write a check for $2300 today, said Rosalie. “We understand the problem and have worked hard to find a solution.”  

Consequently, her company has launched a SmartHeat Stove Initiative to help 2000 propane and electric heat users save money and go green with pellet fuel. “Forty million dollars will be saved by these 2000 people over the next 20 years by making the switch. We can’t afford not to do it.”  

SmartHeat Stove Initiative applications are now being accepted online or at the depot in Lakewood for this $0 down, $39 per month program, which will help you go green and put money in your pocket. New Earth Pellets and the families that partner in this program are the very people that U.S. anthropologist Margaret Mead’s famous quote is about:  “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” 

New Earth Pellets partners with local feed stores:
Pellets from pine beetle kill now available locally in Colorado
By Jo Ann M. Colton
Mountain Connection
November, 2010

Rosalie Bianco, previously a national assets management contractor, and her business partner,
Jeanne Scholl, a former Boulder forestry conservation manager, are now helping countless people
live greener lives through a fossil fuel alternative that can reduce your gas heating bills by up to
50%.

Two years ago Rosalie Bianco witnessed dying beetle kill trees at her Grand Lake County home.
Devastated by the experience, and the widespread scope of the problem, Rosalie decided to purchase a pellet stove to decrease her dependency on fossil fuel. But she soon discovered that local pellets were in short supply due to a worldwide million-ton wood pellet shortage.

Always up for a challenge, Bianco and Scholl opened up a public-access community mill in Silver Plume, CO. New Earth Pellets produces 20,000 to 30,000 tons of wood pellets a year from Colorado beetle kill and wood obtained from responsible thinning. New Earth Pellets also has a public-access 21,000 square-foot distribution depot and showroom at 950 Simms St. in Lakewood.

“We hire local people and make and sell pellets to ensure product availability for local peopleKathryn Hoffman (Pine Country Feed) and Rosalie Bianco (New Earth Pellets)
within a 20-county radius of the mill,” said Rosalie Bianco, “and we have established business relationships in every community within the counties we serve.”

The company is continually expanding its points-of-sale through new partners. Many business
partners carrying its products are feed stores, like Pine Country Feed, located at 13581 Glen
Drive, off Highway 285 at Pine Junction. Rosalie admits that when she first decided to buy a wood pellet stove she knew very little about their energy-saving capabilities and environmental benefits.

“Our goal is to be a customer-oriented one-stop shop offering pellet stove education/awareness while also providing quality stoves, wood pellet products, and related services (sales, installation, maintenance, and repair).” Rosalie explained that they sell their products at reduced “partner”
prices ($199/ton), not retail prices.

New Earth Pellets, made only with delimbed and debarked softwood pines, burn clean and hot. The products contain no fillers, additives, chemicals, binders or waste products. The company’s quality specifications meet or exceed the Pellet Fuel Institute’s premium wood pellets standards. Its products undergo stringent quality assurance testing to ensure consistent, high-quality products customers can rely upon. The company also represents and sells livestock bedding pellets as a healthy, long-lasting alternative to shavings or straw.

Take advantage of the Federal Biomass Tax Credit of up to $1500, which expires on Dec 31,
2010. For Federal tax credit details and in-depth information about New Earth Pellets and its products and services, visit Newearthpellets.com or telephone 303-202-9663.

Entrepreneur fired up about new industry:
Plant in Silver Plume to make stove pellets from beetle-kill wood
By Ian Neligh
Clear Creek Courant
October 12, 2010

After two years of planning and building a $3 million facility in Silver Plume, Rosalie Bianco is ready to start a revolution.

A pellet revolution, to be exact.

Bianco is on a mission to replace fossil fuels with a greener, cleaner alternative. Her business, New Earth Pellets, takes beetle-kill trees from Colorado mountainsides and mills them into pellets for pellet-burning stoves. The pellets are highly compressed nuggets of ground-up trees.

"I want us to get out of fossil fuels," Bianco said, "because using fossil fuels is problematic for us economically and environmentally."

According to Bianco, a recent study found that a single wood-pellet stove offsets more carbon than two hybrid cars.

Bianco is founder and CEO of the pellet-making firm and its sister company, Environmental Energy Partners. They open officially on Oct. 15, selling the pellets and the wood stoves that burn them.

Turning beetle-kill pine into useful material is pretty creative, but what makes the business even more innovative is that the milling plant can be moved closer to the raw wood materials.

"Now I can say, ‘I took your trees, your waste, made you pellets and left them here for you,’" Bianco said.

Bianco believes the Silver Plume mill will have a 15-year tour of duty before needing to head elsewhere to follow the available wood.

"Our whole philosophy is about being part of the solution. If there's any way we can get (the trees) out of the forest and get them utilized and heating people's homes, let's do that," Bianco said. "… We want to leave as small a footprint as we possibly can, and when there's less beetle kill or we need to get closer to the beetle kill … I can disassemble this plant and move it."

Locating in Silver Plume

Bianco first looked at building her mill in Idaho Springs but eventually settled on Silver Plume.

"We wanted to be on this side of the (Eisenhower) Tunnel, so we could provide not only wood pellets for mountain communities but also for the Denver area," Bianco said. "And when you start thinking about the snow, trying to get over the tunnel in the wintertime — it's pretty difficult."

Building the mill’s giant tent-like structures began in January.

"Silver Plume has been absolutely wonderful to us," Bianco said.

When the plant is operating 24 hours a day, trees will be hauled in during the day and the milling will take place at night. She hopes to increase her current staff of 25 to more than 80 and to build up to having 5,000 pellet customers.

"We just put out a little mailing, and we have gotten an overwhelming, wonderful response," Bianco said.

Starting the plant

Bianco said her mill is relatively small and will produce 15,000 to 30,000 tons of pellets a year. She said other Colorado mills produce combined 300,000 tons a year.

Bianco and her staff have been busy for the past few months getting everything in the plant to work correctly.

"Starting a plan have to get all of the machines to talk to each other properly, and sometimes they cooperate — and sometimes they just don't want to," Bianco said. "So everything that is going to malfunction or not work the way you want it to, all of those things will happen in the first two to three months, which is what these two or three months have been about."

Before the pellet business

Bianco's past careers were in manufacturing, restaurants, real estate, construction and development. She retired five years ago and moved to Colorado, living in a home near Grand Lake.

"I went up to Grand Lake and I built, with a few other people, a little house on Columbine Lake, and I sat up there and watched the trees die around me," Bianco said. "It was breaking my heart. … No one expected (the trees to die) at the epidemic level it is happening."

Bianco said that as the trees turned brown, she tried to figure out what she could do to make a difference. She started by buying a pellet stove. However, she found that getting pellets was difficult because of a shortage. Many of Colorado’s larger pellet companies were providing them to chain stores rather than catering to local residents.

"Why are my trees going somewhere else? If I want to buy a pellet stove, who is going to guarantee that I'm going to have pellets?" Bianco asked. "They couldn't make pellets fast enough (because) there was such a demand for them, so I thought, ‘What would happen if I opened a small community mill?’ "

Bianco wanted to open her own mill that catered specifically to Colorado residents, so she, family members and a close group of friends put their savings into the project.

"We really believe in what we're doing," Bianco said.

Doing it right

There was a steep learning curve to entering the pellet industry. Bianco visited mills in Europe, Canada and the United States, and she consulted engineers.

She took the best ideas from the mills she visited and incorporated them into her Silver Plume mill.

"It's like making wine or beer. You have a recipe. You decide what your recipe is going to be for your manufacturing company, what machines you're going to put together, and then you produce that quality of product …," Bianco said. "We chose to produce a very, very high-density pellet so that it doesn't break up."

Bianco also carries her passion into the nonprofit world. She is the founder of the nonprofit Yes! I Make a Difference, an organization dedicated to creating awareness about the beetle-kill epidemic and to raising money for restoration projects.

For information about New Earth Pellets or pellet stoves, call 303-202-WOOD or visit www.newearthpellets.com.

Boulder's New Earth Pellets heats homes with beetle-struck wood
By S. Gouri Srinidhi
Boulder Daily Camera
October 4, 2010

New Earth Pellets uses Colorado bark beetle-damaged trees for wood pellet fuel. ( CLIFF GRASSMICK ) With the fall season beginning, many Coloradans are looking for innovative and clean ways to heat their homes without paying high bills.

New Earth Pellets, with administrative offices in Boulder and a retail store in Lakewood, sells wood pellets as a green and sustainable solution that avoids the use of fossil fuels to heat homes.

The company, which uses local fibers to create wood pellets, aims to create an NEP revolution -- to reform old ideas of how to heat homes, and create a new, greener alternative.

"They're hard, compact, and there's not much bark in them, so they burn pretty clem, so they burn pretty clean. It's not the cleanest, but it's pretty good, at a really good price," said Phill Todd, an NEP customer who has been burning pellets in his Eagle County home for 19 years.

The pellets, made from damaged Lodgepole and Ponderosa pine trees from the mountain pine beetle epidemic, are sustainably manufactured in Silver Plume.

Founder Rosalie Bianco created NEP last year after seeing the effects that the dead wood was having on Colorado's forests.

"We're taking a negative and turning it into positive fuel sources," said Erica Churgin, marketing director of NEP.

As the supply of damaged trees from the beetles deplete after time, the company intends to use trees removed as a part of forest management thinning programs.

Churgin also mentioned that NEP's mills are designed in more innovate ways to reduce the fire risk of their product during manufacturing. Unlike typical mills that use large dryers to remove moisture from the trees, NEP's equipment uses more efficient and protective technology to produce the pellets, she said.

The company hopes to expand to other parts of the state as well, according to Churgin.

NEP also sells livestock and horse bedding pellets, as a softer, sustainable alternative for animals, without as much dust residue.

The pellets, as well as wood-pellet stoves and other pellet-related products, are locally sold in the store's Lakewood location, at the mill in Silver Plume, as well as online at newearthpellets.com. The price ranges from $4.18 for a 40-pound bag of pellets, to alternative prices and discounts for bulk purchases, with delivery services also provided as an option for customers.

New Earth Pellets, a Colorado-based wood pellet biomass fuel company, announced today the launch of the organization and its first retail location.

Erica Churgin and Rosalie Bianco of New Earth PelletsNewswire Today (Press Release)
Posted: 08/10/2010

Boulder, CO, United States - New Earth Pellets, a Colorado-based wood pellet biomass fuel company, announced today the launch of the organization and its first retail location. Dedicated to changing the local energy paradigm by creating a local pellet utility company that provides a one stop source for pellet appliances, fuel and education New Earth Pellets is a locally available, carbon neutral alternative to fossil fuels.

On August 14th New Earth Pellets will host the Grand Opening at the first of many local distribution and retail centers (New Earth Pellet Depots) where a wide variety of wood pellet appliances from stoves, furnaces and boilers, to unique items like pellet BBQ grills and beetle kill furniture are available for purchase. All products are available with financing, installation, home delivery of pellets in bulk or bags and service to take the fear and inconvenience out of making the change.

“We are inspiring a wood pellet revolution by informing the public about the benefits of changing over to pellet fuel as a primary source of heat to minimize fossil fuel use,” said Rosalie Bianco, CEO, New Earth Pellets. “Public awareness of the financial and ecological benefits of switching to pellet fuel is key to shifting the nation’s energy paradigms to greener more local fuel sources. New Earth Pellets is making a commitment to partner with local communities to facilitate this change.”

Wood pellets are an environmentally friendly, locally available, affordable replacement to fossil fuels. Cleaner, greener and more affordable than other forms of energy, New Earth Pellets are safe and significantly cheaper to use than electricity, oil or propane gas per BTU.

More important than cost is the environmental impact of using New Earth Pellets for home heating. A recent study by the University of California in Irvine found that a single wood pellet stove offsets more carbon than two hybrid cars (if using natural gas), when using electricity powered by coal that number could be as high as seven hybrid cars.

New Earth Pellets are made from damaged lodge pole pine trees from the Pine Beetle devastation in Colorado. In the future, New Earth Pellets will be made from trees that are part of the forest management thinning programs, which will help maintain a healthier balance in our forests.

In partnership with its sister company Environmental Energy Partners, New Earth Pellets has created a biomass community model that includes the opening of several small local pellet mills, that utilize local beetle kill trees from remediation and sustainable thinning projects. Smart management of these pellet mills will insure local customers will have a steady supply of pellets at a fair price. New Earth Pellets are made from a local product that will be sold to a local market.

The Grand Opening will happen on Saturday, August 14 from 10am-5pm at the New Earth Pellets Depot, 950 Simms Street, Lakewood, Colorado 80401.

About New Earth Pellets
New Earth Pellets (newearthpellets.com) is a Colorado-based wood pellet biomass fuel company dedicated to changing the local energy paradigm by creating a local pellet utility company that provides a one stop source for pellet appliances, fuel and education. The company’s first New Earth Pellet Depot, based in Lakewood, CO provides a wide variety of wood pellet appliances from stoves, furnaces and boilers, to unique items like pellet BBQ grills and beetle kill furniture. For every bag of New Earth Pellets sold, a portion of the sale will go to the Yes! I Make a Difference non-profit foundation, an organization dedicated to educating and creating awareness about the problem of overcrowded forests.

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Breckenridge weighs turning beetle-kill trees into fuel

The Associated Press
Posted: 05/15/2010 12:15:56 PM MDT

Beetle Kill Forest in ColoradoBRECKENRIDGE, Colo.—A Colorado company is proposing a plant in Breckenridge that would capitalize on the bark beetle infestation by turning the dead Lodgepole pine trees into wood pellets.

Environmental Energy Partners is discussing bringing the plant to this ski town and have begun negotiations with Breckenridge town officials this week. The wood pellets the plant would produce would be used as fuel to warm homes in the town.

Bill Nootenboom, the company’s chief operating officer, said the plant could help Breckenridge take “control of its own energy supply” and that the town could become “a model for the world.”

The Summit Daily News reports that the company said it could begin operations as soon as this fall if their plan is approved. Before the plant is approved, noise tests will be conducted so the operation is not too loud for residents. The noise from the chipping operation would not last more than four hours during the day.

“Assuming all the environmental stuff from them is accurate, then it sounds like a win-win deal for the community and them,” said Councilman Mike Dudick.

The plant would be on Highway 9 on five acres at the north end of Breckenridge and Environmental Energy Partners would lease the land.

The plant is expected to produce about 5 tons of pellets every hour.

Bark beetles have killed about 3.6 million pine trees in the state and southern Wyoming. The epidemic has forced campground closures out of fear of dead trees toppling over and to give the U.S. Forest Service workers a chance to remove dead trees. The Forest Service has received $30 million to deal with the infestation’s aftermath.

Information from: Summit Daily News, http://www.summitdaily.com/

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NEWS WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT:

DEAD WOOD REBORN: BEETLE KILL'S NEW LIFE

By Kat Valentine King, Special to The Denver Post

Posted June 4, 2011

When Tracey Hartley moved to Colorado in 2007, she was saddened by the thousands of dead standing trees in forested areas near her Golden home — the familiar sign of the destruction caused by the mountain pine beetle.

So when Hartley, an eco-conscious mother of three, found herself shopping for a new dining set, she sought out a furniture designer who specializes in using Colorado beetle-kill pine.

"I liked the idea of making something good out of something bad," Hartley says.

The popular decorating scheme dubbed Colorado contemporary or "mountain modern" uses rustic materials like wood and stone in contemporary ways. With U.S. Forest Service estimates that some 98,000 trees a day are falling in the American

West from the pine-beetle infestation, the availability of this wood is bolstering mountain modern decorating and the craftspeople who cater to it.

Hartley contacted Corbin Clay of Corbin Custom Woodworking and Blu Cabinetry in Aurora to create a contemporary farm-style table and bench. Clay designs and builds custom furniture, cabinetry, siding and more, and has found a growing niche of consumers who want blue-streaked beetle-kill pine.

"Seventy percent of my orders in 2010 were for beetle-kill projects," says Clay, whose custom beetle-kill cabinets start at about $250 per linear foot. "The greener homeowner demographic tends to lean toward a Colorado contemporary style, and beetle kill works very well."

Charise Buckley is creative director and designer for Beetlekill Blues and Full Circle Design in Breckenridge. The decorator emphasizes the versatility of beetle-kill wood.

"You can stretch the possibilities (of beetle-kill wood) through design, finishes and textures," Buckley says.

In her work, Buckley reaches for an "organic modern" aesthetic — sinuous minimalism paired with earthy pine.

"I'll take a piece of weathered, vintage barn wood and design something with a soft-edged, flowing shape," she says. "The texture of the wood takes the edge off modern design."

Buckley's services run the gamut, from complete remodeling projects to one-off custom furniture.

"Just recently, people are asking for beetle kill, where before I had to suggest the wood and really promote it," says Buckley, who provides examples of rustic, modern and traditional beetle-kill pine uses in her Breckenridge showroom. She also uses the space to promote other designers, architects and furnituremakers who specialize in "recycling" Colorado's beetle-kill forests.

"It is very green to build something to last, rather than build for this throwaway culture," Buckley says. "And there's nothing more green than quality, handcrafted furniture made from beetle kill."

The distinct look of beetle-kill pine — produced by the infestation — also strikes a chord with home design fans. Beetles invade the bark of mature lodgepole and ponderosa pines and lay eggs. The resulting larvae feed on and ultimately kill the tree.

Though the interior wood of the tree remains unchanged and structurally sound, a blue fungus carried by the beetles stains the wood, leaving telltale blue, green and gray streaks.

"The blue stain fungi are essentially hitchhikers on the bark beetles," says Sky Stephens, forest entomologist with the Colorado State Forest Service. According to the 2010 aerial survey data from the U.S. Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service, nearly 3.2 million acres of Colorado forests have been affected by the current mountain pine beetle epidemic.

Stephens agrees that recent changes in perception of beetle- kill pine are helping manage the forests by creating a larger market for the wood.

"The attitude in the past few years has gone from seeing beetle kill as this ruined, unsightly wood, to embracing (its) unique characteristics," he says.

And so, a crisis for nature lovers is an opportunity for woodworkers.

"I didn't know about the beetle kill until I moved to Colorado," says Ben Dagitz, a Denver furniture designer and builder who arrived to the area in 2009. Dagitz, who prefers working with local, sustainable products, draws inspiration from the beetle-kill wood.

"The colors are striking," he says, "so I try to feature the clean, natural character of the wood as much as possible."

Mike Roach of Dovetail Designs also sources his wood locally — from his own backyard. When his father's 80 acres near Stagecoach began to lose trees to the pine beetles, Roach got to work harvesting the wood, milling it on site, and handcrafting custom furniture.

"Everybody likes the back story," Roach says. "I get orders for very rustic, lodgy pieces, but also contemporary styles with very clean lines.

Biomass pellets drawing interest of farmers seeking to curb rising fuel costs

Decautur, IL, (Herald-Review.com, March 30, 2011) - With the cost of fuel an increasing concern, farmers are among those looking for ways to save on expenses.

One cost-saving method that has caught the interest of an increasing number of farmers is making biomass pellets to be used for heating purposes. A meeting organized by the nonprofit Decatur-based Agricultural Watershed Institute on Tuesday at Rock Springs Nature Center addressed how alternative fuel sources can benefit farmers in particular.

"We've got some good processes in place," said Andrew Clarkson, a Macon County hay producer who makes pellets as part of the Local Bioenergy Initiative. "We're going to keep plugging away at it."

Jim Laine, a producer from New Jersey, discussed with the group how he worked with the New Jersey Audubon Society to grow warm season grasses for bird habitat and renewable energy. He said the savings to use 1 ton of biomass instead of propane or fuel oil is significant.

Compared to 149 gallons of propane for $387.40 and 101 gallons of fuel oil for $383.80, Laine said he has found using 1 ton of biomass pellets to cost $165. 

"That's saving us a lot of money on the farm," Laine said.

Clarkson said he has noticed a savings as he's experimented with heating sources.

"This is a no-brainer for me, but it doesn't work for everybody," Clarkson said.

Laine recently completed a three-year process to conduct research on his project. The project received a $75,000 grant, of which half was matched. Laine said coming up with funding is one of the drawbacks when applying for such grants along with a pile of paperwork to fill out.

"It can be a tedious process, especially for anybody who's a farmer," Laine said. "Paperwork is the last thing you want to do."

Still, work is progressing toward using more perennial grass-based fuel sources. Getting farmers to make changes is not always an easy proposition, said Gary Letterly, University of Illinois Extension Christian County natural resources educator.

"It's a difficult time," Letterly said. "It's a complete reworking of how we base our agriculture."

The Agricultural Watershed Institute has been interested in perennial energy grasses for a number of years, said Steve John, the group's executive director. John said the key continues to be finding ways to make the process profitable for producers.

Vt. gov endorses changing from oil to pellet heat

MONTPELIER, VT. (Bloomberg Business Week, March 31, 2011) - Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin said Tuesday he has asked the state Department of Public Service and the statewide energy conservation program Efficiency Vermont to set up a new incentive program to get people to switch from heating with oil to wood pellets.

Homeowners already are eligible for a $500 state incentive when they switch from older, less efficient heaters that use fossil fuels like oil or kerosene, said Elizabeth Miller, commissioner of the Department of Public Service. The new program would provide the same incentive for people who want to switch out their oil burners for wood pellet systems.

Shumlin said he's trying to reduce reliance on foreign oil, promote job growth among Vermont foresters and wood pellet mill workers, and get people to use a fuel that's less damaging to the environment. He said he also wants to boost employment opportunities at firms that manufacture pellet burner components.

"This makes sense for Vermont's economy; it makes sense for Vermont's environment; and it makes sense for Vermonters' pocketbooks," Shumlin said at a news conference. "This would be a good use of local wood and pellets, and a strong integration of our energy goals with our economic interests," he added.

Shumlin was joined at the news conference by Andy Boutin, whose company, Pellergy, manufactures conversion equipment for switching an oil burner to a pellet burner in Barre; Chris Brooks, CEO of the Vermont Pellet Company, which gets the wood it uses to make pellets from within a 30-mile radius of its mill in North Clarendon; lawmakers and other industry representatives.

Both Boutin and Brooks talked up the economic benefits of keeping the dollars Vermonters spend on heating energy in the state. Brooks said his company employs 15 people. An additional 79 logging crews of two to four people each get a significant portion of their business delivering treetops to his mill -- the trunks go to a sawmill for lumber.

George Twigg, deputy policy director with Efficiency Vermont, said money for the subsidies would come from two sources:

--The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, in which northeastern and mid-Atlantic states sell emission credits to power plants. States, including Vermont, use the money to fund energy efficiency and renewable programs.

-- A second program operated by the regional power dispatch agency ISO-New England that provides payments for promises to make power available in the future, either through generation or efficiency programs.

Between the two, Vermont is reaping nearly $6 million this year, and will use some of that money for the pellet incentives.

Miller said she does not worry putting money into pellet conversion will leave too little available for people who want to change out old fossil-fuel-burning heating systems for new, more efficient ones.

By adding pellets to the fuels eligible for the incentives, "We're not trying to reduce slices for the other measures; we're just trying to increase consumer choices," Miller said.

RENEWABLE ENERGY STANDARDS SURVIVE REPUBLICAN OFFENSIVE

Denver, CO, (Associated Press Feb. 10,2011) — Colorado Democrats slammed the door Wednesday on Republican plans to undo clean-energy policies adopted in recent years.

A Democrat-controlled Senate committee narrowly rejected three Republican proposals to lower consumer utility bills.
Democrats said they sympathized with residents paying steeper power bills but insisted the proposed changes would be short-sighted.

Republicans contended the clean-energy policies have hit too hard in a poor economy. Xcel Energy, which serves about 1.4 million Coloradans, has raised rates some 20 percent over the past six years — a hike attributed in part to upgrading power plants.

“This body should not be in the business of heaping additional costs on struggling families,” said Republican Sen. Shawn Mitchell, who sponsored a failed proposal to ratchet back a requirement that utilities get 30 percent of electricity from renewable sources such as wind and solar by 2020. 

Colorado's renewable-energy standard, exceeded only by California, is commonly faulted by Republican politicians who say it improperly inserts government into the private energy market.

Democrats in charge of the committee swatted down Mitchell's idea and two other GOP proposals to reduce utility rates.

Those two bills would have instructed regulators with the Public Utilities Commission to put greater emphasis on ratepayer fees, and less emphasis on possible future energy costs, when considering utility rate requests.

Both were efforts to undo Democratic-supported changes to the PUC to promote alternative energies. 
All three measures failed Wednesday with 3-2 votes.

The hearing dealt a blow to Republican campaign promises to try rolling back Colorado's turn toward clean energy in recent years.

Democrats on the State Senate, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee blasted the ideas as short-sighted. Sen. Rollie Heath, D-Boulder, took special aim at a proposal by Republican Sen. Steve King to forbid the PUC from considering potential future costs such as carbon taxes.

“We might as well hire 100 robots in here and roll the dice and see what the robots are going to do,” Heath said. “It makes no sense to me at all.”

Two former PUC commissioners who frequently criticize legislation promoting alternative energy testified that the Republican ideas put consumers first.

“Every effort must be made to keep the cost of electricity to a minimum,” said former PUC member Carl Miller, who is now affiliated with Affordable and Reliable Energy Colorado, which promotes traditional fossil fuels. The group took out full-page ads in The Denver Post recently urging the Legislature to emphasize ratepayer costs.

Democrats weren't persuaded. Sen. Bob Bacon, D-Fort Collins, said he could not support changes that wouldn't confront the prospect of irreversible climate change.

“What is the stewardship of this generation at this time to make sure that doesn't happen?” Bacon asked. 

Rising Heating Oil Costs Result in Record Savings With Wood Pellets

GOFFSTOWN, N.H.-- Business Wire - Jan. 10, 2011  As homes heating with oil are facing record-level heating bills, consumers heating with wood pellets are suddenly realizing record savings. This January, Popular Mechanics introduced “the high tech, carbon-neutral alternative fuel of the future” - wood. Providing environmental and economic benefits, and a level of convenience unmatched by traditional wood stoves, over a million US homes now heat with a wood pellet stove. “The savings have never been greater,” notes Jon Strimling, President of www.WoodPellets.com. 

Unlike when oil peaked in July 2008, the current high oil costs are now directly impacting consumers’ heating bills during the coldest months. The average residential heating oil price of $3.34/gallon is the highest January level in history, according to the US Energy Information Administration. With a typical Northeastern home requiring 855 gallons of fuel oil, this has driven heating costs up above $2,800 – a budget-buster for most households. At the same time, wood pellet costs have actually fallen to the lowest levels in years. 

Consumers use pellet stoves to heat central living areas of their house, which helps them save in two ways. First, the  pellets are significantly cheaper than oil per unit of heat output. But as importantly, houses are often heated more efficiently with pellet stoves because the heat is supplied directly to the primary living areas, with peripheral areas and bedrooms running cooler. 

With a ton of pellets retailing today at below $250, consumers are buying heat at the equivalent of $2.08/gallon for fuel oil, even before factoring in efficiency gains. At the same time, “the efficiency gains of space heating with pellet stoves can be significant - often 20% or more” noted John Ackerly, President of the Alliance for Green Heat, a non-profit organization dedicated to making clean biomass heat a viable option for people of all walks of life. Factoring in this additional savings, using pellets to heat can be equivalent buying oil for as little $1.67/gallon.

"Wood pellets are expected to be much more stable than oil prices in coming years, but equally important, wood pellets are a local, renewable fuel that helps this country be more energy independent and creates jobs here at home," said Ackerly. 

Obama Extends Tax Credit for Biomass Heating Appliances
wood pellet stove tax credit, Colorado wood pellet stove
Arlington, VA - (December 21, 2010) On Friday, December 17, President Obama signed into law the $858 billion tax package that keeps current tax rates in place and extends a series of tax credits geared toward boosting the sluggish economy. Included in this package was the extension of a tax credit for biomass heating appliances, which was set to expire on December 31st.

The extension of the tax credit - which was never certain - is good news for our industry.  However, Congress did decrease the benefit to consumers that was in place from 2009-2010 under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and added further restrictions. 

The new tax credit as outlined provides:

      •    10% credit for the purchase of biomass heating appliance in 2011, capped at $300
      •    Removal of the lower heating value level (LHV) efficiency measurement
      •    Credit applies to purchase price only and is not extended to installation

In the weeks leading up to Congress' vote on the tax package, PFI and HPBA reached out to congressional leaders to remind them of the importance of this tax credit not only to our industry but to consumers interested in purchasing biomass heating systems.  PFI and HPBA have been working closely with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) to ensure that a tax credit was contained in the bill and we are appreciative of the efforts she put forth in achieving its inclusion. Of particular note, Se

n. Collins has included language in the Congressional Record (the official transcript of the United States Congress) that directs the IRS to continue to use the lower heating value as the operative efficiency methodology in determining which appliance qualifies for the tax credit.  A portion of her remarks stated:
 
"The IRS has issued guidance directing that the 'lower heating value' methodology   should be used, which is consistent with industry practices and with our intent to ensure that the credit is available for efficient and clean-burning wood and wood-pellet stoves.  Removing the reference to the 'lower heating value' from the Code serves little purpose. Certainly, however, it does not mean that this common-sense methodology is precluded, nor does it require the IRS to revisit its methodology. I hope that my comments today will help avoid confusion about the use of the 'lower heating value' methodology with respect to this tax credit."   (Congressional Record, December 15, 2010; Statement by Senator Susan M. Collins;  H.R. 4853, Middle Class Tax Relief Act of 2010)

By extending this tax credit, Congress signals its support of the renewable fuel industry. We will continue to work with Congress to achieve recognition for our industry and benefits for Americans who seek to heat with biomass fuel.

Finally, we would like to thank you for responding to our call to contact your Representatives and Senators in Congress emphasizing the importance and need of a tax credit for our industry.

Fuel oil companies get on the bandwagon; encourage customers to switch from heating oil to wood pellets

Sandri Companies, an 80-year old Massachusetts fuel oil company, and Lyman Oil, one of the largest fuel oil dealers in New Hampshire, are both touting biomass pellet fuel as a cleaner, cheaper, American home heating fuel. Read more about what Sandri is doing:
http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2010/04/27/stimulus_funds_funneled_to_pellet_market/?page=1

Wisconsin Schools get funding to shift from fossil fuel boilers and furnaces to heating with wood pellets

http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3796

Biomass outpaces wind and solar as the most attractive renewable energy sector for potential investors and corporations this year according to a survey by audit advisory firm KPMG 

http://www.biomassmagazine.com/article.jsp?article_id=3809

Biomass now main source of Swedish energy

The 2009 statistics are in and Sweden used more bioenergy than oil for the first time in history. Most came from biomass and wood pellet use. Also, for the first time, the Canadian government has directly funded a wood pellet plant to process forestry waste.
http://geosynthetica.net/news/pressrelease/2010/WorldBioEnergy_Sweden_051010.aspx

Boosting Pellet Stove Use Key to Jump Starting American Economy

A new study concluded the Northeast could retain $4.5 billion in its regional economy by increasing its use of wood pellets over the next 15 years. The study, "A Bold Vision for 2025," reports that the region could cut its dependence on heating oil by 25% by switching 1.4 million homes in the region from oil heat to biomass boilers, according to the Maine Sunday Telegram. The switch would cut annual oil use by 1.14 billion gallons and lead to 140,200 new jobs. The study was prepared by five trade groups, including the Maine Pellet Fuels Association and the Biomass Thermal Energy Council.
http://www.mainebiz.biz/news46522.html

Beetle Busting Goes Green

Folks at Smugglers Mountain near Aspen are trying a non-chemical approach to spraying beetle-infested pine trees. Researchers are targeting 120 acres of Lodgepole pines for testing with a pheromone that fools adult beetles into leaving healthy trees alone.
http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20100420/NEWS/100429987

Uncle Sam Wants to Pay You Even More to Install a New Pellet Stove!

Thanks to some forward-thinking Senators and US Representatives, there may be even greater news to report regarding tax credits for biomass pellet stoves. Senator Olympia Snow (R-ME) introduced S.1643, the Cleaner, Secure and Affordable Thermal Energy Act. This act would extend the tax credit for converting your oil heating system to a biomass heating system until December 11, 2011 and would increase the tax credit maximum amount from $1,500 to $4,000. The bill’s been stuck in committee since August 2009. Meanwhile, House Democrat Paul Hodes (NH) introduced HR 2080, the American Renewable Biomass Heating Act which would extend the tax credit for home heating systems through December 13, 2013, would make sure pellet boilers and furnaces are included and would increase the tax credit maximum amount to a whopping $6,000. For both bills, the tax credit would still be based on 30% of the cost of your system and installation.

Government Adds Incentives for Businesses to Switch to Pellets

In March 2010, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) introduced a bill to ratchet it up another notch to encourage businesses to get on the renewable energy bandwagon. The bill proposes a biomass renewable energy investment tax credit equal to 30% of the installed cost of biomass boilers or furnaces installed for commercial or industrial use – with no maximum. The tax credit would be available for any system put in service on or before December 31, 2013.

NEWS THAT'S MAKING US THINK:

Sometimes news pops up that just begs a comment from us…. Read on to see what we’re thinking…

FRACKING OPENS VAST OIL FIELDS ACROSS THE US

Associated Press, Jonathan Fahey (FEB. 10, 2011) A new drilling technique is opening up vast fields of previously out-of-reach oil in the western United States, helping reverse a two-decade decline in domestic production of crude.

Companies are investing billions of dollars to get at oil deposits scattered across North Dakota, Colorado, Texas and California. By 2015, oil executives and analysts say, the new fields could yield as much as 2 million barrels of oil a day — more than the entire Gulf of Mexico produces now.

Oil Field

This new drilling is expected to raise U.S. production by at least 20 percent over the next five years. And within 10 years, it could help reduce oil imports by more than half, advancing a goal that has long eluded policymakers.

“That's a significant contribution to energy security,” says Ed Morse, head of commodities research at Credit Suisse.

Oil engineers are applying what critics say is an environmentally questionable method developed in recent years to tap natural gas trapped in underground shale. They drill down and horizontally into the rock, then pump water, sand and chemicals into the hole to crack the shale and allow gas to flow up.

Because oil molecules are sticky and larger than gas molecules, engineers thought the process wouldn't work to squeeze oil out fast enough to make it economical. But drillers learned how to increase the number of cracks in the rock and use different chemicals to free up oil at low cost. 

“We've completely transformed the natural gas industry, and I wouldn't be surprised if we transform the oil business in the next few years too,” says Aubrey McClendon, chief executive of Chesapeake Energy, which is using the technique.

Petroleum engineers first used the method in 2007 to unlock oil from a 25,000-square-mile formation under North Dakota and Montana known as the Bakken. Production there rose 50 percent in just the past year, to 458,000 barrels a day, according to Bentek Energy, an energy analysis firm.

It was first thought that the Bakken was unique. Then drillers tapped oil in a shale formation under South Texas called the Eagle Ford. Drilling permits in the region grew 11-fold last year.

Now newer fields are showing promise, including the Niobrara, which stretches under Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas; the Leonard, in New Mexico and Texas; and the Monterey, in California.

“It's only been fleshed out over the last 12 months just how consequential this can be,” says Mark Papa, chief executive of EOG Resources, the company that first used horizontal drilling to tap shale oil. “And there will be several additional plays that will come about in the next 12 to 18 months. We're not done yet.”

Environmentalists fear that fluids or wastewater from the process, called hydraulic fracturing, could pollute drinking water supplies. The Environmental Protection Agency is now studying its safety in shale drilling. The agency studied use of the process in shallower drilling operations in 2004 and found that it was safe. 

In the Bakken formation, production is rising so fast there is no space in pipelines to bring the oil to market. Instead, it is being transported to refineries by rail and truck. Drilling companies have had to erect camps to house workers. 

Unemployment in North Dakota has fallen to the lowest level in the nation, 3.8 percent — less than half the national rate of 9 percent. The influx of mostly male workers to the region has left local men lamenting a lack of women. Convenience stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked with food. 

The Bakken and the Eagle Ford are each expected to ultimately produce 4 billion barrels of oil. That would make them the fifth- and sixth-biggest oil fields ever discovered in the United States. The top four are Prudhoe Bay in Alaska, Spraberry Trend in West Texas, the East Texas Oilfield and the Kuparuk Field in Alaska.

The fields are attracting billions of dollars of investment from foreign oil giants like Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Norway's Statoil, and also from the smaller U.S. drillers who developed the new techniques like Chesapeake, EOG Resources and Occidental Petroleum. 

Last month China's state-owned oil company CNOOC agreed to pay Chesapeake $570 million for a one-third stake in a drilling project in the Niobrara. This followed a $1 billion deal in October between the two companies on a project in the Eagle Ford. 

With oil prices high and natural-gas prices low, profit margins from producing oil from shale are much higher than for gas. Also, drilling for shale oil is not dependent on high oil prices. Papa says this oil is cheaper to tap than the oil in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico or in Canada's oil sands.

The country's shale oil resources aren't nearly as big as the country's shale gas resources. Drillers have unlocked decades' worth of natural gas, an abundance of supply that may keep prices low for years. U.S. shale oil on the other hand will only supply one to two percent of world consumption by 2015, not nearly enough to affect prices. 

Still, a surge in production last year from the Bakken helped U.S. oil production grow for the second year in a row, after 23 years of decline. This during a year when drilling in the Gulf of Mexico, the nation's biggest oil-producing region, was halted after the BP oil spill.

U.S. oil production climbed steadily through most of the last century and reached a peak of 9.6 million barrels per day in 1970. The decline since was slowed by new production in Alaska in the 1980s and in the Gulf of Mexico more recently. But by 2008, production had fallen to 5 million barrels per day. 

Within five years, analysts and executives predict, the newly unlocked fields are expected to produce 1 million to 2 million barrels of oil per day, enough to boost U.S. production 20 percent to 40 percent. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates production will grow a more modest 500,000 barrels per day.

By 2020, oil imports could be slashed by as much as 60 percent, according to Credit Suisse's Morse, who is counting on Gulf oil production to rise and on U.S. gasoline demand to fall.

At today's oil prices of roughly $90 per barrel, slashing imports that much would save the U.S. $175 billion a year. Last year, when oil averaged $78 per barrel, the U.S. sent $260 billion overseas for crude, accounting for nearly half the country's $500 billion trade deficit.

“We have redefined how to look for oil and gas,” says Rehan Rashid, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. “The implications are major for the nation.”

Gas Drilling Oversight Measure Rejected in Colo.

DENVER (AP) Feb. 8, 2011 -- A gas-drilling technique that has raised environmental fears among some won't see more oversight in Colorado after a Republican-led House panel on Monday rejected an idea to step up reporting of water complaints that may be related to drilling.

The measure would have revived annual reports to the Colorado Legislature from the Colorado Oil & Gas Conservation Commission on the number of water-quality complaints it received. The measure also would have required state health authorities to report to lawmakers the results of a federal study due out this year on a gas extraction technique called hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking."

The sponsor of the reporting bill, Democratic Rep. Roger Wilson of Garfield County, argued that the additional reporting would send the message that Colorado officials take seriously the public's concern over "fracking" and its possible effect on water quality.

"Without the public having confidence that we're looking seriously at this, the public's choice is to look with suspicion about what is going on" at drilling sites, said Wilson. He said he has received frequent complaints from constituents about drilling and water quality.

However, the Republican-led committee voted against the idea, 8-4. An industry official and Republican lawmakers pointed out that the information Wilson identified is going to be public already, so his proposal would simply add a layer of bureaucracy.

"We just think it's a study of a study," said Stan Dempsey, president of the Colorado Petroleum Association.

Even some "fracking" skeptics questioned how House Bill 1172 would work. Alan Curtis, a water attorney for the Denver firm White & Jankowski, opposed the bill because he pointed out that lawmakers would be relying on Oil & Gas Conservation Commission to conclude whether oil or gas extraction caused problems, an unlikely scenario.

"Every single time, COGCC's opinion is that there is no connection," Curtis said. "The public, this is going to provide them no comfort at all."

A Republican who voted against the measure, Rep. J. Paul Brown of Ignacio, argued that simply relaying complaints to the Legislature wouldn't necessarily help lawmakers conclude whether "fracking" is causing water problems.

"People can complain about anything," Brown said.

Xcel Electricity Rates Up 21% in Colorado

DENVER (AP) Feb. 7, 2011 - Electricity bills for Xcel Energy customers in Colorado have risen about 21 percent in six years and are expected to rise another 20 percent over the next six as the utility adds renewable energy, builds transmission lines and passes fuel costs through to consumers.

The average monthly residential bill for Xcel customers in Colorado is now above $68.

The Denver Post reported Sunday the increase has been twice the inflation rate.

Minneapolis-based Xcel has been upgrading existing power plants and building new ones. At the same time, Colorado has been requiring utilities to use more renewable energy, which Xcel says is more expensive than building coal-fired plants.

The Colorado Public Utility Commission says Xcel's electric rates in Colorado remain lower than the national average.

Xcel has 1.4 million Colorado customers.

Questions about fracturing

The New York Times
Editorial, September 21, 2010

The Environmental Protection Agency is about to begin a much-needed study of the health and environmental effects of extracting natural gas through hydraulic fracturing. The issue isn't whether the country should keep drilling for natural gas, which is vital to our energy future. It is whether it can be done this way safely.

A 2004 E.P.A. study of hydraulic fracturing was rightly criticized as superficial and skewed toward industry. The new investigation, authorized by Congress, must be thorough and transparent, with extensive visits to areas where critics say the process is polluting water supplies.

Hydraulic fracturing involves blasting underground rock with a high-pressure mixture of water, sand and chemicals. It has been used in more than 90 percent of 450,000 operating natural gas wells, mostly without incident. But environmental concerns have risen about huge deposits in miles below the earth's surface, which would require more water and chemicals, increasing the risks.

Among the largest and deepest deposits is the Marcellus Shale, which stretches from West Virginia through Pennsylvania into New York's Southern Tier, and embraces the million-acre watershed that supplies New York City with unfiltered drinking water. New drilling in New York has been on hold pending the completion of environmental reviews later this year. In Pennsylvania, drilling is under way. Residents have complained about foul-smelling well water, deformed fish and itchy skin.

We have long believed that carefully regulated drilling in the Marcellus Shale might be feasible, but the state should put the city's watershed permanently off limits. Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the City Council share this view. There are simply too many points in the drilling process where toxic chemicals could escape.

Nationwide, hydraulic fracturing has been implicated in dozens of water pollution cases, but much of the evidence is anecdotal. The E.P.A.'s job is to figure out the risks, order changes in drilling practices where necessary and develop federal regulations to replace the present state-by-state patchwork of laws.

The drilling industry says its technology is fundamentally sound. BP said pretty much the same thing. We need more credible assurances this time.

If we’re not going to use our wood resources, then Europe will.

Germany-based RWE Innogy is developing a wood pellet plant in Waycross, GA, called Georgia Biomass. They didn’t like the quality they were getting from US pellet manufacturers, so they decided to create their own pellet plants to make quality pellets. The facility is expected to produce 826,000 tons of pellets each year, headed to RWE’s existing power plants in the Netherlands for co-firing, according to the company. RWE was drawn to Georgia by the wood surplus, along with a well-established harvesting and logistics infrastructure, local government support, and plenty of local workers with local support to train for RWE’s special requirements, according to Michael Eissing, RWE project manager. “Unlike Europe, the U.S. has a huge growth surplus of wood with no use for at the moment,” Eissing says. Furthermore, Eissing adds that forest management in Georgia is carried out sustainably, meeting RWE’s strict standards for biomass production.

Why ship oversees if we can use the resources here at home??? 
Does this make sense to you? We ship our clean energy overseas to heat European homes and import dirty fossil fuels to heat our homes. New Earth Premium wood pellets are homegrown clean heating fuel. The more Americans we get on board to convert to pellet stoves, the more of our resources can stay at home and the less foreign oil we import. It’s time to become a New Earth Pellets Partner.

Biomass used for heating cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 25% over oil

A study released in June 2010 by the Manomet Center for Conservation Studies in Maine concluded that "the use of biomass for heating and combined heat and power (CHP) facilities would result in a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in 2050 relative to oil. Biomass is a term that not only includes forest products but also several agricultural products including grasses, crop residues such as straw and fast-growing energy crops such as willow. (Biomass Sustainability and Carbon Policy Study)

Imagine how much more quickly we’d reduce greenhouse gas emissions if more of us switched to biomass for heating. And we’re making it convenient and affordable to get into a new pellet stove or insert.

WHAT'S UP WITH OUR TREES?

Wildfire outlook slightly unpredictable

The question about wildfires in and around Eagle County isn't if they're going to happen, it's when they're going to happen. Ross Wilmore, the U.S. Forest Service's fire management officer for the White River National Forest, said in a Lodgepole pine ecosystem, fires are part of life. Grass and brush throughout our local forests started to sprout earlier than normal this year, meaning there's a chance they'll also dry out early. Combine those fuels with the abundance of pine beetle-killed trees, and forest fires are starting to look more and more likely. Wilmore expects grasses to grow tall this summer, and when it's warm and dry and those grasses dry out, there will be a lot of fuels ready to burn, he said.
http://www.postindependent.com/article/20100621/VALLEYNEWS/100629991/1001

Blowdown Risk Rising in the Beetle Infested Forests

Strong wind, recent rain, melting snow and a beetle infestation have become a dangerous combination in the forests of Colorado and Wyoming. Don`t camp, park or otherwise linger beneath any of the millions of trees killed by bark beetles in recent years, warns the U.S. Forest Service. The roots of the dead trees have been rotting. Combined with muddy ground and strong wind, that`s bringing down large numbers of trees onto roads, trails and campsites, said Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Ann Chambers. "You`re looking at a really dangerous situation out there right now," Chambers said Wednesday. "People really need to be careful."
http://www.dailycamera.com/boulder-county-news/ci_15323561

An Early Fire Season Likely in the High Country

With a large portion of Summit County's Lodgepole pines dead or dying, fire expert Ross Wilmore said it's only a matter of time before the community sees a large wildfire. And to limit damage to the county, residents and property owners should educate themselves on fire safety, reduce fuels by removing trees and come up with an evacuation plan just in case. Wilmore, who's in charge of wildfire-fighting operations for the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado, visited a recent Frisco Town Council meeting to discuss forest-fire education and preparation tips. He said Summit County is nearing prime wildfire conditions with an already warmer-than-average summer season and trees falling at a faster-than-expected rate. Summit County's core fire season normally lasts from August to October. “Vegetation is greening a little ahead of schedule,” he said. “We may dry out sooner. That may put us into fire season sooner.”
http://www.summitdaily.com/article/20100614/NEWS/100619922/1001