Because the biomass industry is so complex, it’s imperative that each sector communicates strategies and priorities with one another and the public in order to smoothly achieve its goals. The second plenary session panel at the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo August 4-6 in Boston will allow industry leaders to demonstrate a collaborative—rather than competitive—approach to advancing these goals, with the comparison of industry road maps.
Charlie Niebling, chairman for the Biomass Thermal Energy Council and general manager of New England Wood Pellet LLC, will discuss emerging opportunities for the economy-wide use of biomass in residential, commercial and industrial heating and combined-heat-and-power development in the Northeast. Niebling will highlight the growth projections and economic benefit analysis of a major study issued this spring entitled “Heating the Northeast with Renewable Biomass: A Bold Vision for 2025.” “I’ll discuss the major challenges we face in advancing the vision over the next 15 years, concluding with a discussion of policy priorities for biomass thermal at the state, regional and federal level,” Niebling said.
Representing the Northeast Region New Fuels Alliance, a nonprofit organization that educates political leaders, regulators and businesses about the environmental, economic and other benefits of nonpetroleum fuel production and use, will be Director Andrew Schuyler. Schuyler will discuss California’s controversial Low Carbon Fuel Standard and lessons the Northeast can learn from its adaptation. “With the LCFS now on the books, 11 northeast Mid-Atlantic states have committed to a similar policy,” he said. “The LCFS became highly controversial when it adopted asymmetrical carbon accounting. In essence, regulators developed different rules for different fuels. Northeast Mid-Atlantic policymakers have an opportunity to cut through the uncertainty and develop a balanced policy that effectively reduces carbon for the transportation sector and also promotes research and development of advanced biofuels.”
Article Continues After Advertisement
Panelist Bob Cleaves, president and CEO of the Biomass Power Association, said all industry sectors have a stake in making sure that biomass is promoted sustainably, responsibly and vigorously so that the U.S. can grow a rural renewable economy. “That means working closely with states like Massachusetts so that they get the science correct on the carbon benefits of biomass,” he said. “Biomass represents an enormous source of renewable energy, and yet is misunderstood, and thus often mischaracterized. If Congress lacks the political will to promote renewable energy, then that job will fall to the states, which have taken a lead in renewable portfolio mandates and carbon policy. Here in the Northeast, biomass supplies more than 50 percent of the region’s renewable energy supply, and is an enormously important source of rural employment in areas hard hit by a downturn in the economy.”
Thomas Bourgeois, director of the U.S. DOE’s Northeast Clean Energy Application Center, will also participate on the panel, which will be moderated by BBI International Vice President Tom Bryan.
To register for the Northeast Biomass Conference & Expo, go to http://ne.biomassconference.com.