Teru Talk Newsletter with current news, action items, and some trash talk on matters of waste conversion for resource recovery.

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Teru Talk Newsletter

Volume I, Issue 1 -  March 1, 2011 
Teru Talk by Michael Theroux (pronounced "Terú") 
 
Teru's Trash Talk   
 

Welcome to Teru Talk’s about-weekly wrap-up! The idea here is to quickly dish about a week’s worth of News in an easily chewable form. Scan the highlights, to see if there is something you need to dig into: each tid-bit is linked to the website, where you’ll find all the rest of the story (and the hyper-links that go to Source). The Teru Talk website is the waste and biomass conversion filter that selects and serves up a couple dozen Hot Items a week, from the Global Farmer’s Market of news. This is like the revolving dessert tray: you get a peek, and pick only what you want to bite into.

 

In the Circus, if there is trouble, somebody yells, “Hey, Rube!” and all the Carnies come a-runnin. Consider the TeruTalk newsletter as our industry’s bull-horn, a way to point to the one or two Happenings you really need to see, a way we too can call for back-up when something REALLY important needs broad attention and a quick response. Hey, the folks that bash our efforts certainly use those tactics: six loud voices can change the course of the Body Politick; we’ve all seen it happen. Set down your pie-fork, stand and be counted. 

Hey Rube!

Nine California agencies got together (amazing in itself) and developed the 2011 Bioenergy Action Plan … about a hundred pages of What We Need to Do, to turn biomass liabilities into clean green energy, fuels and JOBS. Objective One, across the board: Keep our existing large-scale BioPower facilities alive. Hope you read it, and commented; we did here. Someone should have mailed a copy to the San Joaquin Valley Air Quality Management District.

 

On February 18, SJVAQMD and the EPA filed “Consent Decrees” against two of our remaining biopower plants. If the Courts so deem, the Air District and the EPA will split more than $800K in fines extracted from the plant’s owners for AQ violations. Yeah, they probably were bad, and should take their licks, like maybe have to spend that same money on upgrades. But if those plants close, the ag wastes and woody construction debris they normally turn into energy will (a) get burnt in the open, (b) get buried in a landfill, or (c) get trucked half-way around the Great Central Valley to some Other biopower plant. Those Decrees are open for Public Comment. If you like what happened, don't bother to respond. If you have something to say, check out the News Item. Comment period closes 03/21/2011. 


The Week's News

UBC Breaks Ground on Biomass Gasification to CHP Demonstration Project  The University of British Columbia (UBC) has announced that construction has begun on campus of a demonstration and teaching biomass to combined heat and power (CHP) plant. 

 

Alltech Algae Facility Opens in Kentucky  

After a $14MM acquisition and around $200MM in renovations, the nutrition company Alltech held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to announce the opening of Alltech Algae in Winchester, Kentucky, now Alltech’s largest production facility.

 

W2 Energy Starts Construction on Biobutanol Reactor  

Canadian multi-tech company W2 Energy (W2E) has announced that they have started construction on a new version of their SunFilter bioreactor, this time to grow bacteria and produce Biobutanol.

 

USDA Expands Study of Crop Insurance Program to Include Biofuel Feedstocks Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack announced last week that USDA will expand the scope of their on-going feasibility study of providing crop insurance.

 

EPA Releases Summary of EJ Impacts of CISWI, NHSM and Boiler Rules Environmental Justice (EJ) concerns lie at the heart of Rulemakings finalized this month by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

 

EPA Establishes Clean Air Act Standards, Initiates Reconsideration Process   Responding to a court order denying another time extension, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued four inter-related final Rules that establish final Clean Air Act standards for boilers and certain types of incinerators.

 

EPA Releases Final NHSM Rule Impacting Direct Combustion  

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released the Final Rulemaking for identification of Non-Hazardous Secondary Materials (NHSM) that are solid waste.

 

UK  Advances AD Projects, Studies Uses of Digestate  

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) projects in the United Kingdom have received policy and financial support recently from the Environmental Transformation Fund, and the Lincolnshire produce company Staples Vegetables is the first to receive funding.

                                    

Novozyme’s Lars Hansen Nominated Chair of EBTP 

Novozymes President for Europe, Lars Christian Hansen, has been selected this month as Chair of the Steering Committee for the European Biofuels Technology Platform ( EBTP). 

 

Cereplast Meets Financier’s Goals and Gets 2nd Round $2.5 MM 

According to terms of their December 2010 debt financing agreement with Horizon Technology Finance Corporation, the California-based bioplastics company Cereplast, Inc had to meet or exceed certain market targets during January and February for further investment.

 

USDA Requests Renewable Energy Funds in FY 2012 Budget  

The US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed budget for fiscal year (FY) 2012 has been cut to $23.9 billion from the $27 billion level in FY 2011, but will still invest $6.5 billion to support renewable and clean energy.  

The Week's Action Items

Due 03/25/2011: Comments on CEC Draft 2011-2012 Investment Plan  The California Energy Commission (CEC) has released their 2011-2012 Draft Investment Plan for the Alternative and Renewable Fuels and Vehicle Technologies (AB 118) Program. AB 118 provides about $100 million annually to the CEC to support the development and deployment of alternative and renewable fuels and advanced transportation technologies.

 

Due 06/01/2011 (2nd extension): Wildfire Prevention Grant Applications  Removal of biomass form the Wildland / Urban Interface has been supported at the community level by grants coordinated through the California Fire Safe Council (CFSC), who started accepting applications on January 5, 2011 for the 2012 program wildfire prevention grant funds through the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Parks Service.

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