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Teru Talk News

Teru Talk Newsletter

Volume II, Issue 10, March 5, 2012 
Teru Talk by Michael Theroux (pronounced "Terú")  

Teru's Trash Talk

What a novel idea: get everybody who lives in a region to sit down, talk out and decide on how the lands around them are to be managed. Unimaginable? That is exactly what has been working for forest resource planning, and is now about to become the Law of the Land at least for our National Forests. The entire concept of national forest management is shifting, with the impending certification of a new Forest Planning Rule, and this re-make is happening concurrent with close to 10 million acres of already-funded Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration projects. Last year saw the first ten efforts start restoration thinning and watershed improvement efforts, funded and overseen by the USDA Forest Service, and another ten-plus new projects received funding, and the first ten got more bucks to stay on track. This work is cutting the risk of catastrophic fire, creating jobs in our rural areas, and … extracting a Whole Lot of Biomass from landscapes in and around the National Forest core. Much of that woody residue being pulled from the forests in this first stage of restoration work has already spoken for, as critically-needed timber for struggling lumber mills, reliable feedstock for bioenergy and pellet fuel plants and fodder for composting, mulch supplies and assorted beneficial uses.

 

Much has NOT been ear-marked. In fact, some of the larger efforts are depending on a premise of "cut it, and they will come", hoping that once projects start producing tonnages of chip, Business will step up with the tools to do something with it. With the primary focus on Restoration, little attention has apparently been given to coordinating the National Biomass Supply Chain. Each Collaborative has its own idea of how much extra biomass can and will be removed, and a few know where it will be going, but most don't have enough confidence in our government to sustain the long-term change and see the efforts as the front-end of the supply chain. After all, the Forest Service MUST ensure environmental integrity and longevity of our forest lands, but can only GUIDE the socio-economic activities.

 

Now, common sense (another rare resource) says that if we keep filling the Biomass Supply pipeline at the front and don't make sure it has somewhere to go, everything is likely to stop, once that pipe is full. This grand new scheme needs Market Demand, to be sustainable.

Hey Rube!

This week marks the end of the review process for the new Forest Planning Rule and its accompanying Programmatic Environmental Impact Study (PEIS). Next, the Forest Service will decide to formally certify the PEIS and accept a version of the Planning Rule, or nix the game and head back to the drawing boards. On the assumption that it will pass, Teru is serving up a Roadmap through the process. See the article under "this week's extra reading."

The Week's Extra Reading

The new Forest Planning Rule is about to go into effect. See Teru's new article describing  the New Forest Planning Rule and Access to Woody Biomass.

The Week's News

CalRecycle Schedules Forum on Digesting Urban Organic Residuals

California's Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) has scheduled a full-day forum on May 30, 2012 to explore the technologies, case studies, economics, policies, and regulations of anaerobic digestion used to convert urban-sourced organic waste into renewable energy, fuels, and other commodities. 03/02/2012

 

Nine Minnesota Projects Receive Funding for Biofuels Development

The Minnesota Department of Agriculture has announced the award of $2.4 million in grants to nine renewable energy projects, following release of the request for proposals (RFP) last September. 03/02/2012

 

Genomatica, Mitsubishi Enter Asian Market for BDO Development

California based Genomatica announced signing a limited exclusive agreement with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation for Asian regional joint commercial development of production capacity for bio-sourced industrial chemical, 1,4-butanediol (BDO). 03/02/2012

 

GETH, ACG to form JV for Conversion of Waste Plastics to Fuels and Resins

Green EnviroTech Holdings Corp. (GETH) has signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to form a joint venture (JV) to structure and fund waste plastic conversion facilities with ACG Consulting, LLC, a division of the investment management group ACG Companies. 03/01/2012

 

Skanska Will Build Biomass Combined Heat and Power Plant in Sweden

Global construction firm Skanska has secured a contract to build a biomass fueled combined heat and power plant in Lund, Sweden, for the municipal-owned Lunds Energi Group (Lunds Energikoncernen AB). 03/01/2012

 

REG Launches Biodiesel Policy Action Center Website

Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group, Inc. (REG) announced the launch of an advocacy web service designed to consolidate the industrial voice of its constituents for biodiesel policy. 03/01/2012

 

EERC Awarded $906K to Demonstrate Gasification to Biofuels to US Military

University of North Dakota's Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) has announced receipt of a $906,000 award from the Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology, Inc. (CCAT), to develop gasification-based alternative liquid fuels under CCAT's program for the US Military's Defense Logistics Agency (US DLA). 03/01/2012

 

California State/Federal Support Available for EU Trade Show Participation

The California State Trade and Export Promotion program (STEP) has announced availability of funds and on-the-ground support to companies participating in Hanover Messe, running April 23-27, 2012 in Hanover Germany. 02/29/2012

 

BioNitrogen Plans to Build Inaugural Biomass-to-Urea Plant in Texas

Florida-based BioNitrogen Corporation announced that it is purchasing a 49 acre site in Lubbock, Texas, pending completion of an Environmental Site Assessment in mid March 2012. 02/28/2012

 

North Carolina Biofuels Center Launches Biofuels Company Accelerator

The Biofuels Center of North Carolina (NC) has announced the launch of its Biofuels Accelerator to promote the state's development of a biofuels industry in the state through support of related technology projects, research, and businesses. 02/28/2012

 

Shell's New Biofuels Pilot Facility in Houston Uses Virent's BioForming Platform

Royal Dutch Shell plc has announced a new pilot facility built within its Westhollow Technology Center in Houston, Texas to explore thermal catalysis of biomass to drop-in biofuel using a technology platform based on its license with Virent Energy Systems. 02/28/2012

 

JBI Brings 2nd Plastic2Oil Processor On-Line in New York Facility

Canadian waste conversion specialist JBI, Inc. has completed its second plastic to oil (P2O) processing train in its Niagara Falls, New York facility and it is now on-line. 02/28/2012

 

ICF Completes CHP Report for CEC, Receives $6M Clean Energy Contract from EPA  The California Energy Comission (CEC) has released a report prepared by Virginia-based ICF International, entitled "Combined Heat and Power: Policy Analysis and 2011-2030 Market Assessment.” 02/28/2012

 

Ontario Backs Green Chemistry Breakthrough for Recycling Unrecyclables     The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario), Canada, has awarded a  $5.48 million grant to support commercialization of a new method to recycle materials such as polystyrene and contaminated plastic by separation of oily materials from surfaces. 02/27/2012

 

Dalkia Plans 300 MW Biomass CHP Plant for Lithuania's Capital

The Ukrainian Biofuel Portal reports that Dalkia France intends to build a biofuel combined heat and power (CHP) plant in Vilnius, the capital city of Lithuania, at a cost of 500 million litas. 02/27/2012

 

MagneGas Supplies Liquid Waste-Sourced Syngas to OneSteel Ltd

Florida-based waste-to-syngas specialist MagneGas Corporation has announced receipt of the first purchase order from its new customer, the global steel company OneSteel Ltd. 02/27/2012 

The Week's Action Items

Due 03/12/2012: Proposals to CPUC for Renewable DG Technical Analysis

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) released a request for proposals (RFP #11PS5003) seeking technical analytical expertise on renewable distributed energy generation (DG). 03/02/2012

 

Due 03/23/2012: Comments on Army Corps of Engineers Draft $7 Billion RFP

The US Army Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville, Alabama has announced the release of a draft request for proposals (RFP) and seeks public comment, toward the purchase of up to $7 billion over a ten-year period, for renewable energy shared capacity contracts up to 30 years in duration. 02/28/2012

 

Due 05/01/2012: Statement of Interest to SMUD for Biogas to Pipeline Capabilities The Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has released a request for statements of interest (SOI# 120063.OS) in the development of biogas to pipeline projects within California and the western states. 03/02/2012

  

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Teru Talk is an online publication of JDMT, Inc with the goal of opening the dialogue and providing current news and commentary on issues and successes associated with waste conversion to renewable energy, biofuels and other bio-based products for resource recovery.

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The Teru Talk Newsletter is published weekly or more or less frequently, primarily depending on what is going on in the world of waste conversion or ours.