BioLinks--Biomass News

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new Boiler Maximum Achievable Control Technology (MACT) standards which would classify biomass boiler units, conventionally considered multi-fuel boilers, as incinerators and would be subject to new emission limits for mercury, hydrogen chloride, particulate matter, carbon monoxide and dioxin. The Biomass Power Association (BPA) says that early estimates have shown that it could cost the biomass industry up to $7 billion to comply with EPA’s new standards. The comment period on this rule expires on July 19. View a fact sheet about the rule with details about how to comment on the proposed rule.

The Forest Guild Biomass Working Group released Guidelines for Forest Biomass Retention and Harvesting in the Northeast in May. As the biomass market matures, guidelines like these are being formulated by more and more states. Read the guidelines here.

A new report by the University of Tennessee finds the state of the wood to energy industry healthy and full of promise. "Wood2Energy: A State of the Science and Technology Report" looks at the biomass supply in both the US and Canada, current harvesting and transportation technologies, pretreatment and conversion technologies and the market impacts of broad-scale woody biomass utilitization.