From the Director’s Desk
Tropical Storm Arthur Crashes PFI Annual Conference, Take a Bow Scott Cummings, PFI Submits Comments on Massachusetts Stretch Code, Senate Version of Farm Bill Released
There are a few things conference organizers worry about more than the weather. After years of smooth sailing, weather disruption finally impacted the Pellet Fuels Institute Annual Conference as Tropical Storm Arthur spun northeast out of Texas, bringing heavy rain and high winds to the Gulf Coast right on top of our event. The system created travel issues for inbound travel on Sunday and Monday, AND outbound travel on Wednesday afternoon and Thursday. At least one party was unable to make it to the event, and a significant percentage of the conference body dealt with delays, diversions, and at least one delayed piece of luggage (yours truly). EVERYONE at the conference had their eyes on weather radar and their airline apps on Wednesday as the storm approached Mobile. During breaks, attendees watched as curtains of rain worked across the bay. The volume of water falling was incredible to behold.
Remarkably, the Pellet Fuels Institute Golf Tournament was able to proceed, although a downpour let loose just as foursomes were wheeling their carts to their first tee boxes. After a 15-minute delay, the rain abated and play resumed. At the conclusion of the round, another downpour kicked in, and golfers scampered into the clubhouse, exchanging high fives. There were big smiles all around, and everyone agreed that the 2026 golf tournament would not soon be forgotten.
On Wednesday, the conference agenda worked through a series of conversations that sought to frame where the industry is in 2026. The conference morning always begins with a review of the preceding heating season and a close look at the sales and production data. I pulled together data that compared August – March sales data across the EIA’s 10-year data set. It revealed that the East had a strong season, the third-best actually. The West, however, posted its lowest August – March numbers in the data set, diluting the positive year producers had out East.
Each heating season brings with it challenges and opportunities, and the theme that emerged in multiple conversations in several panels was the impact of energy prices on wood pellet demand, certainly, but also on the cost of production. While high crude prices drive up the price of fossil fuel space heating fuels, they also drive up the price of diesel fuel, increasing the costs of bringing in fiber and sending out finished product. Where the price of crude is headed as we work through the summer months, and how the situation in Iran and the Strait of Hormuz resolves, is anyone’s guess. For now, producers in the East are focusing on replacing depleted inventories and keeping their plants up and operational.
I was delighted to host a conversation with Eddy Chumley (Tractor Supply Co.), Chris Vogtman (Hearth & Home Technologies), and Brett Jordan (Lignetics) to discuss the pellet heating category. To my knowledge, this marks the first time a retailer, fuel producer, and appliance manufacturer all shared the stage. We discussed our shared customer and the challenges of meeting their needs in a rapidly changing energy marketplace. I hope to replicate this panel with different participants moving forward.
I want to offer my personal thanks to everyone, sponsors, speakers, members, and attendees alike, who made the trip to Point Clear to join this year’s event. We’ve all grown accustomed to business travel in our work lives, but when the weather throws curveballs and causes delays, there is an added layer of headache. I appreciate folks hanging in there, dealing with delays and cancellations.
Take a Bow, Scott Cummings
Each year at the conference, the PFI Board of Directors gets a new slate of officers, a few new (or returning) board members, and says goodbye to some board members. For the last year, Scott Cummings (Barefoot Pellet) has served as the PFI’s Chairman, and it was my privilege to say a few things about Scott as our conference wrapped. One of the best parts of my job is getting to know the people inside of our member companies, and the chairmanship provides a unique opportunity to learn more about our members. While the year flew by, Scott and I had an opportunity to travel together (Rocky Mountain National Park, Washington, D.C., two plant visits in Tennessee, and our conference last week). Scott is a born helper. It is humbling. As if to demonstrate the many hats Scott wears in his life, his cell phone sounded a fire alarm while he was on stage for the producers' panel. Scott, naturally, is a volunteer fireman in Troy, Pennsylvania. He participates meaningfully in numerous industry trade organizations and brings his passion and commitment to the sector to all of them. We were fortunate to have Scott at the helm for this past year, and I’m thrilled that he’ll spend another year on our executive committee as the Past-Chair. I’m proud to know you and call you a friend, Scott. Thank you for everything. Cheers!
PFI Submits Comments on Massachusetts Stretch Code
Massachusetts has established one of the most consequential building energy codes in the Northeast, and wood pellet heating has a place in it – though not yet the full place it deserves.
The Commonwealth’s Stretch Code, now in effect across 301 of 351 municipalities, divides new construction into all-electric and mixed-fuel compliance pathways. Buildings using fossil fuels face significant additional burdens: higher efficiency requirements, solar pre-wiring mandates, and electrification readiness obligations. High-efficiency pellet boilers and furnaces – defined as “clean biomass heating systems” under 225 CMR 22.00 – are carved out of those penalties entirely, provided they meet a 0.08 lb/MMBtu PM2.5 emissions threshold and achieve 85% thermal efficiency. That is a meaningful standard, and the industry is meeting it.
Where the code falls short is in its treatment of pellet stoves and inserts installed as supplemental heat alongside air-source heat pumps. These appliances are not currently eligible for clean biomass recognition – an omission that is difficult to justify on the merits. A review of EPA’s certified product list shows that more than half of the 101 certified pellet room heaters on the market already perform at or below the 0.08 lb/MMBtu threshold, without any adjustment to the standard. DOER does not need to lower its bar – it simply needs to apply it consistently.
PFI filed formal comments with the DOER Stretch Code Committee, urging exactly that extension. We will keep members informed as the process develops.
Senate Version of Farm Bill Released
Chairman Boozman's Agricultural Act of 2026 delivered meaningful progress on several PFI priorities. The Wood Innovations Grant Program was retained and improved, with the matching requirement for eligible entities reduced to 50 percent and updated priorities that include retrofitting existing sawmill facilities and enhancing carbon reduction strategies. The Community Wood Energy Grant Program was also continued – though renamed the Community Wood Facilities Grant Program – with a sharpened focus on accelerating wood use in the built environment and identifying mass timber opportunities in federal facilities.
The Advanced Biofuels Payment Program was reauthorized through 2031 as part of H.R. 1 earlier this year.
We will continue to monitor the progress of aligning the House and Senate versions of the Farm Bill as it works towards the President’s desk for signing.
