January 5, 2018

In this Week's Pellet Wire:


PFI Announces Tim Portz to be Executive Director

Pellet Fuels Institute is excited to announce that it has hired a new executive director! After reviewing dozens of applications from qualified candidates, the hiring committee chose Tim Portz, someone with a wealth of industry knowledge and a familiar face to many in our association. 

Tim Portz has been a renewable industry observer, reporter, and commentator for nearly a decade. As the longtime executive editor of Biomass Magazine and Pellet Mill Magazine Tim has established himself as a consistent and outspoken champion for biomass energy-specifically the wood pellet sector. During his tenure at BBI International, Tim was also responsible for developing the agendas of the International Biomass Conference & Expo and the International Fuel Ethanol Workshop, developing strong relationships with experts and vendors across those industries. Prior to his career in renewables, Tim worked in sales and sales management for RR Donnelley, a global printing company. Tim attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts. Born and raised in central Iowa, Tim, his wife, and their two sons now live in Minneapolis. 

Tim officially joined PFI on Tuesday, January 2, 2018. 


Become a 2018 PFI Sponsor! 

Don't miss the opportunity to sponsor PFI in 2018! Sponsorship at all levels brings many perks, along with exposure for your company to the pellet fuels industry. By signing up to sponsor the association early in 2018, you will reap the benefits throughout the coming year.

The 2018 sponsorship packages include benefits such as:

  • PFI Annual Conference registrations
  • Breakfast & Biomass registrations
  • Company logo listed on the PFI website
  • 10x10 booth at the PFI Annual Conference
  • Weekly newsletter advertising
  • Website advertising
  • And more!

PFI's membership list includes more than 100 companies, and the Pellet Wire, our electronic newsletter, is sent to close to 2,000 subscribers every week. Now is the time to become a sponsor of this organization. Visit our website to explore how you can become involved.


Nominate Your Facility to Be Featured in PFI's Promotional Video

In 2018, Pellet Fuels Institute will be creating a short promotional video about the pellet fuels industry, for use on the PFI website as well as by any PFI member. The Board has approved a budget, and the promotions committee will be supervising the filming and production. The theme of the video will be how pellets are produced, and how they contribute to rural American communities and sustainable forest management. It will also emphasize the benefits of pellet heating over other alternatives like heating oil.

So this is where you come in: we need nominations for a pellet production facility to feature in the video! We've received some great applications so far, but there's still time to nominate your facility. The video will focus on one region of the country, centered on a pellet producer but also looking at the businesses that supply the raw materials, as well as retailers and end users who purchase the finished product.

If you'd like to nominate a facility to be featured in the PFI video, please send an email to [email protected] with "PFI Video Nomination" in the subject line. Tell us about your facility and why it would be a good "poster child" for the pellet fuels industry. Please include the name, location, size and age of pellet production facility, and names of suppliers and retailers that you work with nearby. The promotions committee will announce the location of the video in January after reviewing the applications. Please reach out to Carrie Annand with any questions.


We Need Your Input for PFI's 2018 Events

Are there any topics that you'd like to see addressed at Breakfast & Biomass or at PFI's Annual Conference next year? We'd like to hear from you. Nominate speakers and suggest panels, experts, themes, and ideas. The Conference Committee wants to be sure to reflect the preferences and needs of PFI membership as much as possible. 

Be sure to check our updated online calendar with information on many events happening during the remainder of 2017 and into 2018. Most importantly, mark your calendars for next year's PFI events! 

Breakfast & Biomass at the HPB Expo in Nashville, TN - March 8-10, 2018

PFI Annual Conference in Myrtle Beach, SC - June 24-26, 2018 

If our calendar is missing any events that you're planning to attend, please send an email to Carrie Annand


Follow PFI on Facebook and Connect with Us on LinkedIn! 

We'd like to connect and interact with PFI members and anyone else involved in pellet fuels production! 

Here's how you can help us build our online community:

  1. Follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook!
  2. Encourage your colleagues and other business associates to follow us.
  3. Send Carrie Annand news or other ideas to post on LinkedIn.

Have News to Share on Pellet Wire?

We'd love to feature your company's news in a future Pellet Wire! We want to be the first to know your company's recent developments to share them with the wider pellet fuels industry.

Please be in touch with Carrie Annand with information on your company's growth, job openings, promotions or other news. 


Join a PFI Committee

We welcome and encourage all interested PFI members to get involved in our committees. There are many opportunities to help steer the association. No matter where your expertise and interests lie, we have a committee that will suit you. Help us plan our next conference, shape our policy agenda, lead communications outreach, or grow the PFI Standards Program. Visit PFI's website for more information. 



Upcoming Industry Events

March 8, 2018: HPB Expo

March 9, 2018: 2018 PFI Breakfast & Biomass

March 20, 2018: International Mass Timber Conference

April 16, 2018: International Biomass Conference & Expo

May 1, 2018: Heating the Midwest

Connect with PFI

PelletHeat.org
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Join PFI


Fuel Availability

Are you a PFI member, pellet manufacturer , or distributor that has fuel available? Email [email protected] to have your listing updated or added to the PFI website.


Industry News

Locals Stock Up on Essentials as Storm Nears 
Eagle Tribune, Massachusetts

It may have been the calm before the big storm in the region. 

For some stores say Wednesday was a typical day, while others reported big sales on all things snow and ice.

Sam Daahoun, an employee at the Nutfield Country Store in Londonderry, said at midday it was pretty much the usual crowd.

Read Full Article


Will EPA Regulations Drive More Wood Stove Innovation?   
Biomass Magazine

A recent U.S. DOE press release stated that the technology revolution has bypassed the wood stove industry. The first round of U.S. EPA regulations in 1988 required all manufacturers to adopt innovations, or go belly up. Most agree that those regulations were a good thing for industry, which was facing public backlash, and potentially far more strict regulations from various states. 

Can the second round of EPA regulations, coming into effect in 2020, bring about the next big wave of innovation? Many insiders say no, that wood stoves have advanced as much as they can, and there is no reliable way to further drive down emission standards. To us, that is short-sighted.  We need positive, forward-thinking leadership. 

The narrative around wood stoves needs changing, and industry leaders need to be part of that. It's not enough to say smoky stoves are the result of poor operation, and all we need to do is better educate operators. This is almost an admission that stoves will continue to be polluting, and aren't up to the task. It's not enough to say that the problem is just the old stoves, and we shouldn't worry about how clean new stoves should be. We all know that even new stoves can be problematic.

Read Full Article


Wood Burning Deadline Turns Up the Heat on Montreal's Fireplace Owners  
Montreal Gazette

The city seems to be counting on awareness campaigns to try to gently persuade tens of thousands of Montreal households to either stop burning wood or invest in new, low-emission wood stoves or fireplace inserts. Some of the bylaw's restrictions have been in effect since it was passed over two years ago, but so far, not a single fine has been issued. 

Since August 2015, it has been illegal to burn wood during smog alerts in the city of Montreal or to install new wood-burning appliances that do not meet the strict new emissions standards. But the most important restriction kicks in on Oct. 1, 2018. After that date, if you burn wood in Montreal in any appliance that emits more than 2.5 grams of fine particles per hour - and any stove or fireplace purchased before 2009 almost certainly does -  you will be liable to a fine of $100 to $500 on first offence, $500 to $1,000 on second offence, and $1,000 to $2,000 on any subsequent offence.

Pellet Fuels Institute

[email protected] | 206.209.5277 | www.pelletheat.org