PFI Standards Program Welcomes Snow Timber Pellets as 16th Qualified Company

The Pellet Fuels Institute this week announced the qualification of pellet fuel manufacturer Snow Timber Pellets of Hurley, Wisconsin, into the Pellet Fuels Institute (PFI) Standards Program. The PFI Standards Program is a third-party accreditation program providing specifications for residential and commercial-grade pellet fuel, now representing sixteen pellet manufacturing companies, among them twenty-eight facilities.

"This winter, more customers than ever will be heating their homes with wood pellets from qualified manufacturers," said Chris Amey, Chairman of the PFI Board of Directors. "All they have to do is look for the Quality Mark on the bag to know that they are purchasing fuel from an independently evaluated pellet producer. It's easy to find these brands because more and more retailers look for the Quality Mark when making decisions on which pellet fuel brands to purchase. We welcome Snow Timber Pellets into the PFI Standards Program and look forward to many more PFI Standards Program members."

Read the full press release on PFI's website. 

PFI Signs Letter to Urge Congress to Pass Tax Extenders Bill by Year End

This week, PFI joined with 51 other groups in signing a letter to urge Congress to pass a tax extender bill by the end of 2016, including the Section 25D tax credits that pellet producers may qualify for. The coalition of trade associations representing a wide variety of interests sent the following letter to Congressional leadership:

"The undersigned organizations, representing a variety of business, energy, transportation and agriculture stakeholders, strongly urge Congress to provide a seamless, multi-year extension of the tax provisions that are currently slated to expire at the end of 2016.

"These tax provisions impact sectors that are vital to the U.S. economy and support thousands of jobs nationwide. Allowing these tax provisions to lapse would effectively increase taxes on the entities that create jobs and economic growth. Also, the on-again, off-again nature of credit eligibility will cause uncertainty and make it more difficult for businesses to make important tax planning decisions.

"Accordingly, we respectfully ask that you provide a seamless, multi-year extension of these important tax provisions before Congress adjourns. We look forward to constructively working with you to achieve this important goal and thank you in advance for your consideration."

Read the letter.

Register for Heating the Midwest

The 2016 Heating the Midwest conference is taking place October 11- 13 in the Upper Peninsula's Harris, Michigan. 

Established in 2011, Heating the Midwest represents more than 200 industry, government, non-profit, university and tribal organizations committed to increasing awareness, education and outreach for heating with biomass in the Midwest. We promote thermal biomass to a large constituency, including government policy makers and entities, institutions, municipalities, businesses and consumers. 

2016 is shaping up to be a great conference and we are hoping you are able to participate!

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 at [email protected] 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.

Host an Event for Bioenergy Day 2016, Taking Place October 19

October 19, 2016, marks the Fourth Annual Bioenergy Day! Many pellet fuels manufacturers are planning facility tours and other events to emphasize the many economic and environmental benefits of bioenergy to elected officials, customers, the media and other stakeholders.

We urge anyone interested in building ties to their communities to consider hosting a Bioenergy Day event, either on your own or jointly with other bioenergy businesses or supporters in your region.  There are many resources available to help you plan, including a Participation Guide on the Bioenergy Day website. Previous participants are also willing to share best practices, lessons learned, and other tips to ensure a smooth and successful event. 

Thanks to many sponsors, including the U.S. Forest Service, and participants, Bioenergy Day has grown each year. Organizations across the country have engaged their communities on bioenergy, earning dozens of media stories and helping more people understand bioenergy. State and local governments, elected officials, universities and businesses have all recognized bioenergy in its many forms. Biomass power, domestic and export pellets, biogas, anaerobic digesters, combined heat and power - all of these types of bioenergy are part of Bioenergy Day.

To learn more, visit www.bioenergyday.com, or send an email to Carrie Annand at [email protected].