June 12, 2015

PFI Annual Conference Updates 



The PFI Annual Conference is just five weeks away and we hope you’re making plans to join us! 

Detailed conference agenda now available - Register Now!

Pellet Fuels Institute 2015 Annual Conference  
Sunday, July 19 – Tuesday, July 21, 2015 
Williamsburg Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia.

Registration Fees & FAQs | Conference AgendaSponsorship Opportunities | Hotel & Travel

The PFI Annual Conference features topics and speakers highlighting current trends and important issues impacting the pellet industry. 

PANEL SPOTLIGHTEnhancing Pellet Operations

Learn from industry experts to maximize your pellet mill operations. Topics and Speakers Include:

  • Understanding New and Existing OSHA Requirements: Eric Conn, Conn, Maciel, Carey
  • Maximizing Bearing Performance: Peter Mellon, Timken 
  • Fire Suppression Practices and Technologies: Ryan Morrow, Firefly; Lance Harry, Kidde Fenwal

To read more about the educational sessions being held at the PFI Annual Conference, be sure to review the Conference Agenda.

SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES
Are you looking for a way to maximize your marketing budget? Explore the new sponsorship and exhibitor packages for the PFI Annual Conference. For information on sponsorships and exhibition, please contact Lucia Regan at [email protected] or 206-922-2468.

2015 Conference Gold Sponsors:
    

HOTEL ROOM BLOCK
Planning to stay at the Williamsburg Lodge? Be sure to book your room by June 23rd to take advantage of the PFI preferred room rate.  Please note that reservations will be taken on a space-available basis.

The PFI Annual Conference highlights the various applications of densified biomass, as well as trends and best practices within the densified biomass industry. It attracts a broad range of individuals from the public and private sectors, academia, and local, state and national governments from North America and beyond. The conference features two days of educational sessions as well as industry exhibits, extensive networking opportunities and a golf tournament.

Please contact PFI staff  for more information about the conference at [email protected] or 206-209-5277


Information Added to PFI Members Area of Website

Each week, new information is added to the PFI Member Area of the PFI website. Current members, you simply have to log in with your member name and password to access this information. Be sure to log in this week to review new updates on PFI’s government affairs initiatives and reports from Washington, DC.

If you aren’t a member of PFI, or haven’t renewed your membership for 2015 and want to take advantage of the numerous benefits PFI membership offers, please visit our website for more information. And, we encourage you to contact PFI staff to find out how PFI membership can benefit your business.


USDA Blog Post by Chief Economist Robert Johansson: Study Finds Increasing Wood Pellet Demand Boosts Forest Growth, Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Creates Jobs

An industry that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, increase forest growth, and create jobs sounds too good to be true.  But that is the reality of the emerging wood pellets market in the Southern U.S.  That conclusion is supported by independent economic assessments of wood bioenergy, including a recent study that specifically focused on European pellet demand conducted by researchers at Duke and North Carolina State Universities.  Those researchers found that increasing demand for wood pellets resulted in more forest area, more forest investment, large greenhouse gas reductions, and little change in forest carbon inventories.

So, why is there concern?

Some critics have recently argued that land used to produce biomass for energy should instead be permanently protected as forests. They say that harvesting biomass from forests reduces forest carbon stocks. Instead, they claim that the best way to increase carbon storage is to reduce demand for renewable products that come from the land. 

Those arguments fail to account for market dynamics and incentives, and do not recognize that these resources are renewable. Importantly, forests with little or no economic value are at greater risk for conversion to non-forest other uses.

A key to accelerating forest growth and regeneration is to create strong markets for biomass that will stimulate investments. Farmers and forest land owners, as with all business owners, respond to markets and invest in strategies to produce more and earn more when facing increasing demand.

Read the full post on USDA’s website

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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

Funds offered for conversion to wood-pellet heat 
Plattsburgh Press-Republican
SARANAC LAKE — Information sessions are set June 8 and 9 to explain how homeowners and businesses can apply for subsidies to purchase and install high-efficiency wood-pellet boilers to replace oil or propane heat.

The Adirondack Model Neighborhood Wood Heat Initiative, a program of the Northern Forest Center, will provide financial incentives for wood-pellet boiler installations to 20 homeowners living in Saranac, Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake.

Read the Full Article


The worst myths about EPA's move to cut wood stove pollution
Media Matters
The Environmental Protection Agency is updating its air pollution safeguards for new wood-burning stoves and heaters, with the initial pollution reductions taking effect on May 15. Conservative media have frequently fear-mongered and misinformed about these standards, so here's a handy guide to rebutting the most egregious media myths that are sure to resurface in the days ahead.

Read the Full Article


Wisconsin Assembly passes bill barring DNR from enforcing federal wood stove rules
Minneapolis Star Tribune
MADISON, Wis. — The state Assembly has passed a Republican bill that would prohibit state environmental officials from enforcing new federal pollution limits on residential wood heaters.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency plans to phase in regulations on pollution from new wood heaters over the next five years. Opponents fear the regulations could force smaller manufacturers to shut down.

Read the Full Article

 



Pellet Fuels Institute |  [email protected]   | 703.522.6778