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WE'VE MOVED!
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2009 has been quite a year. Despite the
challenges brought about by the condition of the housing market and the broader recession, we've
continued to focus on serving our customers and readers. As a result, we kept busy in 2009. We
added a bioenergy practice and this newsletter. We launched a new website and a new lumber pricing
product. We even expanded our staff.
Now, as the holidays approach, we are undergoing one more change--a change in address. In
order to accommodate our growth, we moved to a new office in South Charlotte two weeks ago.
Our contact information is:
14045 Ballantyne Corporate Place
Suite 150
Charlotte, NC 28277-2845
Phone: (704) 540-1440
Fax: (704) 540-6301
If you're in the Ballantyne area, stop by and visit us. And don't worry if you forget the
new contact information. Our mail, calls and faxes will be transferred to our new location
automatically.
Now, as the year draws to an end, we would
like to thank you for your business. We genuinely appreciate it, and we look forward to serving you
in the new year.
Happy Holidays, everyone.
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1Q2010 FUNDING FOR BCAP RAISES
CONCERNS
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 Delay
in Releasing Rules Results
Just like the list of qualified biomass
conversion facilities, the cost of the BCAP program has exploded: funding for the first
quarter of 2010 has been reported at $500 million dollars. Why so high? The 2008
Farm Bill did not set a specific limit for funding the program. Instead, to determine the funding
level for 1Q2010, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) added up the quarterly feedstock needs of all
facilities that have qualified as biomass conversion facilities (BCFs). They then requested
that amount from the Credit Commodity Corporation (CCC). The CCC apparently approved the
request, and the controversy quickly followed.
Among the first to object following the
announcement was the Composite Panel Association (CPA). The group asked the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) to review the program's funding and rules. Their concern? Included in the eligible
materials list are classes of wood fiber already used for higher value products, specifically the
composite wood panels used in home construction, furniture, cabinets, doors, and flooring.
More...
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SCIENCE AND POLITICS
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Will Classifying Wood as Carbon Neutral Lead to Land Use Changes?
There is a paradox inherent in producing
energy by burning wood in order to slow global warming. On one hand, wood does
have a better emissions profile than fossil fuels. On the other hand, harvesting wood reduces
the amount of carbon sequestered in forests. Because of this paradox, significant controversy
arises whenever the carbon footprint of wood bioenergy is discussed.
Currently, the Kyoto Protocol, the European Union's cap and trade legislation and the
proposed (though far from law) American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 all classify
bioenergy as carbon neutral. An article in a late October issue of
Science called this classification into question.
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IS
CELLULOSIC ETHANOL BACK ON TRACK?
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After
a long year in which cellulosic ethanol seemed to be fading from the renewable energy scene, there
has been an uptick in activity this month.
First, was the announcement by the Department of Energy that it had awarded grants totaling
$564 million to 19 biorefineries. The final 19 were chosen from a group of 200 applicants. And
this selectivity has many who received the grants hoping that the government's vote of confidence
in their technologies will spur investor interest and help them raise additional
funds.
Eleven
of these facilities use wood as all or part of their feedstock.
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