industry
NEWS Missouri adopts renewable portfolio standard Missouri’s Election Day in November resulted in a narrow win for Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain and an overwhelming win for mandatory renewable energy requirements for state utilities. While McCain ultimately lost the election, renewable energy companies serve only to benefit from the state’s new renewable portfolio standard (RPS). More than 66 percent of Missourians voted “yes” on an initiative that will require the state’s three largest electric utilities to generate or purchase at least 15 percent of their energy from renewable sources by 2021, beginning with a 2 percent requirement in 2011. Approved sources include solar energy, wind, hydropower, landfill gas and biomass. The new mandate formalizes a good-faith agreement passed in 2007, which asked utilities to generate at least 11 percent of their power from renewables by 2020. By making the initiative mandatory, Missouri joins 27 other states in initiating an RPS. While no two states have exactly the same provisions, each standard was created with the goal of requiring electricity providers to use renewable sources to generate energy. According to the U.S. DOE’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, a list of specific issues should be considered by states considering an RPS: the definition of eligible resources, the purchase requirement for each utility’s portfolio, enforcement of the standard and penalties for noncompliance, and what state agency should be responsible
U.S. states with renewable energy initiatives
Voters in Missouri passed a renewable portfolio standard in November, making it the 28th state to enact some type of mandatory renewable energy initiative.
for implementing and enforcing the standard. According to the EERE, potential benefits of an RPS include a diversification of the state’s energy supply, greater production of less environmentally harmful electricity and increased market demand for renewable energy industries. -Kris Bevill
States see benefit to funding biomass projects
PHOTO: MINNESOTA GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
the governor. State Sen. Ellen Anderson, coTwo states recently announced plans to chair of the task force, stressed her group give money to biomass-based projects, stating is working separately from the governor. that growth in renewable energy industries It plans to introduce similar recommendawould mean growth for the state’s economy, tions to the legislature when it reconvenes in among other benefits. January. Funding will be an issue, but both In mid-November, Minnesota Gov. Anderson and the governor said a plan to Tim Pawlenty unveiled a Green Jobs Investstimulate the state’s economy is necessary. ment Initiative, which he said if implemented In Pennsylvania, Gov. Edward Renwould result in one of the biggest changes dell announced nearly $12 million in grant to the state’s economy since the industrial awards for clean energy projects, with more revolution. His plan includes incentives that than $2 million given to biomass-based opprovide credits to state utilities toward their erations. The largest grant, totaling $1 milannual energy savings requirements if they lion, was awarded to American Refining & produce or purchase methane, thus promot- Gov. Pawlenty held a press conference Nov. 10 Biochemical Inc. and will be used to build a ing the growth of methane projects through- to unveil his Green Jobs Investment Initiative. torrefaction facility. The plant is expected to out the state. A Green Job Opportunity Building Zones program was also part of the plan. The program would convert up to 180,000 tons of feedstocks annually into 60,000 tons be a modified version of the state’s current JOBZ program, imple- of a product similar to coal. Wood and switchgrass have been torremented to entice new investments in the state by offering a multitude fied by the company, and agricultural residues are being considered, of tax exemptions. In this case, “green” businesses would be given as well. Those involved with the project believe it will be the first commercial-scale torrefaction facility in the country. preference. In 2008, the Minnesota State Legislature established a Green -Kris Bevill Jobs Task Force to look into some of the same issues addressed by 1|2009 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 19