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iomass Magazine’s International Biomass Conference & Expo drew 1,700 people and nearly 300 exhibitors to the Minneapolis Convention Center in Minneapolis May 4-6. Attendance at the annual event doubled compared with the first event held in 2008. BBI International Vice President Tom Bryan kicked off the general session May 5 by welcoming the attendees and introducing the keynote speaker Jack Oswald, founder and CEO of Syngest Inc. Oswald provided the audience with a vision of the company’s Cornucopia Biorefinery, which is designed to simultaneously produce food, fertilizer and fuel, using every component of an ear of corn. “Our integrated biorefinery model will put an end to the food-versus-fuel debate,” he said. “Now you can have your fuel and eat it too.” The biorefinery would produce several products including food-grade corn oil, high-protein food for human consumption, animal feed, butanol and biochar. Following the keynote was a panel discussion about biomass policy objectives and how biomass organizations can work together to educate and influence lawmakers. Bob Cleaves, president of the Biomass Power Association, said that when approaching lawmakers on Capitol Hill, biomass proponents need to remember that most don’t care about biomass, and to focus instead on energy independence, in general, despite the fact that without biomass, the country will not reach its renewable goals.
Cleaves was one of six speakers on the Biomass Priorities on the Hill general session panel. While biomass comprises 50 percent of all renewable energy produced in the U.S., many people don’t know what it is, Cleaves told the crowd. The BPA is rolling out a communications strategy to remedy that problem, as biomass’s carbon neutrality is under scrutiny. Smokestacks can lead to misinterpretations of the benefits of biomass, as other renewable sources don’t employ them, he said. Another priority of the BPA is to retroactively reinstate the production tax credit, which expired at the end of 2009 and is crucial for development and operation of the industry. Without it, the existing fleet of biomass power facilities will likely fail and the industry will not grow, he said. An extension of the credit is included in the American Workers, State and Business Relief Act. Also included in the bill is an extension of the biodiesel tax credit. Shelby Neal, director of government affairs for the National Biodiesel Board, said a retroactive reinstatement of the credit claims are priorities one, two and three for the NBB. “The credit has been extremely successful,” he said, adding that the negative effects of its expiration have been apparent in plants being idled, reduced production, layoffs, and plants teetering on the edge of solvency. Neal encouraged attendees to call their representatives and ask for reinstatement of the credit. Geoff Cooper, vice president of research and analysis for the Renewable Fuels Association, said the credit is a priority of his, also, along with extension of the
Representatives from several biomass organizations including, left to right, Niebling, Rosenthal, Neal, McAdams, Cooper and Cleaves, took the stage at the International Biomass Conference & Expo to outline their legislative agendas.
40 BIOMASS MAGAZINE 6|2010