USDA investing nearly $4M in wood energy

July 22, 2014 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is awarding more than $2.5 million in grants to develop wood energy teams in 11 states and an additional $1.25 million for nine wood energy projects using woody material, such as beetle-killed trees, from National Forest System lands.

The federal funds will leverage more than $4.5 million in investments from USDA partners. Under the terms of the agreements, private, state and federal organizations will work together to stimulate the development of additional wood energy projects in their states -- including Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Montana, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia. This may include workshops that provide technical, financial and environmental information, preliminary engineering assessments, and community outreach to support development of wood energy projects.

The projects will be funded through the National Forest Service's Wood-to-Energy grant program, which began in 2005 and has provided more than $36 million toward various projects -- ranging from biomass boilers for schools and hospitals to helping businesses acquire equipment that improves processing efficiencies. So far, more than 150 grants have been awarded to small businesses, non-profits, tribes and local state agencies to improve forest health, while creating jobs and green energy.

The National Forest Service manages 193 million acres of public land, provides assistance to state and private landowners, and maintains the largest forestry research organization in the world. Public lands managed by the Forest Service provide 20 percent of the nation's clean water supply, a value estimated at $7.2 billion per year.

For more:
- see this MOU

http://www.fierceenergy.com/story/usda-investing-nearly-4m-wood-energy/2014-07-22