[PCA] Fwd: USDA Invests in Research to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into Renewable Energy

Tue Nov 12 14:03:41 CST 2013

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: USDA Office of Communications <usda at public.govdelivery.com>
Date: Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 3:02 PM
Subject: USDA Invests in Research to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into
Renewable Energy

PRESS RELEASE
  Release No. 0206.13  Contact:  USDA Office of Communications (202)
720-4623     USDA Invests in Research to Convert Beetle-Killed Trees into
Renewable Energy

WASHINGTON, Nov. 6, 2013 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today
announced it has awarded nearly $10 million to a consortium of academic,
industry and government organizations led by Colorado State University
(CSU) and their partners to research using insect-killed trees in the
Rockies as a sustainable feedstock for bioenergy. The award, provided under
the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI), is part of USDA's
effort to develop modern solutions for climate challenges in agriculture
and natural resource management. AFRI is provided under the Farm Bill, and
Secretary Vilsack highlighted the need for passage of a comprehensive,
long-term Food, Farm and Jobs Bill to continue groundbreaking agricultural
research across the nation.

"Infestations of pine and spruce bark beetles have impacted over 42 million
acres of U.S. forests since 1996, and a changing climate threatens to
expand the threat from bark beetle on our forest lands," said Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack. "As we take steps to fight the bark beetle, this
innovative research will help take the biomass that results from bark
beetle infestation and create clean, renewable energy that holds potential
for job creation and promises a cleaner future for America. This is yet
another reminder of the critical investments provided by the Farm Bill for
agricultural research, and I urge Congress to achieve passage of a new,
long term Food, Farm and Jobs Bill as soon as possible."

Vilsack noted that the funding for this research is provided by the
National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and
Food Research Initiative (AFRI) – a 2008 Farm Bill program – and reiterated
the critical need for passage of a new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill that
adequately invests in groundbreaking agricultural research.

There are many benefits to using beetle-killed wood for renewable fuel
production. It requires no cultivation, circumvents food-versus-fuel
concerns and likely has a highly favorable carbon balance. However, there
are some challenges that have been a barrier to its widespread use. The
wood is typically located far from urban industrial centers, often in
relatively inaccessible areas with challenging topography, which increases
harvest and transportation costs. In addition to technical barriers,
environmental impacts, social issues and local policy constraints to using
beetle-killed wood and other forest residues remain largely unexplored.

CSU researchers, together with other scientists from universities,
government and private industry in the region, created the Bioenergy
Alliance Network of the Rockies (BANR) to address these challenges. The
project will undertake comprehensive economic, environmental and
social/policy assessment, and integrate research results into a web-based,
user-friendly decision support system. CSU will collaborate with partners
across four states to complete the project. Partners include: University of
Idaho, University of Montana, Montana State University and the University
of Wyoming, U.S. Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station, National
Renewable Energy Lab and Cool Planet Energy Systems. More information is
available on the project website at
banr.colostate.edu<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMxMTA2LjI0OTMyOTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTEwNi4yNDkzMjk2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODU3NzYxJmVtYWlsaWQ9UGF0cmljaWFfRGVBbmdlbGlzQGZ3cy5nb3YmdXNlcmlkPVBhdHJpY2lhX0RlQW5nZWxpc0Bmd3MuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&101&&&http://banr.colostate.edu/>
.

Specifically, the team will explore recent advances in scalable
thermochemical conversion technologies, which enable the production of
advanced liquid biofuel and co-products on-site. The project is working
with Cool Planet Energy Systems, which is based out of Greenwood Village,
Colorado. The company's prototype pyrolysis system can be tailored to the
amount of feedstock available and thus can be deployed in close proximity
to stands of beetle-killed timber. This localized production leads to
significantly lower costs related to wood harvest and transportation. Their
distributed scalable biorefinery approach is a key element in making the
use of insect-damaged trees as feedstock plausible.

As a NIFA Coordinated Agricultural Project (CAP), this grant brings
together teams of researchers that represent various geographic areas to
support discovery, applications and promote communication leading to
innovative, science-based solutions to critical and emerging national
priorities and needs. This year's awards broaden NIFA's CAP bioenergy
portfolio, which includes six projects awarded since 2010 focusing on woody
biomass, switchgrass and perennial grasses, energy cane and sorghum.

NIFA made the awards through The AFRI Sustainable Bioenergy challenge area,
which targets the development of regional systems for the sustainable
production of bioenergy and biobased products that contribute significantly
to reducing dependence on foreign oil; have net positive social,
environmental, and rural economic impacts; and are compatible with existing
agricultural and forest production systems. All grants are awarded over a
period of five years, with continued funding contingent on annual project
success.

AFRI is NIFA's flagship competitive grant program and was established under
the 2008 Farm Bill. AFRI supports work in six priority areas: 1) plant
health and production and plant products; 2) animal health and production
and animal products; 3) food safety, nutrition and health; 4) renewable
energy, natural resources and environment; 5) agriculture systems and
technology; and 6) agriculture economics and rural communities.

Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and
extension programs, NIFA focuses on investing in science and solving
critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future.
More information is available at:
www.nifa.usda.gov<http://links.govdelivery.com:80/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTMxMTA2LjI0OTMyOTYxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDEzMTEwNi4yNDkzMjk2MSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE3ODU3NzYxJmVtYWlsaWQ9UGF0cmljaWFfRGVBbmdlbGlzQGZ3cy5nb3YmdXNlcmlkPVBhdHJpY2lhX0RlQW5nZWxpc0Bmd3MuZ292JmZsPSZleHRyYT1NdWx0aXZhcmlhdGVJZD0mJiY=&&&102&&&http://www.nifa.usda.gov/>
.

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