Ag and Forestry RES
Sign-on Letter

The Southern Alliance for Clean Energy is gathering signatures for a sign-on letter asking the House of Representatives to strengthen the Waxman-Markey climate bill to 30 percent of the nation's energy to come from renewables and efficiency by 2020. The letter is in response to reports that the current legislation will not advance renewables faster than the business-as-usual scenario. The full sign-on letter can be found here. Contact John Bonitz for further information.

Alabama Produces Guide on Woody Biomass Opportunities

The Alabama Forestry Commission has released a guide to help residential, commercial, and industrial consumers evaluate the opportunity to use woody biomass to fuel their energy needs. The guide illustrates the available woody biomass in Alabama and states that between 2001 and 2008 "Alabama's tree inventory increased by a net amount of 13.9 million tons annually or a 1.3% increase." The guide also lists helpful tools in evaluating woody biomass opportunities including the USDA Forest Service's fuel value calculator. The guide can be accessed here.

25x'25 Proposes Amendments to Climate Bill to Aid the AG and Forestry Sectors

From the 25x'25 blog: The 25x'25 Alliance today issued a list of proposed amendments to the American Clean Energy and Security Act (HR 2454) that the organization said are needed to maximize the benefits that agriculture and forestry can provide in the cap-and-trade program outlined in the measure. The amendments, which were aired during a Farm Foundation forum at the National Press Club this morning by Carbon Work Group Chairman Nathan Rudgers, a former New York state agriculture commissioner and a member of the 25x'25 National Steering Committee, address multiple areas within the Waxman-Markey bill and more.