Thursday, October 20, 2022
Strategic Biofuels has been awarded a cooperative agreement under its Wood Innovations Program (RFS) by the U.S. Forest Service for the first stage of a multiphase project to develop a strong, auditable cloud-based system for demonstrating compliance of forestry feedstock with the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) rules under the federal Renewable Fuel Standard. The project’s primary objective is to secure funding for the creation of a gold standard tracking system that is user-friendly, economical, and resistant to fraud, allowing the forestry feedstock industry to provide the raw data that can conveniently and accurately be transmitted to the biofuel producer and validated by an outside auditor for EPA compliance.
RFS gives the renewable energy sector a financial incentive
As the company’s Louisiana Green Fuels project in Columbia, Louisiana is slated to be the first carbon-negative commercial renewable fuels facility in the world using forestry feedstock, Strategic Biofuels was chosen to lead this campaign. A pioneer in developing negative carbon footprint renewable fuels production facilities, Strategic Biofuels will be directing a core team of senior leaders in implementing the project. The Forestry Service will coordinate general oversight and forestry experience for the scheme, provide for dissemination of information, recognize and coordinate opportunities for project input for stakeholders.
“Innovative biofuels technologies are emerging at a time when our forests, especially those with high wildfire risk conditions, need them the most. Passengers in the U.S. will soon be flying on airplanes powered by forest residuals from forest restoration projects and forest products facilities,” says Julie Tucker, National Wood Innovations Program Manager of Bioenergy, Biofuels, and Bioproducts, U.S. Forest Service. “Historically, forest residuals have been a disposal challenge. The Renewable Fuel Standard helps change that by giving the renewable energy sector a financial incentive to convert these unwanted forest residuals to high value biofuels and renewable electricity. EPA must ensure that forest residuals receiving credit under the Renewable Fuel Standard are qualifying feedstock. We also want them to be sustainably sourced. This initiative with Strategic Biofuels is an exciting opportunity to do that.”
The National Association of State Foresters, the American Loggers Council, and organizations that represent private non-industrial, industrialized, and tribal forest landowners will all have representatives on the advisory panel, though their names have not been released.
Tags: Renewable Fuel Standard, RFS, Strategic Biofuels, U.S. Forest Service, woodworking, woodworking and manufacturing, woodworking event, woodworking industry, woodworking USA
