by jboullion | Feb 28, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article in the Tomah Journal:
Solid Waste Manager Gail Frie offered a plan to generate energy and extend the life of Monroe County’s Ridgeville landfill at Monday’s meeting of the Solid Waste Management Committee. The committee approved $14,000 to begin the initial planning for the gas to energy project.
Frie, who was Vernon County’s solid waste manager for 18 years, said he had put a lot of study into the project. He said, “Every citizen of Monroe County should have a direct benefit from this project.”
The solid waste manager told the committee that he had “…done a lot of thinking…” on the plan so that the county had no cost. He did not want to tie up county bonding for a landfill project. He added that his focus was on saving money and extending the life of the landfill.
The gas to energy project is a $6 million proposal funded with United States Department of Agriculture grants and loans and funds from partners including Alliant Energy, Focus on Energy and Gundersen-Lutheran. Food waste would be the principal source of energy. The county would save over $500,000 in landfill operation costs. Gundersen-Lutheran would buy the electricity generated by the plan.
by jboullion | Feb 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an editorial in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Outside a recent open house WE Energies held to discuss its proposed biomass power plant in Rothschild, a group of residents distributed information outlining their concerns and objections to the plant.
It’s good for people to be engaged in a local matter that affects them, and we applaud residents for voicing their concerns. But in our judgment, the benefits that the biomass plant would bring our area far outweigh the costs.
The $250 million power plant would be a boon to the area, full of upsides. It would provide an economic boost, both in the 400 construction jobs required to build it and in the 150 permanent jobs that would staff the plant. It would boost the state and municipal tax base. And the technology it would employ is clean, renewable and low-emission, helping Wisconsin reach its goal of using 10 percent renewable energy by 2015.
The biomass plant, which would power the Domtar paper mill and provide electricity to the grid, would be fueled by burning wood waste — low-quality wood, unusable bark and such. That’s a good deal cleaner than burning coal and fossil fuels, and it’s a renewable resource.
This project needs to happen. WE Energies is waiting on state approval to begin construction, but says it hopes to have the plant up and running by fall of 2013.
by jboullion | Feb 26, 2010 | Uncategorized
From a news release issued by Alliant Energy:
Grasslands Will Be Preserved and Restored to Benefit Farmers and Provide Renewable Energy
MADISON, Wis. — A new initiative announced today will demonstrate how diverse native prairies in southwest Wisconsin have the potential to provide income to farmers, better habitat for wildlife and homegrown and renewable energy to businesses.
The Alliant Energy Foundation is providing $100,000 per year over the next three years to The Nature Conservancy to establish demonstration projects that harvest biomass from native and restored prairies in the Military Ridge Prairie Heritage Area in southwest Wisconsin.
“This is the first project of its kind in the region and one that will explore how we can create new economic opportunities for area farmers,” said Barbara Swan, Alliant Energy Foundation President. “It’s a great way to preserve some of our best grasslands for future generations.”
Mary Jean Huston, director of The Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, said new strategies are needed to protect the state’s grasslands, which are at risk even though they provide excellent wildlife habitat and help preserve water quality.
Military Ridge is one of the state’s best opportunities for grassland conservation because it includes more than 60 native prairie remnants and pasture land within a 50,000-acre grassland landscape located in Dane and Iowa counties.
“The best way to keep Military Ridge’s lands and waters in good natural condition is to demonstrate good conservation practices,” Huston said. “This generous gift from the Alliant Energy Foundation will help us protect this incredible landscape for nature and people alike.”
by jboullion | Feb 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Wayne Nelson in BusinessNorth:
The proposed $250 million addition at Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls that would expand the mill into commercial manufacturing of “green diesel” and other renewable woody biomass products has cleared more hurdles on the way to a potential construction later this year.
On Jan. 19, Flambeau River Biofuels, an affiliate of the paper mill, said it has signed letters of intent with two more major project vendors. William “Butch” Johnson, majority owner of the paper mill and biofuels companies, said it has selected AMEC, a British engineering firm, to design the project, and Miron Construction based in Neenah, WI, as primary contractor.
In October, Flambeau River Biofuels selected Honeywell, Inc. to supply and integrate automation equipment and building controls for what would be the largest second-generation U.S. green diesel plant. In addition to producing transportation fuels and chemicals from woody biomass, the steam and electricity also produced in the process would make the paper mill the first in the nation to be fossil fuel-independent.
The biorefinery would be designed to process 1,000 dry tons per day of bark, sawdust and other residue with little market demand into 19 million gallons of green diesel and wax fuels per year. The project would add about 40 fulltime employees to the 300 already working in the mill. The additional demand for woody biomass would create an estimated 125 logging-related jobs for the regional wood products industry.
by jboullion | Feb 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
From an article by Wayne Nelson in BusinessNorth:
The proposed $250 million addition at Flambeau River Papers in Park Falls that would expand the mill into commercial manufacturing of “green diesel” and other renewable woody biomass products has cleared more hurdles on the way to a potential construction later this year.
On Jan. 19, Flambeau River Biofuels, an affiliate of the paper mill, said it has signed letters of intent with two more major project vendors. William “Butch” Johnson, majority owner of the paper mill and biofuels companies, said it has selected AMEC, a British engineering firm, to design the project, and Miron Construction based in Neenah, WI, as primary contractor.
In October, Flambeau River Biofuels selected Honeywell, Inc. to supply and integrate automation equipment and building controls for what would be the largest second-generation U.S. green diesel plant. In addition to producing transportation fuels and chemicals from woody biomass, the steam and electricity also produced in the process would make the paper mill the first in the nation to be fossil fuel-independent.
The biorefinery would be designed to process 1,000 dry tons per day of bark, sawdust and other residue with little market demand into 19 million gallons of green diesel and wax fuels per year. The project would add about 40 fulltime employees to the 300 already working in the mill. The additional demand for woody biomass would create an estimated 125 logging-related jobs for the regional wood products industry.
