A national partnership n Sept. 12, the Pellet Fuels Institute announced it had joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture and three other biomass groups in signing a mem-orandum of understanding that says they will work together “to jointly grow and promote the wood to energy sector.” This news is a positive development for the biomass market in the United States as both association and gov-ernment interests come to the table to work together on industry initiatives and strengthen co-ordination within the industry. It is news that should create a call to action for the biomass industry in Canada. Such a partnership would not only strengthen co-ordination but also serve as a catalyst for stronger negotiations between the biomass industry and provincial gov-ernments on access to fibre. Currently, or-ganizations such as WPAC are having little success getting the government to seriously consider the needs of the wood-to-energy market. An agreement similar to the one reached south of the border could change all of that and finally put the needs of biomass producers at the forefront of the discussion. It’s also important to consider what such an alliance could contribute to the devel-opment of a stronger domestic bioenergy market. Yes, there are opportunities for ex-panded use of bioenergy coming from coal conversion projects in some provinces, as well as some small-scale institutional and commercial programs. But many other op-portunities exist, such as providing pellet power for remote communities, that could be influenced by a stronger working rela-tionship with the right government agencies. But before all of this can happen, two covers.indd 1 BIOMASS CANADIAN Volume 6 No. 5 Editor -Amie Silverwood (289) 221-8946 [email protected] Associate Editor -Andrew Macklin (519) 429-5181 [email protected] Contributors -Don Harfield, Treena Hein, Gordon Murray, Tux Turkel Editorial Director/Group Publisher -Scott Jamieson (519) 429-3966 ext 244 [email protected] Market Production Manager Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] National Sales Manager Ross Anderson Ph: (519) 429-5188 Fax: (519) 429-3094 [email protected] Quebec Sales Josée Crevier Ph: (514) 425-0025 Fax: (514) 425-0068 [email protected] Western Sales Manager Tim Shaddick [email protected] Ph: (604) 264-1158 Fax: (604) 264-1367 Media Designer -Alison Keba Canadian Biomass is published six times a year: February, April, June, August, October, and December. Published and printed by Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. Printed in Canada ISSN 2290-3097 Circulation Carol Nixon e-mail: [email protected] P.O. Box 51058 Pincourt, QC J7V 9T3 Subscription Rates: Canada -1 Yr $49.50; 2 Yr $87.50; 3 Yr $118.50 Single Copy -$9.00 (Canadian prices do not include applicable taxes) USA – 1 Yr $60 US; Foreign – 1 Yr $77 US Occasionally, Canadian Biomass magazine will mail information on behalf of industry-re-lated groups whose products and services we believe may be of interest to you. If you prefer not to receive this information, please contact our circulation department in any of the four ways listed above. No part of the editorial content of this publica-tion may be reprinted without the publisher’ s written permission ©2013 Annex Publishing & Printing Inc. All rights reserved. Opinions expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the editor or publisher. No liability is assumed for errors or omissions. All advertising is subject to the publisher’ s approval. Such approval does not imply any endorsement of the products or services advertised. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising that does not meet the standards of the publication. www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca O Government, associations need to follow the U.S. lead important steps need to take place. First, the industry needs to come together for the greater good. Business and political interests must be left at the door. No secondary agendas can undermine such an endeavour. It needs to be a concerted effort throughout industry associations across the country. The bottom line is that all sectors would benefit from a more unified approach. Second, the government needs to be engaged in an ed-ucated and thoughtful man-ner. Egos and prior agendas must be set aside to realize the overall potential of what the PFI/USDA model could provide. The environmental impact, cost savings, job creation and sustainable wood supply that would come from the expansion of the bioenergy market all would have to be clearly outlined with accurate figures that show the overwhelming benefit of such an expansion. These figures would demon-strate how vital the role of the federal gov-ernment is in spearheading the initiative. Most importantly, there is now a road map to follow to create an important partner-ship between the industry and the govern-ment departments that have influence over it. Our colleagues to the south have created the necessary tools we need to make this a reality. It’s time to talk with them to find out how they all came together to help move the industry forward. Their agreement couldn’t have come at a better time, or a more important time, in the development of the bioenergy sector in Canada. • 2013-10-10 4:28 PM Andrew Macklin, associate editor [email protected] 4 Canadian BIOMASS mAY/JuNe 2013
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