advantages of bioenergy. Clearly, for the sustainable and equi-table production and transport of biomass and biofuels to be done on an extensive scale, there must be an effective and in-ternationally recognized monitoring and certification system in place. Forest certification systems have been partly successful, but fall short in the ar-eas of greenhouse gas savings, biodiver-sity and providing for the rights of local populations. european utilities’ next steps European utilities are unwilling to wait for the European Commission’s decision. Seven of the largest utilities, along with Canadian, European, and U.S. pellet asso-ciations, are actively working through the IWPB toward a mandatory universal sus-tainability verification scheme, with nine principles proposed: 1. Carbon dioxide savings must be significant, i.e. greater than 60% versus fossil fuels. 2. Deforestation and the use of peat is to be avoided. 3. Biomass must not be sourced from protected areas. 4. Soil must be protected. 5. Ground and surface water must be protected. 6. Air quality must be maintained or improved. 7. Biomass production for energy should not endanger food and water supply, or communities where biomass is used for subsistence. 8. Property rights must be respected and biomass production should contribute to local prosperity and the welfare of its employees and local people. 9. Corporations involved in biomass for energy must demonstrate a moral code of conduct. IWPB is working toward completing development of its sustainability approach for wood pellets by the end of 2011. The group is presently consulting stakehold-ers to develop sustainability indicators by the member inspection companies. Then, for the sake of independence and transparency, IWPB plans to join an exist-ing certification organization such as the German-based ISSC Association, which operates the International Sustainability and Carbon Certification System. IWPB is also co-operating with the Eu-ropean Pellet Council on the concept of an ENplus Green label for pellet producers. ENplus is a quality and chain-of-custody label. In addition to addressing quality is-sues, the green option of this label would assure that the sustainability criteria are met by pellet producers. IWPB has recognized that the costs of certification can form a serious barrier to small biomass producers. The group is considering the concept of group certifi-cation, in which the costs of certification can be shared by a number of small pro-ducers. Another consideration is to have a light version of the certification tool for small producers. impliCations For Canadian Wood pellet produCers Canada’s pellet producers have a strong competitive advantage over other biomass producers, especially those in develop-ing countries. Canada is a world leader in sustainable forest management and en-vironmental stewardship. A comprehen-sive legal framework requires good forest management practices and, at 150 million hectares, our country leads the world with more land certified to voluntary, market-based forest certification programs than any other country. Our pellet producers are already used to complying with the three existing sustainability verification systems that are required by RWE-Essent, Electrabel and Drax. By migrating to a sin-gle uniform sustainability verification sys-tem, our producers will be able to reduce paperwork and improve efficiency. Cana-da’s pellet producers support the IWPB in their efforts, and we look forward to doing our part in cleaning up the environment, in eliminating the harmful effects of coal, and in creating a brighter, healthier future for our children. • Gordon Murray is executive director of the Wood Pellet Association of Canada. He encourages all those who want to support and benefit from the growth of the Canadian wood pellet industry to join. Gordon welcomes all com-ments and can be contacted by telephone at 250-837-8821 or by e-mail at [email protected]. MOISTURE METERS Replaces Time-Consuming Oven Testing! BM Series high performance features include auto self-calibration and auto temperature compensation to ensure excellent accuracy and repeatability. Built-in datalogger. Battery-powered for portability. To operate, simply pour the biomass test sample into the storage bin and get results instantly! Ideal for wood chips, pellets, elephant grass, bark, wood shavings, sawdust and more. For Biomass Applications And our other models Model BLO Continuous online measurement with linear analog outputs. Model BLL One meter (39") long probe measures deep piles of wood chips. Model MCT-HS For miscanthus, hay and straw bales. Model BP1 Precision meter for pellet-type material, including wood, straw, thistle, rape and elephant grass. Questions? Call us at 800-645-4330 or visit online at www.checkline.com BM2-KIT ELECTROMATIC Equipment Co., Inc. 600 Oakland Ave Cedarhurst, NY 11516 – USA TEL (800) 645-4330 (516) 295-4300 • FAX (516) 295-4399 • EMAIL [email protected] 26 Canadian BIOMASS NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2011
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