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Renzi Pushes for Program to Use Forest Waste for Alternative Energy

Date: Feb. 8, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Energy Natural Resources


Renzi Pushes for Program to Use Forest Waste for Alternative Energy
Biomass Program Will Reduce Fire Danger and Provide Affordable Homegrown Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Rick Renzi (AZ-1) pushed for the increased use of biomass energy made from forest waste to replace or supplement traditional sources of energy during a House Resources Hearing today on high energy and the expanded uses of biomass. Renzi said this would not only help provide affordable energy, it would also keep manufacturing jobs in America.

"Energy prices are going through the roof and America's small businesses are feeling the pinch," said Congressman Renzi. "We have the American ingenuity to allow companies to utilize forest waste to power their businesses. Congress must get behind new technologies like biomass, and look at incentives to encourage the development of these alternative energy projects."

Congressman Renzi noted that the pulp and paper industry has already utilized this alternative technology to power their businesses and that the industry currently generates more than 60 percent of its energy needs from the pulp and paper process. Renzi said the byproducts of that process, heat and power, can be substituted for natural gas, coal and electricity. The Congressman recently introduced legislation (HR 3590) to expand the successful Collaborative Forest Restoration Program (CFRP) currently in place in New Mexico to Arizona. The bill would help reduce the fire threat by encouraging forest restoration tools like the utilization of small diameter trees to use for biomass and bio-diesel.

"The Collaborative Forest Restoration Program will help provide forest products to develop this new technology," Renzi said. "This and other developing technologies will be especially helpful in the future considering the large amounts of woody debris that will likely come off of national forests as a result of this bill and others. One estimate shows there is currently enough biomass available nation-wide to produce billions of gallons of bio-fuels per year. The end result will not only be safer forests, but affordable and alternative energy grown here in America."

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/az01_renzi/RenziBiomassProgram.html

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