BAKERSFIELD, Calif., Oct. 22, 2014 /PRNewswire/ — Mt. Poso Cogeneration Company and its partners DTE Energy Services DTE, +0.01%  and Macpherson Energy Corporation hosted an open house and media tour Wednesday for Kern County workforce development organizations and students to showcase skilled job opportunities in the energy field.

The event was in recognition of the second annual National Bioenergy Day, an effort by renewable energy producers across the nation to educate the public about the environmental, economic and community benefits that biomass provides as an energy source. In honor of the event, the County of Kern and the City of Bakersfield both issued proclamations declaring October 22, 2014 as Bioenergy Day in their respective jurisdictions.

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By Jolene Wallace October 20, 2014 2:13 PM

Wednesday, October 22nd marks national recognition of the increased use America’s forests and fields to generate heat and power for homes, factories, business firms, and public buildings. It is known as National Bioenergy Day.

Using wood to heat homes and business has always been standard here in Maine, long before terms such as “biomass” and “bioenergy” were coined. It was called “firewood.”

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Written by: Rob Davis, Forest Energy Corporation President

Wildfire has always been a part of the landscape in the American West. But for the last decade or so, the west has been plagued by destructive, uncharacteristically large and uncontrollable wildfires.  Just in Eastern Arizona we have experienced the Rodeo Chedeski Fire (2002, 435,000 acres), the Wallow Fire (2012, 530,000 acres) and this year the San Juan Fire (7,005 acres).

The cost of fighting, recovering and trying to replace the damages from these wildfires is in the billions annually and often there are losses that can’t be readily recovered, such as the loss of over 50% of the Mexican Spotted Owl nesting sites on the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.  During the Rodeo Chedeski and the Wallow fires, it wasn’t just nest sites, but active nests with owl pairs and nestlings.

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Renewable Heat NY supports high-efficiency, low-emission units

10/22/2014

The SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) joined the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) and the New York Biomass Energy Alliance Oct. 22 in celebrating National Bioenergy Day with activities to educate the public about cleaner, more efficient ways to heat with wood and the value of sustainable forestry.

The celebration featured information about Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s Renewable Heat NY initiative, a tour of the college’s combined heat-and-power (CHP) system at the Gateway Center, remarks about the bioenergy industry in New York State and a tour of a pellet boiler demonstration system.

National Bioenergy Day celebrates the role that this sustainable, renewable, carbon-friendly resource plays in producing electricity and heat generated from wood and other organic materials.

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WATERTOWN — Students at the Howard G. Sackett Technical Center will get a chance to try their hand with a logging simulator Wednesday as a part of an event marking National Bioenergy Day.

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Minnesota Power is promoting a sustainable form of energy that can be found right in people’s backyards.

Tuesday was National Bioenergy Day. That’s a type of energy that uses organic material to make heat, electricity and other products like biofuels.

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In honor of the second annual National Bioenergy Day, the Chippewa National Forest invites the public to tour the new energy-efficient Walker Ranger Station Oct. 22.

District staff and bioenergy industry experts will provide short presentations about the bioenergy wood pellet boiler at the new office, and discuss biomass sources, pellet fuels and industry trends. The event runs from 9 to 11  a.m. with visitors invited to tour the building from 9-9:30, followed by presentations by representatives from Marth Wood Shavings, WoodMaster and U.S. Forest Service engineers from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

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By Tony Ferguson, Special to The Gazette

7:06 p.m. EDT October 20, 2014

(Photo: Frank Robertson/Gazette, Frank Robertson/Gazette)

Woody biomass is quietly expanding as a viable, cost-effective energy alternative to fossil fuels in America.

Though this natural, renewable and locally produced resource will never supply all of our nation’s energy needs, when operated in concert with sustainable forest management, it can be an effective energy option in both rural and urban areas.

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