Tag Archives: Biomass

Sustainability in your own backyard

From the Washington Post, Saturday, September 13, 2008:

As gardeners, we are at the forefront of the new Green Revolution.

Knowing this, gardeners can take steps to promote sustainability in their landscapes. It involves how you use your property — everything you own. 

Thirty years ago, most home landscaping consisted of lawn, foundation plantings, a few trees, and perhaps a bed for flowers or vegetables. Plants were chosen for their color when flowering and their availability at garden centers. Maintenance included mowing, fertilizing, spraying, pruning and watering.

But we now know that native plants can endure without synthetic chemicals or fertilizer, or much watering or labor, once established. And that insects that depend on native plants are important food for birds.

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Funding biomass fuels may be a hurdle

From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 19, 2008

Proponents of a plant that would make liquid fuels out of coal say such a facility could be the solution to high energy costs in Fairbanks and Interior villages.

However, a financial specialist warned that private-sector financing will be hard to find without some government assistance, either as cash, loan guarantees or off-take agreements.

The borough and Fairbanks Economic Development Corporation have proposed building a plant that would produce between 20,000 and 40,000 barrels of liquid fuel a day from coal and biomass — a plant that would probably cost at least several billion dollars.

High-ranking officials from the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Air Force, as well as more local players, gathered Friday in Fairbanks to discuss how to fast-track a biomass and coal-to-liquids facility. They heard from seven speakers representing pieces of the project.

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Energy summit to focus on gasification facility

From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 15, 2008

High-ranking federal and state officials will be in Fairbanks this week for an energy summit hosted by borough Mayor Jim Whitaker and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens to fast-track a plant to turn coal and biomass into power, fuel and heat for Interior Alaska.

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