NW Tribe's Issues and
Challenges with Biomass
Energy Development
Steve Rigdon
Since time immemorial
ƒ Native Americans have been tied
to the land, being stewards and
trying to balance their societal
needs.
ƒ We struggle with using our lands
for the benefit of our current
societies, with consideration to
future generations, while
recognizing our past.
People & Forest, Purpose &
Disconnect
• Forest provide services, goods, and
products
(clean air & water)
(food, shelter, heat, medicine, and tools)
(lumber, pulp, biomass, and food)
• Forest wood to energy? (biomass,
logging slash, fuels reduction, and
product residuals)
Complexity of Wood Energy
•
•
•
Wood Energy is one of the oldest
technologies known to man.
Today you can use wood for heat,
processing heat, transportation
fuel, and electricity.
Tribal people better understand
heat for homes and buildings better
than the other wood energy uses.
Challenges
ƒ Infrastructure
ƒ Transportation fuel
risks
ƒ Long-term
feedstock
agreements
Challenges
• Inexpensive electricity in the NW
• Subsidies for Renewables, Nuclear, &
Fossil Fuels
• I-937
• Cost of biomass
• Access to Subsidies (Tribes tax
exempt status)
• Partnerships?
Challenges
• Tribes duel and triple processes (BIA,
BPA, DOE, FERC, ect.)
• Tribal energy resource agreements
• Environmental standards
• Monetizing intrinsic values
Avoided Cost
•
•
•
•
•
Fire suppression costs
Fire restoration costs
Environmental costs
Fossil fuel cost
Forest health & timber stand
improvement costs
Values
•
•
•
•
Clean air & water
Creating Rural Economies
Energy independence
Ecosystem Services
Values
• Paying our local economies for wood
to energy
products.
• 55% of power
plant cost is
obtaining
biomass
Biomass-Fired Power Plants
3
2
1
4
2
1
1
1,2
1
1
8
1
Biomass Fuel Types
2
1,1
4
1
Agricultural Waste
Bagasse
Biogas (unspecified)
Biomass (not conv. wood or wood waste)
Digester Gas (Sewage Sludge Gas)
Landfill Gas (Refuge Gas or Methane)
Manure Fuel
Paper Mill Sludge
Peat
Pulping Liquor
Wood Gas (from Wood Gasifier)
Wood or Wood Waste Fuel
State Biomass Electric Capacity
MWe
13DEC94
SRH,than
TJS1,000
greater
500 to 1,000
11
1
250 to 500
100 to 250
less than 100
no data
Bridging the Gap
• Cultural and science education
• UW Bioenergy
IGERT
Bridging the Gap
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sizing and technology
Access to incentives.
Streamline processes
Regional collaboration
Societal commitment
Domestic investments
Thank You