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Home > Who We Are > Campaigns > <i>Haa Aaní</i> Legislation > Sign the Letter of Support > Recent Article Discusses Regional BiomassBiomass conversions fire aheadTwo entities pursuing new heating options must import wood for fuel By Kim Marquis | JUNEAU EMPIRE Economics are forcing two new biomass ventures in Southeast Alaska to supply their wood-fired projects with imported wood. Both the U.S. Coast Guard and Sealaska Native Corp. say the demand for wood products must grow before wood energy can be sourced here. The Coast Guard, in the process of converting its Ketchikan base to wood heat, plans to purchase pellets from British Columbia, said Robert Deering, environmental and energy branch chief for the Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit in Juneau. "We hope the demand will motivate someone around here to develop a local mill but until that demand materializes, we have to import," Deering said. Sealaska Native Corp. has not yet signed a contract for its wood supply for a boiler to be installed in the company's downtown office building this summer, but Natural Resource Planner Nathan Soboleff said it would likely come from Oregon, Washington or British Columbia. Both of the projects' managers say they are moving to wood heat to decrease dependence on oil, reduce carbon emissions and save money on energy costs. They had hoped to source wood in Southeast Alaska but wood pellets are not yet available in the region at quantities needed to heat large buildings. Continue reading
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