COLUMBIA, MO. -- Update: Monday, Aug. 23 at 6:50 p.m.
Missouri Sen. Kit Bond is urging state lawmakers to make it easier for new businesses to turn sawdust, wood pellets, and other unused forest products into energy.
On the University of Missouri campus Monday morning, Bond hosted a discussion of biomass as a source of clean energy and a boost to the state economy.
Timber specialists said 85 percent of Missouri’s forest land is an untapped resource of scrub growth. The U.S. Forestry Service estimates nearly 80 million cubic feet of logging residue sat idle in privately-owned Missouri Forests in 2007. State lumber mills accounted for another 80,000 tons of leftover sawdust.
"There is a lot of woody biomass out there that could be utilized better than we're utilizing it today, and our forests would be much better off if we were utilizing it,” Retired MU Forestry Professor Gene Garrett said.
Just like corn and soybeans, trees and grasses are a biofuel waiting to be developed in Missouri. Bond encouraged state and local elected leaders, and business owners to support tax incentives to encourage the use of wood waste and other biomass products. That's the approach used by some southern states to promote the industry. Specifically, he put the spotlight on data storage centers.
"Data centers are not gonna be powered by hamster wheels,” Bond said. “They require electricity and i believe biomass has an opportunity to compete for a minimal carbon footprint for this energy.”
Data companies are poised to spend billions on the development of new data centers and are now selecting host sites. They will consume an ever-increasing amount of electrical power and their developers say renewable energy is a high priority.
"They wanna have a defensible position, 15, 20, 30 years out, against the carbon issue.” Attorney Developer Jim Brice said.
Bond has supported the construction of a $1.6 billion data center in Columbia.
State lawmakers did not include tax incentives for data centers in the bill approved during the special legislative session to help ford motor company.
Original Story:
Missouri Sen. Kit Bond is urging state lawmakers to make it easier for new businesses to turn sawdust, wood pellets and other unused forest products into a source of cleaner energy.
The retiring Republican senator hosted a round-table discussion Monday intended to promote cleaner energy sources as a way to boost the state's economy. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that nearly 80 million cubic feet of logging residue sat idle in privately owned Missouri forests in 2007. State lumber mills accounted for another 80,000 tons of leftover sawdust.
Bond encouraged several state lawmakers, local elected leaders and business owners to support tax incentives to encourage the use of wood waste and other biomass products. That's the approach used by some southern states to promote the industry.
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