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Dec 23, 2024
Green hydrogen prices will remain stubbornly high for decades
Bloomberg. Subscription required. Excerpts from a news letter: “Green hydrogen has been touted by politicians and business leaders alike as a key fuel for a carbon-free future. But it will remain far more expensive than previously thought for decades to come, according to a new estimate from BloombergNEF. ..“The higher costs for producing green hydrogen without any subsidies or incentives means it will continue to be challenging to decarbonize hard-to-abate sectors, such as chemicals and oil refining, with hydrogen produced via electrolysis powered by renewables,” said BNEF analyst Payal Kaur. Those industries along with steel mills and power plants have been tagged as possible end users of the gas. But doing so would require expensive new equipment, which has stunted demand. Only two markets — China and India — are likely to see green hydrogen become cost-competitive, according to BNEF. There, the cleaner fuel will reach a comparable price to gray hydrogen by 2040.
Fall 2024
The carbon tax is dead
Jamie Stephen, Torchligh Bioresources in Canaian Biomass Magazine Fall 2024 pp13-15 “The likely impending doom of the carbon tax opens the door for better policy, BECCS
Dec 16, 2024:
– Will there be enough sustainable timber to go round?
By Stephen Cousins, The RIBA Journal “Timber buildings will be instrumental in the global response to climate breakdown, locking in carbon from the atmosphere and replacing high-impact materials like concrete and steel. But increasing reliance on sawn and engineered wood over the coming decades is also expected to put huge pressure on sustainable commercial forestry. And with fierce competition for wood biomass from other industries, such as aviation and power, there are concerns that supply may be outstripped by demand, putting net-zero targets in jeopardy.”
Dec 12, 2024:
– Germany Abandons €350M Renewable Hydrogen Auction Amid Disagreements with EU
By Fuel Cells Works “Germany has officially canceled its ambitious €350 million renewable hydrogen auction scheme, a move that reflects deeper regulatory disagreements with the European Commission, as reported by Bloomberg. This decision marks a significant retreat from a plan that was once hailed as a pioneering effort to boost the country’s green hydrogen production.” Tip of the Hat to Protect Guysborough (public FB Group)
– High insurance costs hinder adoption of mass timber construction
By Harold von Kursk SustainableBiz “The growth of the mass timber construction industry in Canada is being slowed by persistent high insurance rates on wood-frame buildings that are six to 10 times higher than those for conventional steel and concrete structures. That is the conclusion of the Climate Smart Buildings Alliance (CSBA)..”
Dec 9, 2024:
– Green hydrogen’s water needs will be big, but we still don’t know just how big
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner. “Nor do we know who is going to pay for the upgrade to the Landrie Lake Water Utility that will supply the water” Intro in Morning File for Dec 10. ” Should EverWind Fuels and Bear Head Energy ever start producing “green” hydrogen and ammonia as they are proposing to do in Point Tupper on the Strait of Canso, they are going to use fresh water. And a lot it – about 24.5 million litres a day, enough to fill 10 Olympic swimming pools….”
– Trudeau in Halifax today
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Hfx Examiner) “Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Halifax today, meeting with Premier Tim Houston and MP Sean Fraser, the federal minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities…After that meeting, Trudeau heads of to the Chamber of Commerce for a members-only “fireside chat….I note that the Chamber event is sponsored by “Advocate Partner” EverWind Fuels and “Host Partner” Nova Scotia Association of Realtors.”
Dec 3, 2023:
– Chrysalix Carbon Neutrality Fund Announces its First Investment in Deadwood Innovations, Developers of a Breakthrough Lumber Upgrading Solution for the Forestry Industry
Canadian Press “Chrysalix Venture Capital, a leading early-stage fund that specializes in transformational industrial innovation, is excited to announce an investment in Deadwood Innovations, developers of a solution to upgrade low-grade lumber, waste & underutilized species into high strength, durable & sustainable products in premium engineered wood markets. Also view Deadwood Innovations website “We harness the fast growth cycle colony trees, like aspen, which mature in about 30 years and do not require replanting. By focusing on underutilized species, we meet the increasing demand for building materials with a scalable, cost-effective approach and can leave old growth species undisturbed. Our chemi-thermo technology increases both the strength and stability of the lumber, creating a durable high quality product.” (All Canada-based technology Mfg)
–Biofuel consumption surges following implementation of Canada’s Clean Fuel Regulations: Biofuels in Canada 2024 report
By Advanced Biofuels Canada in Canadian Biomass
Nov 26, 2024:
Finland shares bioeconomy strategies at Scaling Up Bio 2024
By Andrew Snook for Canadian Biomass. “…The first keynote speaker was the Government of Finland’s Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, Sari Essayah, who shared her country’s strategy for growing the bioeconomy in Finland at the Scaling Up Bio 2024 Conference in Ottawa…“In Finland, forest policy is relatively high on the national political agenda, and from the culture, you can understand why…The minster stated that the forest-based bioeconomy has great potential in creating well-being and products for consumers, but that we also need to work continuously to maintain forest regenerative capacity and sustainability.The minister discussed five areas of focus for growing the bioeconomy policy. The first one was attracting more skilled labour to the industry.
The first one was attracting more skilled labour to the industry…the second area of focus is the successful scale-up of businesses based on high-quality research and decision making.//The ability to measure and monitor the bioeconomy to steer it in the right direction was the third area of focus…The fourth and fifth areas of focus were creating consensus-based bioeconomy policies..”
– Protective coating for timber made from tree bark compounds
By Francesca Jacklin for www.chemistryworld.com “In an attempt to exploit the natural protective properties of tree bark, researchers in Sweden and Latvia have created a water-resistant coating for timber using compounds from birch and spruce bark. This is the first wood-protection coating sourced entirely from tree bark, with no additional chemicals.”
Nov 25, 2024:
– The green hydrogen for export dream is collapsing before our eyes; how much more public money will we dump into it?
Tim Bousquet in Morning File (Hfx Examiner), citing The hidden costs of Premier Tim Houston’s sustainable aviation fuel promise, Commentary by Larry Hughes for the Hfx Examiner. Hughes asks a very pertinent, very technical if counter-intuitive question – Where will the carbon dioxide come from?
Nov 22, 2024:
– More public money for EverWind: this time a $22.5 million federal grant for tugboats to move around green hydrogen that doesn’t exist
Joan Baxter in the HdxExaminer. Intro in Morning File.
Nov 21, 2024:
– Researchers have turned CO2 into fuel using electricity and bacteria
By Anthropocene Team for anthropocenemagazine.org “New route to turn carbon dioxide into fuel is 45 times more efficient and uses 45 times less land than making diesel from soybeans”
Nov 20, 2024:
Green hydrogen is a gargantuan scam
Joan Baxter in Morning File (Halifax Examiner. “Remember when Nova Scotia was going to get rich from the Sable Island methane field? They even dug up my street and put a methane line down it, offering discounts to my neighbours and me if we hooked up our stoves and such to burn methane instead of using electricity, which at least theoretically could one day be powered by renewable energy…Well now people see that burning methane isn’t such a great plan, and then Russia blocked shipments to Europe and Ukrainian spies blew up the North Sea pipelines, and that gave the billionaires their opportunity to pounce Why not replace that methane being burned in Germany with hydrogen? And we could make that hydrogen with renewable power, so it’d all be ‘green’! Germany could of course spin its own windmills and create its own green hydrogen, but that was too expensive. So instead of using locally produced green hydrogen, the billionaires planned for a convoluted international market in green hydrogen. The rubes in economically struggling backwaters like Atlantic Canada would be told that their wind was better than the wind in Germany, and they would all feel good about their world-class wind and be promised jobs! and so would agree to any ridiculous scheme.”
Nov 19, 2024:
The Norwegian Company Blamed for California’s Hydrogen Car Woes
Kyle Younker for Wired.Com “A civil fraud case reveals that the hydrogen fueling stations promoted by Toyota, Shell, and Chevron never worked in the first place…“The problem is, they’re expensive, and they require enormous amounts of maintenance,” says Jim Bowe, a Washington, D.C.-based partner at King & Spalding, an international law firm. “Fleets that have been looking at the possibility of hydrogen buses often balk when they realize how much more maintenance, not only for the refueling facilities, but also for the vehicles themselves, is required relative to internal combustion engines or batteries.” California-based FirstElement Fuel, another hydrogen fueling station provider, is positioned as a potential winner amid the crisis for the sector. Operating under the name True Zero, it currently has the most operating hydrogen fueling stations in California, but is still working to become profitable, according to sources familiar with the company.
Nov 17, 2024:
Burning Up the Biosphere: A Global Threat Map of Biomass Energy Development, 2024 update
by Sophie Bastable for Environmental Paper Network “New Report Exposes Massive Expansion and Serious Detrimental Impacts of Global Biomass Industry Misleadingly Defined as “Renewable”
Nov 15, 2024:
– The carbon tax is dead; long live the carbon removal charge
By Jamie Stephen, PhD, managing director for TorchLight Bioresources in Canadian Biomass. “The likely impending doom of the carbon tax opens the door for better policy, BECCS”
Nov 13, 2024
– Opinion: Biomass energy is a growing threat for climate, forests and B.C.’s value-added industry
Rachel Holt, Suzanne Simard in the Vacouver Sun “Only genuine waste — specifically sawdust — should be used in pellet production. Whole trees should never be allowed as pellet feedstock”
Nov 12, 2024:
– ‘Obviously dishonest’: Premier Tim Houston repeatedly met with green hydrogen investor Trent Vichie, then failed to properly file his expense claims, obscuring those meetings
Joan Baxter in the HalifaxExamier. Sybscription required. Intro in Morning File for Nov 13, 2024. “Joan Baxter reports on Tim Houston’s New York visits with Trent Vichie, the ultra-rich investor promoting massive “green” hydrogen projects in Nova Scotia. The trouble? None of them show up on Houston’s expense claims, where one would reasonably expect to see lobbying meetings reported.”
Nov 8, 2024:
Designer biochar could bring fertilizer pollution full-circle
By Emma Bryce for anthropocenemagazine.org “Researchers created a new kind of biochar that is not only made from waste, it also absorbs waste nutrients and recycles them back into the soil as fertilizer…A unique ‘designer biochar’ made from waste can remove up to 41% of the fertilizer pollution flowing off of agricultural fields, a new study reveals. What’s more, it shows that this phosphorus-enriched material can then be sprinkled back onto farm fields, returning nutrients to the soil and enhancing the potential for circular fertilizer to reform our food systems. This striking win-win was created with two key ingredients: sawdust and lime sludge, byproducts of milling and wastewater treatment. By pyrolyzing these at high temperatures under low-oxygen conditions, researchers were able to turn the organic materials into a charcoal-like biochar…Biochar has already attracted accolades for locking away carbon, improving irrigation, enriching soils, and even filtering out microplastics from the earth. Meanwhile, previous lab studies have shown that the ‘designer’ sawdust-and-lime biochar that the researchers review in the new paper can also extract excess phosphorus nutrients from soil, before it trickles off downstream. The new Water Research study is the first to examine that potential on the field.”
Nov 5, 2024:
– Are Biobased Microfibers Less Harmful than Conventional Plastic Microfibers
By University of Plymouth on Phys.Org. References paper in Environmental Science & Technology by same title by W. Courtene-Jones et al. “Our study highlights the importance of detailed testing before advocating specific materials as plastic alternatives/substitutes to conventional plastics.”
Oct 30, 2024:
– BluSky Carbon, Scotia BioChar deploy biochar pyrolysis equipment in Eastern Canada
In Canadian Biomass. “Carbon removal tech developer, BluSky Carbon Inc., with offices in Vancouver, B.C., is partnering with Nova Scotia biochar producer, Scotia BioChar Inc., on manufacturing equipment and consulting services.Scotia BioChar is working on becoming a producer of high-quality biochar from waste wood biomass found in central Nova Scotia. Several regional biomass sources are available, including the approximately 20 million tonnes of trees blown down during Hurricane Fiona in 2022.” More info about Blusky Carbon Inc. on AccessWire, Oct 25, 2024. “Scotia BioChar is headquartered in Bedford, Nova Scotia, Canada…Scotia is led by Liz MacKenzie (Co-Founder and President), who has successfully advanced projects from concept through comprehensive business and financial models. Additionally, Ms. MacKenzie has secured funding from both government and private sector sources. To date, she has committed up to $3.6M of capital financing for Scotia’s various projects. She has served as the VP Business Development for Grand River Ironsands, Inc, and as a Board Member of the Halifax Regional Municipality.Co-Founder, Vice President and a Director of Scotia BioChar Inc., Mr. Francis MacKenzie, is an experienced entrepreneur and serves as President of several industrial projects that collectively represent approximately $50 million (CAD) invested to-date, including Pure Fonte Ltée, a private company focussed on low carbon production of cast iron, a key raw material required by electric arc furnace (EAF) steel mills in North America, and Labrador Sands Inc., focused on its confirmed feldspar grade, separation process and business model to strengthen concrete and reduce its carbon footprint. Also View https://bluskycarbon.com/, addresses in British Columbia and Connecticut, USA. Also view: BluSky Carbon Signs Master Services Agreement with Scotia BioChar, Oct 25, 2024 by BluSky
Oct 29, 2024:
– Action against forest biomass subsidies gains momentum at COP16
cover image
Justin Catanoso for MongaBay “Forest advocates have long warned that burning forest biomass to make energy — touted as a climate solution by the forestry industry — releases more carbon emissions than coal does per unit of electricity generated. They’ve argued that cutting trees to turn them into wood pellets degrades forest carbon stores and biodiversity.
This week those arguments are finally being heard at the COP16 biodiversity summit in Cali, Colombia. Also being seriously considered are the “perverse subsidies” offered to the forestry industry by national governments to convert forests into wood pellets, and to biomass power plants that burn those pellets.
These issues have not achieved such a high level of official notice before at a UN summit and could result in the question of forest biomass subsidies being raised at the COP29 climate meeting next month in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The illogic of forest biomass burning was especially noted by Barry Gardiner, a UK member of Parliament who objects to huge taxpayer subsidies paid to Drax, a British biomass power plant operator. “That’s $9 billion in public money spent making our air pollution and our carbon emissions worse,” while razing forests.”
Oct 8, 2024:
– Timber trail blazers see new growth in green building drive
By Darius Snieckus| Part 5 of Big Green Build in the National Observer. “Lumber was once a go-to building material before concrete and steel took over. Now, reborn as mass timber, it may be on the cusp of a comeback as the construction sector steps up its green transition.” The article covers pros and cons of Mass Timber in Canada, from a green perspective.
Sep 30, 2024:
– Letter: Geographers needed to explain impact of N.L. land loss to mines, wind-to-hydrogen projects
Letter by Allan Hann, NL, in Saltwire (Subscription may be required). “Dear geographers, it seems the island of Newfoundland teeters at the edge of the most extreme cumulative environmental disaster in its history (at least above water). Massive areas of wild places will be cleared, and endless new roads will be cut into our forests to accommodate clearcutting operations, mines and wind-to-hydrogen projects. The colourful maps provided for these projects are vague and difficult to interpret… Dear geographers, please let us know how much living space we’re going to lose in the coming decade. For example, how many miles of hard compacted roads will be built to accommodate clearcuts and energy projects? I mean, if you added all the new roads together, how big of an area will be lost? Something the size of the mall, 10 malls, or more? How much land will be covered in concrete? Please help us visualize and understand these impacts. Will caribou and other species have a quiet place to give birth? What do these projects and roads mean for the climate? Will wind-to-hydrogen lower our light bills? What’s the overall carbon footprint? How will increased vehicle access to wild places, paired with biodiversity loss, affect our communities and culture?…”
Sep 24, 2024:
Guysborough residents, environmental advocates concerned about ‘endless’ list of negative effects from another green hydrogen project
By Suzanne Rent in the Halifax Examiner. “Residents of Guysborough and environmental advocates are concerned about the loss of wilderness and the effects on forests, watercourses, wetlands, wildlife and their communities as yet another company announces a green hydrogen project – the third – for Nova Scotia. The latest player to join the fray is Irish company Simply Blue…”
Sep 16, 2024:
Going Negative: How Canada Can Help Decarbonize the World
By Dr. Jamie Stephen in www.policymagazine.ca/ “… What is the primary problem with Canada’s climate policy? It is not designed for Canada. It does not reflect our northern, resource-dependent economy. Nor does it reflect the geographic realities or regional differences of Canada. In general, a moral argument, instead of an economic one, has been used for climate policy. This, along with spurious claims that buying an EV or heat pumps will stop wildfires or floods, has led to public disillusionment on climate action. It doesn’t need to be this way. Canada can be a world leader in decarbonization – not only of our own economy, but those of other nations as well. But it requires a complete shift in climate policy approach and mindset to one that values economic efficiency, carbon efficiency, and exports….So how do trees allow us to meet climate goals while growing our resource-dependent economy and meeting the energy needs of our international customers such as Japan, Korea, Germany, and the UK? By coupling the power of healthy, growing trees to remove CO2 from the atmosphere with a technology combination known as BECCS: BioEnergy with Carbon Capture and Storage.” Other articles advocating Big Forestry Solutions to Just-About-Everything are presented in this Special Ed. of Canadian Politics and Public Policy Magazine. Write David Graham and Derek Noghbor in Forestry for the Future:
Canada’s forest sector is poised to help reduce this country’s carbon emissions, support the conservation of biodiversity, mitigate the risks of more catastrophic wildfires, and grow a greener and more innovative economy. Now more than ever, we need the federal government’s commitment to improving policy coherence so the sector and its workers can achieve our full potential.
Sep 14, 2024:
Dreams of producing biofuel from Nova Scotia forests just got very big 14Sep2024
Post on this website. “Dreams of a Biorefinery in Nova Scotia and related concepts (Bioplastics, Biofuel, and Bioeconomy…) go back to 2012, the closure of the Bowater-Mersey Mill, and to the birth and eventual passing of “Cellufuel”, courtesy of many taxpayer $. But the dream didn’t die. [re: item for Sep 13, 2024 below]”
Sep 13, 2024:
– Renewable energy megaproject announced for Nova Scotia (Video News 2 min)
CBC “Executives from an Irish company were in Halifax on Friday to reveal plans for a renewable energy megaproject on the Eastern Shore. The company wants to convert wind, solar and biomass energy into jet fuel. Taryn Grant has the story.”
– Irish company planning to produce jet fuel in Goldboro, N.S., at former LNG site
By Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press , posted om halifax.citynews.ca “An energy firm based in Ireland says it is planning to produce sustainable aviation fuel at the site where a liquefied natural gas project had been proposed on Nova Scotia’s eastern shore…Simply Blue Group announced Friday that construction would begin in 2026 with the biofuel project expected to be operating by 2029 in Goldboro, N.S., about 165 kilometres northeast of Halifax…The company says it has secured about 305 hectares of land for development, including 108 hectares previously owned by Calgary-base Pieridae Energy, which had planned to build a $10-billion liquified natural gas export terminal at the site. But the project, proposed in 2012, was shelved in 2021…Simply Blue says that every year its Goldboro project will source about 700,000 tonnes of wood biomass through Wagner Forest NS Ltd. to produce 150,000 tonnes of the fuel. Wood biomass is typically defined as residue from the wood processing industry and material left behind by forest management, but it can also be created by harvesting smaller, less-desirable trees…Meanwhile, the company also said it will make use of wind and solar power to produce the fuel. Tory Rushton, the province’s natural resources minister, issued a statement saying the plant could represent a new market for the province’s forestry sector. “We know many landowners have an abundance of low-grade wood fibre …. so this is another renewable energy project coming to Nova Scotia,” the minister said, adding that the project requires environmental and safety approvals…Raymond Plourde, wilderness co-ordinator at the Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre, said in an interview the term “low-grade” biomass doesn’t only refer to the wood chips and sawdust created in sawmills, but it can also include cutting species of trees unwanted by sawmills. He said 700,000 tonnes of biomass a year is “huge,” and he estimates it represents the “consumptive capacity” of a medium-sized pulp mill. ”
– Researchers make breakthrough with genetically engineered wood that could transform the construction industry: ‘One major step for us’
Story by Sam Westmoreland in www.msn.com. “Researchers have made a major breakthrough regarding genetically engineered wood, and it could revolutionize the push for green construction practices. According to Innovation News Network, scientists have created a form of poplar wood that is as strong as chemically treated wood and on par with aluminum in terms of tensile strength… They accomplished this by using base editing to affect a key genome in poplar trees that deals with the production of lignin…By genetically removing that lignin from the wood before the trees have grown, scientists can reduce our reliance on harmful chemicals and further reduce the carbon footprint of construction.” (TreeFrog Sep 13, 2024 Summary)
Aug 21, 2024:
Natural Resources Canada invests in Canadian team advancing research to support domestic clean fuels production capacity and energy innovation
On Canadian Nuclear Labs. “The two projects focus on producing synthetic fuels to help Canada meet its net-zero emission target”
Aug 13, 2024:
– Clean Fuel Fund helping transition Nova Scotia industries to biofuels, biomass
By Canadian Biomass staff In www.canadianbiomassmagazine.ca. Also view: Funding Available for Industries to Move Toward Cleaner Fuels, NRR News Release Aug 13, 2024.
Aug 2, 2024:
Membertou First Nation builds area’s first mass timber commercial building
By Don Procter Daily Commercial News “The Membertou First Nation near Sydney, Cape Breton, is building the area’s first mass timber commercial building, a 92,000-square-foot office complex as part of the community’s Seventh Exchange, a new 35-acre retail and service district.”
July 31, 2024
$300 million more federal funds to support ‘green’ hydrogen production and exports from Atlantic Canada
Jennifer Henderson in the Halifax Examiner. Subscription Required. Summary in Morning File for Aug 1 “The financing [Natural Resources Minister Jonathan] Wilkinson announced on Wednesday is intended to bridge the gap between the price industries in Germany are willing to pay to convert from so-called “natural” fossil gas that is mostly methane, to more expensive hydrogen fuel, and the price it costs developers to produce it – including John Risley’s World Energy GH2 company that has proposed a hydrogen plant and massive wind projects near Stephenville, in Newfoundland and Labrador.”>reports. Henderson writes:”The financing [Natural Resources Minister Jonathan] Wilkinson announced on Wednesday is intended to bridge the gap between the price industries in Germany are willing to pay to convert from so-called “natural” fossil gas that is mostly methane, to more expensive hydrogen fuel, and the price it costs developers to produce it – including John Risley’s World Energy GH2 company that has proposed a hydrogen plant and massive wind projects near Stephenville, in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
– ‘A terrible use’ of public money: Critics slam federal government handouts for ‘green’ hydrogen exports to Germany from Atlantic Canada
Joan Baxter in Halifax Examiner. Subscription required. Summary in Morning File for Aug 1. ” In a scathing statement, Julia Levin, associate director of national climate for the Canadian environmental advocacy organization, Environmental Defence, described the $300 million handout for the Canada-Germany Alliance as a “terrible use of taxpayer money for an energy-intensive, inefficient and expensive hydrogen scheme.”… Levin noted that hydrogen is being presented as a climate change solution because when it is burned, it doesn’t create any greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. “But that hides hydrogen’s dirty secret – when it leaks into the atmosphere it actually does contribute to global heating,” Levin wrote. “And it leaks a lot.”
July 30, 2024:
– Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia Unveil Collaboration Framework to Drive Economic Growth and Create Jobs
Natural Resources Canada, News Release, “The Government of Canada and the Province of Nova Scotia are working together to build a low-carbon economy that drives clean growth and creates good, sustainable jobs throughout the province and across the country…The Collaboration Framework identifies six areas of economic opportunity to pursue: hydrogen, marine renewables, clean electricity, critical minerals, the forest bioeconomy and carbon management. In all of these areas, companies across the province are already moving to seize the economic opportunities they present, and the federal and provincial governments will be there to support them….” Under “Related Products”, there is a link Regional Energy and Resource Tables – Nova Scotia which list in some detail the governments’ perspectives on Carbon management, Clean electricity, Critical minerals, Forest bioeconomy, Hydrogen, Marine renewables, Sustainable jobs
Jul 29,2024
– Scaling Up Bio 2024 (Announcement)
Delivering Low Carbon Intensity Canada’s 9th annual industrial bioeconomy business conference. November 25 – 27, 2024
Jul 28, 2024:
Mass timber’s sustainability promise: does it stack up?
Andrew Miller for www.oregonlive.com “…questions over mass timber’s sustainability matter equally to its advocates and its opponents, who have very different standards for what constitutes sustainable. And it matters to taxpayers, who have contributed millions of dollars in federal and state investment toward its research and development.”
– WPAC Conference & Tradeshow to highlight The Role of Biomass in Electrification
“The Wood Pellet Association of Canada Conference is Canada’s largest gathering of the Canadian wood pellet industry. Each year, the event attracts hundreds of wood pellet, biomass and bioenergy professionals from across the country, as well the U.S., Europe and Asia, to discuss the issues that are having an impact on the industry here in Canada. The WPAC Conference is your opportunity to learn about the most important issues from industry experts around the globe.” Under 2024 Conference Schedule the theme is “Powering Sustainability The Role of Biomass in Electrification”, with SESSION #1: The Electrification Revolution, SESSION #2: The Role of Biomass in Electrification” Keynote Address for the Conference is Bob McDonald of CBC’s Quirks and Quarks. “Keynote: Solving the Climate Crisis With Today’s Technology, Bob McDonald. Moderator: Vaughan Bassett, Senior Vice President, Biomass Sales and Logistics, Drax Group”
July 23, 2024:
– 2024 Mass Timber Roadmap (PDF)
The Transition Accelerator in partnership with FPAC.ca, Canadian Wood Council, EneregyFutureesLab. Intro as cited in TreeFrog News for Jul 24, 2024. “Unlocking the potential of Mass Timber across Canada will significantly address many key challenges of building taller with wood given its ability to accelerate housing construction time by as much as 20%; drive economic activities and create jobs in rural and Indigenous communities; and reduce carbon intensity of construction and providing long term carbon storage. Canada’s forest sector is ready to scale efforts around mass timber to maximize those benefits and compete globally. In June, Canada’s Transition Accelerator launched its 2024 Mass Timber Roadmap, making the case and outlining the need for mass timber in Canada. This report was a collaborative effort of over 50 participants from Canada’s mass timber value chain — including business, government, research institutions, Indigenous communities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). …The roadmap proposes an ambitious vision and calls on industry, business, stakeholders, and government to come together to advance and implement this vision.” Of Note Re Atlantic Canada, on page 21: “While softwoods currently provide the majority of feedstock, there are opportunities to exploit more hardwood species in certain market segments. European producers have developed glulam and LVL from species such as beech and oak, and these technologies can be expected to be applied to North American hardwoods, providing mostly opportunities for Eastern Canada, as well as the U.S. Northeast.”
July 22, 2024:
Competition Bureau outlines what can be considered corporate greenwashing
Jeffrey Jones in Globe & Mail, July 22, 2024 (Subscription required). From Treefrog Forestry News: “OTTAWA — The Competition Bureau has published guidance on what might constitute corporate greenwashing as it begins consultations over how it will implement Ottawa’s contentious new measures aimed at preventing false and misleading environmental claims. The bureau said goals and timelines for achieving environmental objectives such as reducing carbon emissions must be supported by clear and specific plans, and not just be aspirational. It also warned companies against trying to shield their green assertions with disclaimers. The agency issued the commentary on Monday as it launched a request for feedback to help it formulate plans for implementing the new measures, which some companies, industry associations and provincial governments have criticized for being vague and heavy-handed. The consultation period runs to Sept. 27. Bill C-59 contains the controversial amendment to the Competition Act that puts companies at legal risk for making environmental assertions that do not stand up to scrutiny. ”
Jul 11, 2024:
Unhappy with new greenwashing rules, Alberta and fossil fuel companies push back
Benjamin Shingler · CBC News “Consultations planned for law aimed at cracking down on misleading environmental claims”
July 4, 2024:
Competition Bureau statement regarding guidance on Competition Act’s new greenwashing provisions
On Canada.ca, From: Competition Bureau Canada, . Following the passage of amendments to the Competition Act on June 20, 2024, the Competition Bureau has received a large number of requests for guidance on the interpretation of new provisions aimed at greenwashing. These provisions require that companies be able to substantiate environmental claims made to promote a product or business interest. To facilitate compliance with these new provisions, the Bureau will develop guidance on an accelerated basis in consultation with a broad range of stakeholders. To inform this process, we will launch a public consultation in the coming weeks to gather views and input. Prior to our consultation on the greenwashing provisions, we welcome comments on any of the recent amendments to the Competition Act through our Guidance Feedback Form. The Bureau is committed to principled, transparent, and evidence-based enforcement of the Competition Act.” Associated Links and Contacts provided.
Jul 2, 2024:
– Province collects no reclamation security for large wind projects
Joan Baxter in the Halifax Examiner “In April this year, Premier Tim Houston hosted a town hall meeting in Pictou County about the proposed 100-turbine wind farm being proposed by Bear Head Energy, and found himself pummelled with tough questions from the audience. Many worried about the project’s environmental impact on their picturesque corner of the province with its rolling, wooded…”
Into in Morning File
Jun 27, 2024:
– Nova Scotia wood chips dumped into Iceland coastal waters and called ‘carbon capture’
By Joan Baxter in The Halifax Examiner (subscription required, intro in Morning File) “In 2022, credulous media were writing flamboyant headlines venerating Running Tide CEO Marty Odlin as “the guy who wants to help save the planet with thousands of buoys, seaweed and giant antacids.” … Spotify and Microsoft were so taken by the hype that both bought carbon credits from Running Tide, which bills itself as a carbon-sequestration company that can “fix the planet.” …Two years after those big headlines Running Tide is being shut down. … On June 14, the Icelandic weekly newspaper, Heimildin, known for its investigative journalism, published an article about Running Tide’s carbon capture scheme, noting that it sounded “too good to be true.” That’s because it was. … last summer Running Tide dumped 19,000 tonnes of wood chips into Iceland’s coastal waters, “completely unsupervised.” … the “Canadian” wood chips Running Tide dumped were shipped from Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia … On June 14, Odlin reported that he was shutting down Running Tide’s global operations…”
Jun 26, 2024:
– S5 EP1 | Keeping up with the Competition Act (Podcast, 45 min)
On /www.nortonrosefulbright.com/ “Transformative changes to the Competition Act are here. How will they affect the competition disputes landscape? To kick off season 5 of Disputed, hosts Ted Brook and Erin Brown sit down to discuss the changes with guests Chris Hersh, Partner and Canadian Head of Antitrust and Competition based in Toronto, and Eric Lefebvre, Partner and litigator based in Montreal. In addition to the changes to the Competition Act, this episode covers the current status of bills C-59 and C-56 and their compounding effects on the potential for expanded competition litigation; environmental performance claims; and why there’s still so much uncertainty in this area. Ted, Erin, Chris and Eric discuss why the changes could result in a significant uptick in litigation on competition issues, particularly where NGOs are eager to bring complaints.”Tip of the Hat to Rob B. for forwarding this item ” I think this will be of significant interest to anyone interested in legal approaches to conservation protection and misleading environmental claims. Major changes are: 1) giving regular citizens the right to launch legal complaints about misleading and false advertising. 2) Raising the bar for corporations and their responsibilities to follow ethical guidelines/rules. 3) Increased financial penalties for rule breakers. 4) Easier access for class action lawsuits — eg, class actions are not restricted to the Competition Bureau’s discretion — private citizens and groups can now also push class action suits with the Bureau’s approval.”
June 14, 2024:
– Government of Canada invests in discovery and applied research to keep the country at the forefront of scientific advancements
NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada). Page provides links to grants from the feds to support research across Canada
– 4 Growing Threats to Europe’s Forests: Logging, Bioenergy, Wildfires and Pests
By Sarah Carter World Resources Institute
June 8, 2024:
– The Clear Cut – Canada’s Forestry PR: A Game of Deception
Joa Baxter interviewed by BuzzSprout. ”
We sit down with Joan Baxter from the Halifax Examiner about her recent article on the growing problem of greenwashing in an age of digital information sharing. We discuss the Forest Products Association’s (FPAC) ‘Forestry for the Future’ advertising campaign that’s been proliferating across social media…Read Joan’s article in the Halifax Examiner.”