We applaud the progressive think tank the Third Way for their memo today supporting a national clean energy standard (CES) for the United States:

“Third Way proposes a national Clean Energy Standard to help overcome market failures that are restraining the deployment of clean energy sources like solar, wind, and nuclear power. A Clean Energy Standard would provide the certainty businesses have asked for and incorporate national energy goals into policy. It would build upon successful renewable energy standards enacted by 33 states, while providing the flexibility states and utilities need to make long term energy decisions that reflect their geographic regions….”

The memo goes into more of an overview of specifics, but they include:

“A system that allows for maximum flexibility for each region would permit utilities to meet CES goals in the most cost-effective manner, while keeping energy generation jobs local and rates as low as possible for consumers. Con- sequently, our proposed CES would include a percentage of natural gas when replacing existing coal capacity, coal with carbon capture and sequestration, waste-to-energy, biomass, energy efficiency and nuclear power.”

And in their “critiques and responses” section they specifically address the question: “Is Nuclear Energy Clean?”

“Nuclear energy is entirely carbon-free and is currently the only zero-emission source of baseload energy in the United States, other than hydro- electricity. Both nuclear power and natural gas will be vital to providing clean, reliable energy to the U.S. economy as traditional renewables and coal with carbon capture and sequestration are further commercialized.”

There is a lot to think about in this memo, we hope it gains wide readership, and that the country does move towards a sensible, clear clean energy standards supporting both renewables and nuclear energy.

ADAGE applauds ORCAA for the extensive review and analysis of the Mason County project. The ORCAA recommendation clearly documents that ADAGE will employ the Best Available Control Technology producing some of the lowest emissions rates for any biomass facility in the State of Washington and nationwide. ORCAA’s review confirms the requirements of the project to protect public health and welfare, specifically, the most vulnerable populations such as those suffering from asthma and the elderly. Visit the ORCAA website for the full draft permit.

The Mason County facility will bring jobs and economic development to Shelton, while delivering base-load, carbon-neutral renewable electricity for over 40,000 homes. This is another key milestone for the project that will enable better utilization of forest residues on the Olympic Peninsula. For more information on the ADAGE Mason County project visit the project website.

AREVA has a stated commitment to building domestic supply chains in support of our renewable energy projects. Today’s announcement of a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA) is tangible evidence of that ongoing commitment.

The agreement with the Olympia Vicinity Building and Construction Trades Council ensures that the hundreds of jobs created during construction of ADAGE’s 55-megawatt biopower facility in Shelton, Washington, will be filled with local labor from the area’s 15 construction trade unions.

ADAGE is a joint venture between AREVA and Duke Energy to build biomass power plants in the United States.

Under the CWA, labor activities include site preparation, construction of the biomass boiler, steam turbine, and balance-of-plant mechanical equipment, and electrical installation for the power block. The project is expected to create more than 400 direct jobs during construction and more than 100 direct jobs during permanent operation. In total, the facility represents a $250 million initial investment in Mason County.

Renewable energy powering local clean energy jobs—read the full article here.

Welcome to the Olympic Peninsula, where Green Diamond Resource Company owns vast acres of timberland. Our company has its roots here (pun intended); 120 years ago Sol Simpson founded Simpson Logging Company in the heart of this rainy country, and today Green Diamond is still privately owned by Sol’s descendants.

Western Washington is undoubtedly timber country, a wood basket to the world. Washington also is home to some of the toughest forest practices regulations in the world, protecting soil productivity, clean water, fish and wildlife, and ensuring long-term sustainability.

The use of woody biomass to produce energy is one more component of this stewardship. We used to call it slash. It was in the way of planting a new forest, so foresters once employed broadcast burning, torching the woody debris where it lay in harvest units. It made for fantastic sunsets over the Olympic Mountains – and, admittedly, impacted air quality.

Several years ago, broadcast burning was replaced by controlled burning, in which foresters pile the debris, wait till a drizzly day in October or so, then burn the piles in order to open up planting sites. Near busy roads, state law requires forest landowners to abate the hazard of wildfire presented by wood slash as these residuals dry out.

Gathering wood residuals and shipping them to a biomass facility presents a positive alternative to reduce the risk of wildfire and clear areas for reforestation – one that is not economically viable unless woody biomass is needed for power generation.

State law requires that forest landowners leave both standing trees and down wood in harvested areas, to provide wildlife habitat and enrich soils. Green Diamond foresters will supervise biomass removal on our land, to ensure that sufficient woody debris is left behind and that biomass removal equipment does not compact soils. After all, forestry is a long term business. We’ve been on this landscape for 120 years, and we intend to be here for future generations, as well.

Through this agreement, a portion of the woody biomass for the ADAGE Mason County facility would come from wood residuals. This material is what remains in the forest after harvest operations, and it will be removed by Green Diamond Forestry ensuring compliance with Washington forest practice regulations and the Sustainable Forestry Initiative Standard.

The proposed Mason County facility would bring 55 megawatts of renewable biomass generation and addition to a $250 million initial investment in Mason County. The project is expected to create more than 400 direct jobs during construction and more than 100 direct jobs during permanent operation and will use state-of-the-art environmental controls to protect public health.

For more information check out the ADAGE website where you can find much more on biomass and how it contributes to clean energy generation.

ADAGE, the joint venture between AREVA and Duke Energy, has received positive backing by the Shelton Mason County Chamber of Commerce for its proposed 60 megawatt biomass facility. More information on the project here.

In its press release Shelton-Mason Chamber of Commerce said:

This question was the topic of a lively discussion at the 81st LULAC National convention held in Albuquerque, N.M.  The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) invited AREVA to speak at this important annual event about clean energy, including nuclear and renewables, to help educate their members about the truths and myths of this timely topic. 

Climate change and clean energy have been of growing interest over the past several years because of its direct and indirect impact on the Latino Community, which is now the largest and fastest growing minority population in the United States. For instance, children of Latino families develop asthma at a rate 2.5 times more than other minority and Caucasian children.  


The discussion covered renewable energy options such as offshore wind, biomass and solar power as well as nuclear energy. Understandably, several in the audience did not consider nuclear energy a “clean energy” source. Our discussion centered mostly on facts and fiction about nuclear energy, recycling used nuclear fuel, and how each voter can help to rebuild the nuclear energy industry by contacting their Congressional members and encouraging them to support increased nuclear energy in the United States. 

When the session ended, everyone appreciated the discussion and the new perspectives.  One person remarked, “I thought this was about clean energy.  It was mostly about nuclear energy. If you had said nuclear in the title of the session, I would not have attended, but I did.  I learned a lot and I am glad I came.”
 

In addition, a local citizen group voiced its support for the ADAGE facility in a statement before the Port of Shelton Commission to not let “the narcissistic megalomania of a few outsiders blow up the future for those of us that represent the many of our community.”

More project details and resources available on the ADAGE Web site.