In light of President Obama’s recent comments on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the pressing need to end America’s fossil fuel addiction, the American Biogas Council along with the Biomass Thermal Energy Council issued an announcement published here.  BIOFerm is a founding member of the American Biogas Council and supports this statement, along with over 120 other companies involved in these two organizations.  The statement is as follows:

“If we want to reduce oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in our country, we must ensure that sustainable, renewable biomass is a part of this solution.  Technologies that employ renewable biomass provide clean, efficient, and affordable alternatives to heating oil, natural gas, and other fossil fuels.

In many states, oil is used to generate thermal energy for water and space heating.  If biomass boilers, furnaces, and stoves are used instead, we reduce the need for foreign and domestic oil by substituting it with resources like wood chips and pellets, agricultural residues, and energy crops.  Likewise, current technology can produce natural gas renewably through anaerobic digestion.  This biogas can utilize a variety of resources, from cow manure to sewage and yard waste – and they are shovel ready.  Currently, these energy rich products are considered waste.

Efficient bioenergy technologies are key pathways to use domestic resources to answer the President’s call to end our addiction to fossil fuels.  If Congress and the Administration decide to act, we can substitute fossil fuels with existing renewable resources to provide clean, sustainable energy and new jobs, lower customer’s energy bills, and create a new revenue source in our communities.

Right now, America is losing the clean energy race to other countries around the world.  We need a positive environment for investment.  There are existing resources and technologies to change that status quo and meet energy and environmental challenges at the same time.  America cannot continue to wait.”