Today was the last day that Fort Drums co- generation plant will purchase woody biomass to generate their electricity. It is the only military base in the USA that produces its own electricity. Politicians ruled in 2019 that woody biomass is not a renewable resource so that was the death knell for the plant. Re Energy , the company that runs the biomass fueled electric generating facility on the base, will burn their inventory of wood chips and sawdust, and in May will shut down. Then Fort Drum will get their power from the electrical grid. Well over 300 jobs will be directly and many more indirectly, affected at the plant and the local forest industry. Also, this will hamper the local forest industry to practice proven Silvicultural concepts on northern NY forests.
, because there are few other markets for woodchips generated from low grade trees and their tops.

It’s been 50 years since I was in Forestry school, I guess according to politicians, mostly Democrats, a tree is no longer a renewable resource.

Sad. Will affect some loggers I know.

that is a shame sorry for all you folks farmer down in my area have miles of worthless hedgerows that could be used.

Our local paper mill is shutting down in may/June. Over 1k jobs at the mill! K telling how many loads of chips go in there a day.

Woody biomass is not a renewable energy resource? It's one of the best renewable resources there is. A tree harvests and stores solar energy. Combined with a high efficiency wood burning appliance, like a rocket mass heater, as good as it gets. An acre of black locust could probably heat the average home forever.

I would guess Fort Drum uses around 2000 tons of woody biomass daily. That’s around 50 semi trailer loads, it’s no small amount.

But windmills and solar panel farms are so much nicer. (Sarc)

The state would lock up all forest if they could. Dec's forestry Dept doesn't hire Foresters but resource "managers". Sad day for forest management in NY.

One MW powers about 1,000 homes. That facility generates 60 MW. This only makes sense if you follow the Biden & Co. green new deal money trail...and there will be no negative feedback from NYS, because they're on the bus too

Those political post turtles would not recognize a renewable energy source if it kicked them in the groin

This is what Happens when a Mentally challenged President Hair Sniffer gets frauded in.

Gee I'd of thought they would replace that environmental nightmare with windmills and solarpanels

They are going to replace it with a Hydro plant on the Black river.

Not sure what you mean ? Burning woody biomass is close to carbon neutral, and a market for wood chips from unacceptable tree growing stock , is a means to properly manage a forest. Which in turn creates a healthy vigorously growing forest that sequester even more carbon.

Good luck with that, you think the enviro' will allow that to be built?

They already have one at Glen Park, good luck ever getting approval for another.

That is to bad biomass plants should be used more. Fuel is everywhere in our society.

I was an operator at a biomass plant from 2011 until it shut down in 2015, then went to a coal plant that shut down in 2020. Now i've got all this useless knowledge about spinning a turbine and nowhere to use it lol back to turning wrench. It's sad to see all these efficient plants being shut down.

Exactly Squash, but facts are meaningless to the anti energy crew.

To bad they closed Wayne, lot of jobbers I know took chips there, only a few guys locally that have chippers that make clean chips, really going to limit harvesting options.