Oregon Biofuels and Biomass

A report on the current state of industrial interest in producing biofuels in Oregon is now available. The report was funded jointly by the Oregon Economic and Community Development Department (OECDD) and the Oregon University System (OUS) to help policy and economic decision makers in the State to determine the importance of promoting the establishment of a new signature research center, the Bioeconomy and Sustainable Technology Research Center (BEST). BEST is one of two new research centers proposed by the Oregon Innovation Council (Oregon InC) for the 2007-08 biennium. The report is comprised of two documents:

Potential Project Survey including Potential Barriers - Environmental Strategies, LLC and Northwest Environmental Business Council collaborated to inventory the biofuels and biomass projects pending in Oregon, and gathered information from individuals and organizations about permitting regulatory barriers that face new or expanding biofuels or biomass facilities in Oregon including suggesting possible solutions.

Woody Biomass in Oregon-Current Uses, Barriers and Opportunities for Increased Utilization, and Research Needs - The Oregon Wood Innovation Center at OSU assessed barriers and opportunities to utilization of woody biomass. The report examines implications for research via an overview of Oregon's current primary forest products manufacturing industry combined with estimates of regional biomass supply, review of recent reports related to use of woody biomass for biofuels and bio-based products, and interviews with private landowners and forest industry personnel.

The project was directed by Kenneth J. Williamson, Department of Chemical Engineering, Oregon State University.