Going ‘green’ could help Southside

GRETNA — Generating renewable energy from local sources could help rural areas like Southside, business leaders told policymakers Thursday.

The Renewable Energy Subcommittee of the Virginia Commission on Energy and Environment met in Gretna on Thursday to learn about the area’s “green” and energy initiatives, said subcommittee chairman and Delegate Charles Poindexter, R-9th District. The subcommittee will report back to the commission, which will later make recommendations on legislation for the upcoming session of the General Assembly.

Ken Moss of Piedmont BioProducts in Gretna told the subcommittee that second-generation biofuels — those using biomass like wood or grass — would bring prosperity to farming communities in Southern Virginia.

“The biggest hurdle is the legislative side of this,” Moss said. “We don’t want to be legislated out of the market.”

Moss asked that legislators be mindful of local bioenergy business so as not to create obstacles to the market or distribution.

Al Weed, chairman of Public Policy Virginia, presented the grassroots organization’s Community Power Initiative — a campaign that calls for small, community-sized base load energy plants located throughout Virginia.

“The most significant renewable energy resource we have in Virginia is biomass,” Weed said. “We have the resources to do it. What we have to do is get the market going.”

Changes in public policy could make using biomass for energy more cost-effective, he said. Renewable energy incentives coupled with taxing carbon emissions would create more demand for biomass-based energy.

Weed would like Virginia to institute a mandatory standard for utilities to supply renewable energy as opposed to the current voluntary standard. Investment capital just isn’t there without a mandatory standard, he added.

Biomass-based energy would be more stable as it would be produced locally, Weed said. Communities wouldn’t have to rely on importing energy and industries could see a nearby energy supply as an attractive asset.

“We’re seeing creation of a market for Virginia’s biomass resources,” Weed said. “It’s very exciting.”

Other presenters at the Renewable Energy Subcommittee meeting included:
• Brett Vassey of Virginia Manufacturers Association
• John Petchul of paper producer Greif Packaging LLC in Amherst County
• Tim Davidick of ADMMicro, a Roanoke-based manufacturer of advanced energy management systems
• Jack Wall, owner of LEED-certified builder Wall Construction in Madison Heights