2014 Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy Grant Program Request for Proposals

archived

The U.S Forest Service Wood Education and Resource Center (WERC) requests proposals for wood energy projects that require engineering services necessary for final design and cost analysis. The Hazardous Fuels Wood to Energy (W2E) Grant Program will fund projects for which some or all of the woody biomass is generated from National Forest Service System lands as a result of hazardous fuel treatments, forest restoration activities, insect and disease mitigation, catastrophic weather events, or thinning overstocked stands. Projects that use woody biomass from multiple land ownerships (State, Tribal, or private lands) and multiple sources (wood products facilities, urban wood waste, etc.) will be considered as long as some of the woody biomass is generated from National Forest System lands. Projects that do not anticipate using any wood from National Forest System lands will not be eligible. The woody biomass must be used in commercially proven wood energy systems to produce thermal, electrical, liquid, or gaseous energy. Examples of projects might include, but are not limited to, engineering design of a woody biomass boiler that generates steam at a sawmill, hospital, or school; a nonpressurized hot water system; a biomass power generation facility; or geographic or sector-based clusters of wood energy systems. The lack of a professional engineering design often limits the ability of an applicant to secure Federal, State, or private funding. This program is intended for applicants seeking financial assistance to complete the necessary engineering design work, including permitting or other preconstruction analyses, required to secure public or private funding for construction of wood energy projects. An example of public funding is the USDA Rural Development grants and loan programs that might help fund construction of such facilities. This year, the W2E grant emphasizes geographic or sector-based clusters (e.g. hospitals, prisons, inmate conservation camps, school campuses, poultry houses, etc.) that should leverage project similarities to improve economies of scale and expand the use of woody biomass for energy. Completed electronic applications are due to the Regional Biomass Coordinator designated for your Forest Service region by 11:59 p.m. on June 3, 2014. Each submittal must consist of two separate PDF (or Word) files, as follows: 1. Proposal narrative and appendices (W2E Application Part 1 & Part 2, and Appendices) 2. Financial forms (W2E Application Part 3) For more details, visit http://www.na.fs.fed.us/werc/ and click on the link to 2014 Wood to Energy Grant Program.

High