In honor of the Eighth Annual National Bioenergy Day, Public Service Commissioner Brent Bailey of the Central District reminds Mississippians of the many benefits that bioenergy can have on our economy. Today, all across the country, people are learning about bioenergy and how it helps local economies and forests.
“Bioenergy” is the utilization of any organic material (also known as biomass), such as forest thinnings, residues, agricultural waste, urban wood waste or dedicated energy crops, to generate renewable energy including heating, cooling, electricity and biofuels. In addition to serving as a domestic energy source, bioenergy is responsible for sustaining tens of thousands of jobs, many of them in rural communities where they are most needed. Bioenergy Day recognizes the importance of using domestic biomass for a wide variety of applications to improve forest health, reduce emissions and create jobs.
“Energy produced from biomass has several economic, environmental, and energy security benefits,” Commissioner Bailey said. “Mississippi has great potential for bioenergy production due to the availability significant, sustainable volumes of agriculture and forestry residues and landowner willingness to produce and harvest biomass. The bioenergy industry contributes a great deal to our state and local economy by generating employment and new economic opportunities that helps keep forests and the forest industry around here more resilient.”
Bioenergy is an incredibly versatile domestic energy resource that can contribute to a more secure, sustainable and economically-sound future. To learn more about National Bioenergy Day and the many benefits of bioenergy, visit
www.bioenergyday.org. Our
weekly newsletter also provides more information on the many forms of bioenergy.
