Community Biomass Energy

Locally grown biomass in the form of trees and non-food field crops has the potential to supply a
significant portion of our local energy needs here in upstate New York and similar rural areas
across the Northeast. We have farmland reverting to second growth forest; we have marginal
sloping land with old hay fields good for growing grass; we have plenty of rain. Biomass is a
renewable energy resource that can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and conserve
limited petroleum resources.

Centuries ago, firewood heating was almost universal before it was displaced by fossil fuels which
offered cleaner and more convenient heating options. Now, advances in technology allow
biomass heating to rival the convenience, efficiency and low emissions of fossil fuel heating.
Furthermore, unlike fossil fuels, the carbon dioxide released from combustion of sustainably
grown biomass does not increase net atmospheric CO2.

Efficient, clean, and convenient modern biomass stoves, furnaces and boilers require solid fuels
that are processed from raw feedstocks to meet appliance requirements. For example, the size,
composition and moisture content of pellet stove fuel must fall within specified limits for the
stove to perform reliably. Solid biomass fuel manufacturing may include cleaning, size reduction,
drying, sorting, densification and packaging processes, all of which are well understood
technologies. Our principal mission at Community Biomass Energy (CBE) is to provide the
processing services required to transform locally grown and harvested biomass feedstocks into
fuels for the local heating market.

The word “community” is part of our name because our focus is local:
• Local sources – We will procure most of our feedstocks within 20 miles of our plant
• Local distribution - We will distribute most of our fuel products within 20 miles of our plant
• Local ownership - We want to secure our capitalization from local investors, particularly
those with an intrinsic stake in the business: landowners, foresters, loggers, farmers, plant
employees, fuel distributors, and fuel consumers.

In addition to appreciation of their investment, stakeholder investors will realize immediate

economic and non-economic benefits by helping to create CBE. For example, local forest owners
will benefit from the creation of a market for the low-grade wood harvested from their woodlots.
This, in turn, will make it economically feasible for them to consider timber stand improvement
with a commercial thinning harvest. Consumer-investors will benefit by having a reliable source
of fuel at a stable, discounted price. Not only will stakeholder-investors benefit, the entire
community will benefit from the creation of local jobs and increased local economic activity.

CBE will operate at a modest profit margin; there will be no highly compensated management.
The value added by turning raw feedstocks into usable fuels will be used to buy feedstocks at or
above market prices and sell fuels at or below market prices, to pay our investors, and fund
expansion as needed. CBE will minimize production costs by emphasizing bulk fuel sales and
using biomass energy in the manufacture the fuels. We believe that our model of local biomass
production and utilization is superior to larger scale operations that need to source feedstocks
and distribute products over larger distances. Large plants do achieve modest reductions in
production costs using automation and sophisticated process controls, however, those
advantages are outweighed by increased transportation costs. This is particularly true for lower
density solid fuels like woodchips and biomass flour. Also, being local, CBE will be able to
interact directly with our suppliers and customers, thus enabling us to ensure that our activities
are conducted in a responsible and sustainable manner.
For further information visit www.communitybiomassenergy.com or contact one of us.

Tony Nekut anekut@vectormagnetics.com 342-0762

Ken White kwhite217@gmail.com 227-5654
Betsy Keokosky evk1@cornell.edu 342-5430
Ben Boynton benboyntonjr@gmail.com 539-7675