The Changing World

National and global factors are converging in a manner that makes ReEnergy Holdings an excellent business partner.

Rising energy costs: Few would disagree that America needs to develop new sources of energy. The price of oil, while constantly fluctuating, has on the whole steadily risen over the past five years, and so have the prices of other fossil fuels and electricity. Access to consistent and dependably-priced sources of power is crucial to our national and individual prosperity.

Increasing waste disposal fees: Gone, thankfully, are the days when dumps were simply holes in the ground in which most kinds of waste would be tossed. Now, they’re built with containment systems designed to protect the environment. Some states ban certain types of materials from landfills. Additionally, new landfills are usually constructed further from where waste is generated, which increases the cost of transporting it there. All of this makes disposing of waste, rather than using it to generate energy or to recycle into new products, constantly more expensive.

Regulatory trends: In many regions of the United States, resistance against approving permits for building or expanding landfills and conventional biomass-to-energy facilities is increasing. This trend is expected to continue, making the need to find alternative and more innovative ways to manage biomass waste even more urgent.

Renewable energy policies: Government policies now provide financial incentives for renewable power, a trend likely to accelerate. Many states throughout the U.S. have adopted renewable energy portfolio standards mandating utilities to purchase renewable energy. These mandates are increasing demand for reliable renewable energy. In addition, expansion of the Federal Production Tax Credits, which include biomass and municipal solid waste, were included as part of the 2009 stimulus legislation.

Global warming policy: With most of the world’s governments adopting the 2005 Kyoto Protocol, developed nations seek to dramatically cut their carbon emissions. The United States is expected to soon regulate greenhouse gas emissions and some states have already enacted their own requirements. As a result, a carbon-credit trading market will likely emerge over the next several years. ReEnergy’s approach is conducive to generating these credits because it supports the effort to reduce materials going into landfills, which are a major source of methane, a gas that is several times more harmful to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.