Bioenergy technologies use renewable biomass resources to
produce an array of energy related products including
electricity, liquid, solid, and gaseous fuels, heat, chemicals,
and other materials. Today, the U.S. Department of Energy
reports bioenergy resources such as agricultural products,
forest products, and waste-derived fuels meet more than 3% of
the nation's energy needs. Concerns about weakening economic
conditions on the nation's farms, global climate change and
clean air, clean water, rising oil imports, and restructuring of
the utility industry could require the bioenergy industries to
increase production of clean and affordable feedstocks, fuels,
and technologies. What is biomass? The term "biomass" means any
plant derived organic matter available on a renewable basis,
including dedicated energy crops and trees, agricultural food
and feed crops, agricultural crop wastes and residues, wood
wastes and residues, aquatic plants, animal wastes, municipal
wastes, and other waste materials. Biomass is of