Summit
Natural Gas of Maine announced today that the Augusta-based company has reached
an agreement with UPM Madison to supply the paper manufacturing facility with
natural gas service by this fall. The paper mill has been working with Summit
Natural Gas of Maine to secure a fuel source that will allow them to reduce
their energy costs.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
Austria’s Paper/Biomass Sectors Clash Over Supply
http://www.austropapier.at/index.php?id=austropapier&L=1
The planned construction of a new biomass power plant in Austria has given rise to a heated debate about biomass subsidies and their consequences for the country's pulp and paper industry this week.
In
an open letter to the federal government, the trade association Austropapier
and leading players in the Austrian pulp and paper sector spoke out against the
construction of the biomass facility, warned against the drastic consequences
the project might have for pulp and paper mills in the country and demanded an
end to the promotion of wood combustion.The planned construction of a new biomass power plant in Austria has given rise to a heated debate about biomass subsidies and their consequences for the country's pulp and paper industry this week.
According to Austropapier, local wood is too valuable to be shipped directly from the forest to a biomass power plant. The association added that the proposed project threatens the supply of domestic pulp and paper producers as well as other members in the value chain.
Wood demand cannot be met: One of the signees of the open letter, Alfred Heinzel, CEO of Heinzel Holding, said that the wood imports of the Austrian pulp and paper industry have had to be doubled since 2005 and currently account for about 37% of the sector's annual demand.
According
to Peter J. Oswald, CEO of Mondi Europe & International, the excessive and
imbalanced biomass subsidy policy leads to an unfavorable ecological and
economic development.
Sappi
Gratkorn at risk: Berry Wiersum, CEO of Sappi Fine Paper
Europe, agreed with Oswald and pointed to the drastic effects a further drop in
local wood supplies might have for Sappi's Gratkorn pulp and paper mill.
According to him, an upcoming Euro 100 million investment at the site would not
be justifiable if local wood supplies were expected to drop further, resulting
in rising wood prices.
Steady Increase in Global Trade of Wood Chips
Steady increase in global trade of wood chips the past ten years; Japan and China imported ...:
The global pulp industry has increased its importation of wood chips the past ten years, reaching the second highest import levels on record in 2012, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Japan, China, Finland and Turkey were the largest importing countries last year.
Wood chips are one of the few forest products commodities that have seen a steadily increasing trend in globally traded volumes the past decade. With the exception of 2009, when global production of pulp fell by about ten percent and the demand for wood fiber was down, international trade of wood chips has increased every year from 2000 to 2011, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly.
From 2009 to 2012, global chip trade increased by 6.5 million tons to just over 31 million tons, valued at over five billion US dollars, slightly below the all-time high reached in 2011. Much of the increase in chip imports has been because of the expansion of MDF production capacity in Turkey and due to major investments in pulp capacity in China.
The global pulp industry has increased its importation of wood chips the past ten years, reaching the second highest import levels on record in 2012, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly. Japan, China, Finland and Turkey were the largest importing countries last year.
Wood chips are one of the few forest products commodities that have seen a steadily increasing trend in globally traded volumes the past decade. With the exception of 2009, when global production of pulp fell by about ten percent and the demand for wood fiber was down, international trade of wood chips has increased every year from 2000 to 2011, as reported in the Wood Resource Quarterly.
From 2009 to 2012, global chip trade increased by 6.5 million tons to just over 31 million tons, valued at over five billion US dollars, slightly below the all-time high reached in 2011. Much of the increase in chip imports has been because of the expansion of MDF production capacity in Turkey and due to major investments in pulp capacity in China.
ICFPA Recognizes Canadian Forest Industry
The
International Council of Forest and Paper Associations (ICFPA) is pointing to
the Canadian industry's environmental credentials in its 2013 Sustainability
Progress report.
The
global forum notes that the forest sector in Canada has more than 150 million
hectares of independently certified forest, or 40% of the global total; that
between 2007 - 2011, it dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions by 21%; that
energy use went down by 32% between 2005 - 2011; and that in that same time
period, the sector reduced the amount of waste sent to landfill by 30%, slashed
particulate matter and sodium oxide by 56% and total suspended solids by 72%.
The
progress report also noted that the Canadian forest industry has pledged to be
carbon neutral industry-wide by 2015.
CEOs Expect Some Improvement
The
results of Business Roundtable’s (BRT) second quarter
2013 CEO Economic Outlook Survey show CEOs expect a slight improvement in
economic output over the next six months, with modest improvement in sales
expectations and hiring.
CEO
expectations for the U.S. economy increased for the second time in five
quarters. They assessed the GDP would grow at a 2.2 annual rate in this survey,
up from 2.1 percent expected growth in last quarter’s survey.
DEPARTURES Reports Dramatic Ad Growth
Advertising revenue and paging in DEPARTURES' July/August issue climbed 43
percent and 53 percent, respectively, versus the same issue last year, it was
announced today by Steven DeLuca, senior vice president and publisher of
DEPARTURES. These gains make this issue the largest July/August issue in the
magazine’s nearly 25-year history. DEPARTURES, published exclusively for
Platinum Card® and Centurion® members of American Express, is up 22 percent in
advertising revenue and 19 percent in paging year-to-date compared to January
through July 2012, driven by growth in the core watch, jewelry, and luxury
travel categories.
To Tax or Not to Tax
The
bill would empower states to require online retailers to collect state and
local sales taxes for purchases. The taxes would be remitted to the state where
the customer lives. Under current law, states can only require retailers to
collect sales taxes if they have a physical presence in the state. Under the
bill, online retailers would collect an estimated $22 billion to $24 billion in
now uncollected taxes.
While
a Senate vote hasn't yet been scheduled (not to mention if and when the House will take up the issue),
this is a good time to think about the issue philosophically and decide whose
side I'm on, big-box brick-and-mortar retailers or online retailers. As the
editor of a publication that targets omnichannel retailers, I'm in a conundrum
about whose cause to champion.
Gannett to Acquire Belo, $2.2 Billion Deal
Gannett
Co., the diversified media company that owns USA TODAY and TV stations, said
Thursday it will buy competitor Belo Corp. for $2.2 billion in a deal that will
make Gannett the fourth largest owner of major network affiliates in the U.S.,
reaching nearly a third of U.S. households.
Gannett
will acquire all outstanding shares of Belo for $13.75 per share in cash, or
about $1.5 billion, and assume $715 million in existing debt.
The
transaction, which has been unanimously approved by the boards of directors of
both companies, represents a 28.1% premium to the closing price of Belo common
stock on Wednesday.
Folio: People On The Move
People On The Move | 6.13.13:
Carolyn Kremins has been named senior vice president and general manager of Epicurious by Condé Nast. Kremins was previously vice president and publisher of Condé Nast Traveler. Also at Condé Nast, Beth-Ann Eason was named as senior vice president, digital development, and general manager of ZipList. Eason was previously senior vice president and general manager of Epicurious.
Matt Arkin has been appointed as chief revenue officer and Walter Knapp as chief operating officer at Federated Media Publishing. Arkin joins Federated Media from 33Across where he was President and CRO. Knapp was promoted from his position as EVP and GM there..
The New Yorker welcome Breda O’Reilly as advertising director. O’Reilly had previously been director of sales at The Guardian.
Hearst Newspapers named Mike DeLuca as SVP of digital. Previously he had been chief revenue officer at Savored.
National Geographic has made multiple additions to its staff:
• Sarah Leen has been promoted to director of photography.
• Keith Jenkins has been named director of photography after being supervising senior producer for multimedia at NPR.
• Matt Mansfield is now executive editor of digital content. He was previously director and bureau chief for the reporting program at Northwestern University.
• Chris Johns is now the EVP and group editorial director.
Carolyn Kremins has been named senior vice president and general manager of Epicurious by Condé Nast. Kremins was previously vice president and publisher of Condé Nast Traveler. Also at Condé Nast, Beth-Ann Eason was named as senior vice president, digital development, and general manager of ZipList. Eason was previously senior vice president and general manager of Epicurious.
Matt Arkin has been appointed as chief revenue officer and Walter Knapp as chief operating officer at Federated Media Publishing. Arkin joins Federated Media from 33Across where he was President and CRO. Knapp was promoted from his position as EVP and GM there..
The New Yorker welcome Breda O’Reilly as advertising director. O’Reilly had previously been director of sales at The Guardian.
Hearst Newspapers named Mike DeLuca as SVP of digital. Previously he had been chief revenue officer at Savored.
National Geographic has made multiple additions to its staff:
• Sarah Leen has been promoted to director of photography.
• Keith Jenkins has been named director of photography after being supervising senior producer for multimedia at NPR.
• Matt Mansfield is now executive editor of digital content. He was previously director and bureau chief for the reporting program at Northwestern University.
• Chris Johns is now the EVP and group editorial director.
Postal Reform Act of 2013, a Draft
The Postal Reform Act of 2013 – Discussion Draft:
In order to solicit broad stakeholder input on the Postal Reform Act of 2013 prior to introduction, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is posting a discussion draft of new legislation.
"The release of Chairman Issa's discussion draft on the Postal Reform Act is the first step in a long process to achieve a new law—but it is a very important step," said Lisbeth A. Lyons, vice president, government affairs, Printing Industries of America. "We're pleased to see the draft discussion out now and hope to see actual legislation introduced and considered sooner than later."
In order to solicit broad stakeholder input on the Postal Reform Act of 2013 prior to introduction, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa is posting a discussion draft of new legislation.
"The release of Chairman Issa's discussion draft on the Postal Reform Act is the first step in a long process to achieve a new law—but it is a very important step," said Lisbeth A. Lyons, vice president, government affairs, Printing Industries of America. "We're pleased to see the draft discussion out now and hope to see actual legislation introduced and considered sooner than later."
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