About

The US Department of Energy’s (USDOE) Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) funds Idaho National Laboratories (inl.gov) and Ecostrat to carry out development of Standards for Biomass Supply Chain Risk: a systematic, standardized method for assessing supply chain risk for the elimination of needless economic “drag” of inflated project capital costs on biomass projects.

Advisory Board forms.  150-member Industry Stakeholder Group of project operators, feedstock suppliers, rating bodies, investment community representatives, and academics begins to form. 6 Biomass Categories proposed; Evaluative Framework Risk Categories developed. Consultation period with Industry Stakeholder Group begins.

Natural Resources Canada / Canadian Forest Service supports development of Canadian version of BSCR Standards by Ecostrat. FPInnovations and National Lab CanmetENERGY contribute Guidance information and risk data.

BDO Zone Initiative announced at Biofuels Digest’s Advanced Bioeconomy Leadership Conference in response to economic devastation created by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bioeconomy Recovery Task Force forms, which brings together a diverse and independent group of finance, policy, and sustainability leaders to ensure the country’s economic response to the COVID crisis harnesses U.S. biomass assets to support recovery jobs, infrastructure, and clean economic growth.

The Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative provides their support for the BDO Zone Initiative as a means to facilitate the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) in North America.

Invest in Canada agrees to promote Canadian BDO Zone designations to their International Trade Commissioners to help drive biobased investment throughout Canada.

The Melville, SK BDO Zone announced at Scaling Up 2020: Canada’s 5th annual industrial bioeconomy business conference. Jordan Solomon chairs a panel discussion on BDO Zones that includes insights from former Cabinet Minister Ralph Goodale, Ron McCullough from the City of Melville, Martin Pudlas from Red Leaf Pulp, and John May from HamiltonClark.

The Agriculture Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) provides their support for the BDO Zone Initiative to help businesses increase their innovation capacity, decrease the risk of bringing their innovations to market, and attract new innovative bio-marketplaces to rural Saskatchewan.

The city of Melville, SK designated first BDO Zone in North America and rated ‘A’ for over 300,000 tonnes of wheat straw.

Developed with Standards Council of Canada, the BSCR Standards becomes an Official Canadian Standard published by CSA Group. “The Standard provides requirements, recommendations, and guidance for understanding the potential risks to biomass supply chains” (CSA W209:21). 

On August 17, 2021, Ecostrat hosted the first ever BDO Zone Summit: a two-hour event featuring the USDA, Goldman Sachs, and Citibank highlighting key issues that various industry representatives are facing in the bioeconomy and how BDO Zone Ratings can offer key solutions.

The city of Siloam Springs, Arkansas becomes the second BDO Zone rating in North American and the first ‘A’ rating for poultry litter in the U.S.

Together with the Port of Portland and SkyNRG Americas, the first U.S. BDO Zone is announced in Arlington, OR for the biogenic component of municipal solid waste (MSW).

SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance announces the first ‘A’ rated BDO Zone for woody biomass in the U.S. in Barnwell County, SC.

More than 1,000 project developers and industry stakeholders attended the first ever BDO ZoneCONNECT webinar featuring two BDO Zone communities in Melville, SK and Siloam Springs, AR.

USDA awards five Rural Business Development Grants to five  BDO Zone communities in Arkansas, Colorado, Mississippi, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Bon Wier, TX receives the first ‘AA’ BDO Zone rating for woody biomass in North America to support the capital raise of over $1B for USA BioEnergy’s development of a SAF plant.

Coronach, SK receives the first ‘A’ rating for flax straw and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Saskatchewan.

In January 2023, Ecostrat hosted a series of virtual workshops with bio-based project developers, community members and economic developers, and capital markets. Feedback from the workshops has since been incorporated into a National Workshop Agreement to address technical requirements designed to improve quantification of regional biomass supply chain and infrastructure risk, and address regional development potential of new biofuel, renewable chemical, biogas, or bioproduct manufacturing plants.

The BDO Zone Self-Assessment Tool (BDOSAT) is launched to help communities gauge regional-readiness to support a new biobased plant.

Clarksville, Arkansas receives the first ‘AA’ BDO Zone rating for poultry litter in North America.

Logan County, Colorado recieves first ‘A’ rating for wheat straw in the U.S.

Matawinie, Québec receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in Canada and becomes the first BDO Zone for the province.

Together with the Sarnia Lambton Economic Partnership and Bioindustrial Innovation Canada, the first Canadian BDO Zone rating for corn stover is announced in Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario.

The Municipal District of Greenview and the County of Grande Prairie receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the province of Alberta.

Summit County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Utah.

Ecostrat recognized as Top 10 Biomass Services Companies – 2023 by Energy Business Review Magazine.

Lewis County receives the first ‘AA’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Washington.

Southwest Nova Scotia receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the province of Nova Scotia.

The North San Joaquin Valley receives the first ‘AA’ rating for woody biomass in the state of California.

Coconino County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Arizona.

Region Nine receives the first ‘A’ rating for corn stover in the state of Minnesota.

Toombs County receives the first ‘AA’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Georgia.

Emporia receives the first ‘BBB’ rating for corn stover in the state of Kansas.

BDO Zone Ratings recognized in the United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Plan to Enable the Bioeconomy in America: Building a Resilient Biomass Supply” as a pivotal tool to expedite the development of biobased industry across the nation.

The City of Quesnel receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the province of British Columbia.

Ecostrat Inc. is proud to announce it has been named “Company of the Year” for 2024 by Canadian Biomass Magazine, in recognition of its leadership and innovation in the Canadian bioeconomy.

Conecuh County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Alabama.

Wyoming County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Pennsylvania.

Chippewa County receives the first ‘A’ rating for corn stover in the state of Wisconsin.

Barry County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Michigan.

Caledonia County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Vermont.

Flagstaff County, Alberta receives the first ‘A’ rating for wheat straw and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Alberta.

Vegreville, Alberta receives the second ‘A’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the third BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Alberta.

Ecostrat Inc. is advancing the bioeconomy through its Feedstock Supply Insurance (FSI), developed in partnership with New Energy Risk (NER), to de-risk biomass supply chains, strengthen project bankability, and unlock access to investment-grade capital.

Fall City receives the first ‘A’ rating for corn stover in the state of Nebraska.

Lesser Slave Region, Alberta receives a ‘BBB’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the fourth BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Alberta.

Mason City receives the first ‘A’ rating for corn stover in the state of Iowa.

Cameron County receives the second ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Pennsylvania.

Kemper County receives the second ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Mississippi.

Beausejour-Brokenhead, Manitoba receives an ‘A’ rating for wheat straw and becomes the first BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Manitoba.

Sac County receives an ‘A’ rating for corn stover and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Iowa.

Pointe Coupée receives an ‘A’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Louisiana.

Southeast Kansas receives a ‘BBB’ rating for corn stover and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Kansas.

San Juan County receives a ‘BB’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Utah.

Southwest Colorado receives a ‘BBB’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Colorado.

Macon County receives an ‘A’ rating for woody biomass and becomes the second BDO Zone rating issued in the state of Alabama.

Clearwater County receives the first ‘A’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Idaho.

Ashtabula County receives the first ‘BB’ rating for woody biomass in the state of Ohio.

Esterhazy receives an ‘A’ rating for flax straw biomass and becomes the seventh BDO Zone rating issued in the province of Saskatchewan.