NEWS ALERT: Robert Cleaves, a Managing Director of Portland, Maine-based Stratex Energy, to Address Congress on Tuesday

Cleaves to speak about important role that nation's biomass energy can play in reducing carbon emissions

Robert E. Cleaves, a Managing Director of Stratex Energy in Portland, Maine, will speak in Congress tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday, May 6) on the important role that the nation's biomass energy can play in reducing carbon emissions and to fight global warming. The event is sponsored by the Washington-based Environmental & Energy Study Institute (EESI).

Cleaves will be joined by the leaders of the country's other major renewable power associations, including wind, solar, geothermal and hydropower, for an informational briefing. He is scheduled to speak at 2:30 p.m.

(Media interested in interviewing Mr. Cleaves, either before or after he speaks, are asked to contact Nancy Murray at 207-774-1200 or nmurray@bernsteinshur.com to arrange.)

As Chairman of the national biomass association, USA Biomass, Cleaves will provide Congress with an insight into how the biomass industry prevents the release of harmful carbon emissions by displacing carbon from fossil fuel plants, and also utilizing wood wastes that would otherwise decompose and cause the release of methane.
According to Cleaves, "Every ton of wood used in a biomass plant results in the reduction of a ton of carbon emissions." As a result, states such as Maine, Michigan and California – all with large portfolios of wood-fired power plants – will play a leading role in the climate change debate, he said.

More about Robert Cleaves

Cleaves, a South Portland resident, has more than two decades of experience, both as a practicing attorney in the environmental field and as a consultant and developer in the electrical generation sector. Since 2001, he has managed one of the largest renewable energy credit portfolios in the nation and was instrumental in expanding federal production tax credits for the nation’s biomass industry. Besides serving as Chairman of the USA Biomass Power Producers Alliance, he is on the Board of Directors of the New England Clean Energy Council.

At Stratex Energy, Cleaves uses his significant knowledge of renewable tax credits to provide clients with monetization strategies across a broad spectrum of incentives, including renewable energy, greenhouse gas and production tax credits.

More about Stratex Energy

Portland, Maine-based Stratex Energy, LLC, is an an energy consulting group that advises energy generating plants nationwide on cost-saving measures and develops innovative strategies and techniques to fit a changing world. Stratex is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bernstein Shur, one of northern New England’s largest multi-service law firms, with more than 90 attorneys in offices in Maine and New Hampshire. Founded in 1915, the firm provides practical and innovative counsel in the areas of business law, litigation, and municipal law to clients throughout the region and around the world. Bernstein Shur is Maine's exclusive member of Lex Mundi, the world's leading association of independent law firms. For more information, visit www.bernsteinshur.com.

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