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Woody Biomass Processing and Rural Regional Development

Author

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  • Randall W. Jackson
  • Amir Borges Ferreira Neto
  • Elham Erfanian
  • Péter Járosi

Abstract

The authors report on the economic impacts of introducing woody biomass processing in an economically distressed, but heavily forested Central Appalachian U.S. region. Woody biomass is a readily available unconventional energy source that has the potential to boost the rural region’s economy. They use a static regional computable general equilibrium model to assess long-run economic impacts of two woody biomass processing production pathways of biomass to ethanol through fermentation and biomass to biofuel through fast pyrolysis. While the 232 to 370 jobs and $13 million to $21 million income might seem small relative to the multicounty region, the localized impact on the county in which the facility would be sited, even for the direct jobs and income impacts, would be much more substantial. The authors conclude that woody biomass processing is a viable economic development option for the study area and similar rural regions.

Suggested Citation

  • Randall W. Jackson & Amir Borges Ferreira Neto & Elham Erfanian & Péter Járosi, 2019. "Woody Biomass Processing and Rural Regional Development," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 33(3), pages 234-247, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:ecdequ:v:33:y:2019:i:3:p:234-247
    DOI: 10.1177/0891242419826236
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    woody biomass processing; computable general equilibrium models; central Appalachia; rural economic development;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy
    • R15 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Econometric and Input-Output Models; Other Methods
    • Q51 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Valuation of Environmental Effects

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