This State Bioenergy Primer is designed to bring many resources together that discuss biomass/bioenergy and provide useful, targeted information that will enable a state decision maker to determine if he/she wants or needs more details. The primer offers succinct descriptions of biomass feedstocks (Chapter 2), conversion technologies (Chapter 2), and the benefits/challenges of promoting bioenergy (Chapter 3). It includes a step-wise framework, resources, and tools for determining the availability of feedstocks (Chapter 4), assessing potential markets for biomass (Chapter 4), and identifying opportunities for action at the state level (Chapter 4). The primer also describes financial, policy, regulatory, technology, and informational strategies for encouraging investment in bioenergy projects and advancing bioenergy goals (Chapter 5). Each chapter contains a list of selected resources and tools that states can use to explore topics in further detail.