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All Documents in Energy Tagged biomass

Our Forests Aren't Fuel
Overview

Forests are for wild animals, fresh air, clean water, and hiking with our kids. But now industry wants to burn our forests for biomass electricity, polluting the air we breathe and stealing from future generations.

Burning Trees for Electricity Will Accelerate Climate Change and Destroy Southern Forests
Fact Sheet

Power companies in the United States and Europe are expanding their use of trees, known as woody biomass, as a fuel source to replace fossil fuels. In the Southeast, the massive fuel needs of these energy companies could double logging rates and significantly increase carbon emissions, contributing to climate change at a time when we need to actively cut our carbon pollution.

Comments Submitted on Proposed Final Biomass Regulations for Massachusetts, June 18, 2012
Comments

NRDC filed formal comments on the Proposed Final Regulations Regarding Eligibility of Biomass under Massachusetts RPS. We argued that the rules provide a robust and pragmatic set of standards and guidelines to ensure that the state meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals while protecting critical forest resources. The regulations provide a model for future policies at the state, utility, and federal level. In particular, we applauded the state's joint framework for greenhouse gas accounting, plant efficiency thresholds, and forest protection measures that restrict eligible biomass largely to residues from timber harvest. We were, however, very critical of the state's addition of "salvage from fire adapted forest ecosystems" to the list of eligible biomass. While this addition will have little impact in the northeastern states where fire is not predominant, it is a very bad precedent for other states in the west that may be considering the Massachusetts model. Get document in pdf.

New Rules in Massachusetts Offer Model for Rewarding Good Biomass
Fact Sheet

Power companies argue that because trees can grow back, they are a renewable and “carbon neutral” fuel source. This misconception is embedded in many existing renewable energy policies promoting biomass fuels uniformly for electricity production. Massachusetts, for example, realized that its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) regulations were rewarding power companies for burning whole trees, thus undermining efforts to invest in truly low-carbon energy sources. The Commonwealth chose to end this practice by putting in place smart standards to drive the market towards the best sources of biomass—the first standards in the world to set a performance requirement for biomass. The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) hails Massachusetts’ new proposed biomass rules as a blueprint for how other states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can ensure that biomass-fueled energy reduces carbon emissions and protects our nation’s valuable forests. Get document in pdf.

Second Harvest
Bioenergy from Cover Crop Biomass
Issue Paper

Bioenergy made from sustainably harvested cover crops has the potential to build the country’s renewable energy portfolio while conserving resources and increasing farmers’ income.

A Clean Energy Economy for North Dakota
Analysis of the Rural Economic Development Potential of Renewable Resources
Issue Paper

North Dakota has a strong and diverse economy based on agriculture, energy, minerals, and tourism. Arguably the state with the greatest clean energy potential, North Dakota is in a prime position to become a key supplier of renewable energy and the tools to produce it -- provided that national policies are enacted to put America on the path to a clean energy future.

A Clean Energy Economy for Missouri
Analysis of the Rural Economic Development Potential of Renewable Resources
Issue Paper

Within Missouri's borders, dispersed across the state, are vast resources of wind, land, and water—all the ingredients needed for Missouri to become a national leader in new energy development, creating tens of thousands of good jobs and substantial new sources of income for farmers. This June 2009 issue paper examines the potential for renewable energy resource development in Missouri and its benefits to rural communities.

Comments of NRDC on Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program
Comments

Comments of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) on the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (DPEIS) published by the Farm Service Agency of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), September 24, 2009. Get document in pdf.

Renewable Energy for America
Harvesting the Benefits of Clean, Local, Renewable Energy
Guide

This guide for farmers and agricultural communities on the economic benefits of investment in renewable energy includes maps showing both existing renewable energy facilities and potential for development of renewable resources.

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