SUPPORT S.2136/H.3210 - An Act to remove woody biomass from the greenhouse gas emissions standard for

Last year, the Legislature removed woody biomass from the list of eligible sources for Massachusetts’ Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) on the principle that it is a harmful, polluting energy source and should not be eligible for “clean” energy subsidies. [...] Unfortunately, the Legislature included biomass, without limitations, in the list of “non-carbon emitting sources.” This was a significant deviation from Massachusetts’ other clean energy statutes and programs, such as the RPS, the Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard, and the Clean Energy Standard (310 CMR 7.75), which all recognize biomass power as a carbon-emitting source. [...] In response to public concern, the Legislature delayed the inclusion of biomass by five years, allowing time for the Executive to prepare a study on the health and environmental impacts of biomass energy that was required under Section 102 of the law. [...] As MA and other states in the Northeast, including NY and CT, end or scale down subsidies for biomass power plants, the new markets created by this law could be a lifeline for the industry. [...] This legislation corrects an unintended consequence of the new MLP standard, which was intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but as written provides incentives for the continuation and growth of the biomass power industry in Massachusetts and throughout the Northeast.