Transcript Document
Producing energy does not have to threaten the environment.
In fact, its very production can reap major environmental benefits.
The United States’ biomass power generating industry has a
powerful influence over several areas of environmental concern:
• Protecting our forests
• Improving air quality
• Reducing greenhouse emissions
• Managing waste
Biomass power plants combust wood waste to produce electricity
— waste that would otherwise create adverse environmental
impacts.
Biomass fuels include wood waste such as:
• Agricultural waste like orchard removals, rice hulls,
fruit pits, etc.
• Forest waste like small trees and undergrowth cleared
from forests for fire suppression and growth enhancement
• Urban wood waste like construction wood scraps, broken pallets,
clean wood waste from factories and residue from tree trimmers
Unlike other renewable technologies, biomass plants pay to
collect, process and transport its fuels — and are more labor
intensive
Biomass power is a reliable, renewable base load electric power
source — able to provide a steady flow of power regardless of
external conditions
Biomass power now provides over half of America’s renewable
“green” electricity, some 8,500 MW a year — reducing our
dependence on foreign oil and providing enough electricity to
light about 8.5 million American homes
In addition, biomass power generates ten times the number of
good-paying jobs found at the typical natural gas-fueled facility
America’s biopower industry provides some 14,000 quality jobs
and generates about $1 billion a year for the nation’s economy
Each biomass power plant contributes about $8 – 14 million
annually to the local communities where they operate in payroll,
purchases and property tax revenue
Improves the Health of Our Forests
• Removing about 68.8 million tons of forest waste annually,
reducing the threat of forest fires that endanger lives and
property, and contribute to air pollution and GHG emissions
Provides Waste Disposal Alternatives
• Diverts about 36.2 million tons of urban wood waste from
landfills annually
Reduces Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions
• At least 2 times more effective in reducing GHG
emissions than any other type of renewable technology
Reduces Criteria Pollutants
• Biomass plants cut criteria pollutants as a result of carefully
controlled combustion in biomass boilers
Biomass Power is Carbon Neutral
• When plants and trees grow they absorb carbon, and when
they die they release carbon — as part of nature
• When organic matter is used as a fuel, it is utilizing existing
carbon — adding no new carbon to the atmosphere — it is
carbon neutral
Fossil Fuel Power “Creates” New Carbon
• Fossil fuels (which “contain” carbon) are
trapped beneath the ground, inaccessible
to the atmosphere
• Accessed and used fossil fuels release
new carbon into the atmosphere
Biomass Also Provides GHG Reductions
The amount of biomass in the forest grows or declines over
time — sequestering or releasing net carbon to the atmosphere.
This balance of carbon matters. How biomass returns to the
atmosphere also matters.
Carbon is returned to the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide
(CO2) and methane (CH4). Methane is 25 times more potent as a
GHG.
Biomass power plants efficiently combust the methane
and eliminate it entirely, emitting all the biomass
carbon in the form of CO2.
All disposal alternatives — open burning,
landfilling and decomposing in the open
— produce a damaging mix of the two.
Biomass is at least 2x more effective in
reducing GHG emissions than any other
type of renewable technology, or nuclear
Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions for biomass (and biogass) are “negative”
compared to others due to avoidance of landfill disposal and other polluting alternatives
A clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuel plants
Diverts about 36.2 million tons of urban wood waste from landfills
each year
Has a net negative impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
• Diverting waste from high-emission conventional disposal like
landfill disposal and agricultural field burning, actually reduces
GHG emissions
• Will help California and other states meet mandated
GHG reductions
The biomass power industry grew rapidly during the 1980s
and early 1990s
Biomass power generation in the U.S. grew 70% each year
between 1990 and 1994 — reaching 59,000 gigawatt-hours
in 1994. [American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1997]
More than 100 biomass power plants are connected to the
electricity grid in the U.S. today
Biomass energy is growing rapidly and now accounts for 45%
of the renewable energy used in the U.S. [NRDC]
Congress should promote our successful biomass industry by:
Extending the expiring Production Tax Credit (PTC) for existing
plants, set to expire 12/31/09
Provide biomass with tax equity or “parity” compared to other
renewable technologies
Recognize existing plants in a federal RES and adopt a broad
definition of biomass
Eliminate tax exempt financing and other credits discount
Various technical clarifications related to H.R. 1424