Newsletters
November 2009 - Biomass
WELCOME TO GREEN FUTURES!
NOVEMBER, 2009
“Man has been endowed with reason, with the power to create, so that he can add to what he's been given. But up to now he hasn't been a creator, only a destroyer. Forests keep disappearing, rivers dry up, wildlife's become extinct, the climate's ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day.” –Anton Chekhov
“We are certainly not holding our forests in custody for those who have destroyed their own forests and now try to claim ours as part of the heritage of mankind.” –Ting Wen Lian, Malaysia’s ambassador to the UN Conference on Environment and Development
Biomass …or Trash Incineration …or both?
From the website of the Massachusetts Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs comes a troubling announcement-
MA Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative
The Department of Energy Resources, in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation, has identified biomass as a renewable energy resource with tremendous potential in Massachusetts due to the state's 3 million acres of underutilized forestland and other large sources of wood. This broad initiative will facilitate the development of biomass energy projects and fuel supply infrastructure in the Commonwealth.
Project Summary
Early studies indicate that as much as 4 million tons of woody biomass could be produced annually in Massachusetts, mostly from forests and forest products industries. Utilizing only half that volume for the production of electricity would represent an estimated 150 MW of renewable generation, and substantial rural economic development associated with the fuel supply.
The Massachusetts Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative will provide research and development on forest management and market infrastructure needs, and enable the state to provide the resources necessary to develop the biomass supply market.
Specific tasks to be accomplished by the Initiative are:
• research biomass harvesting and fuel processing methods
• analyze regional economic impact of biomass development
• assess state-owned forestland and target acreage for bioenergy management
• establish model forestry operation for outreach to industry and private landowners
• conduct biomass supply resource assessment, and inventory existing and needed harvesting/processing/transportation equipment
• develop a strategic plan for establishing supply infrastructure and markets activities
• produce outreach information on bioenergy to address public concerns
• research bioenergy harvesting impacts on forest health
• develop industry training programs on optimal forestry practices and equipment procurement incentives
The Massachusetts Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative is supported by grants of $495,000 from the U.S.
Department of Energy and $245,000 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Renewable Energy Trust.
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Is that a ridiculous initiative …or what? In urban, overly developed Massachusetts we should be preserving our state forests, not attempting to cut them down. And note the hundreds of thousands of tax dollars being wasted on this foolishness …and others both state and federal …that should be going to fund studies and initiatives on true alternative energy sources …solar, wind, geothermal, hydro, tidal, etc.
Burning our public forests to create a miniscule amount of energy will spew toxins into the air, exacerbate global climate change, and make Massachusetts a poorer place to live. And what happens when wood “biomass” demand exceeds supply? What do we burn in those expensive wood-to-energy incinerators when there is no longer any wood to burn? Oh wait! …Could it be trash?
We have had a trash burning incinerator moratorium, here in Massachusetts, for close to twenty years. We have had that moratorium because burning trash is bad.
Not good having dioxins, PCBs, mercury, other heavy metals, and other toxins in the air we need. Unfortunately, in all those years, the MA Department of Environmental Protection (aka Department Encouraging Pollution) has failed to come up with a more environmentally responsible way to deal with solid waste. DEP is a state agency that has had consistently weak leadership and it has failed miserably in addressing the state’s solid waste problems.
So, we wonder, is trash incineration really what this is all about?
After we turn our forest lands into the denuded landscape prevalent during Thoreau’s time in the mid-nineteenth century …yes, after it is “discovered” that all these new “biomass” fired power plants can’t possibly be supplied by public and private forest “biomass” …do we then turn to trash as the next power plant fuel source?
Or, is the Patrick Administration truly nefarious in its intent to resume incineration? Are they waiting for a hue and cry from outraged citizens now willing to accept trash incineration rather than see their forests destroyed? Is the Patrick Administration up to pulling an old bait and switch? Are they that scurrilous?
For the record, we are not opposed to logging on our public forest and park lands. We support conservation …the responsible use of our natural resources. We also understand the need to manage our woodlands by lumbering select areas to encourage or maintain certain species of native flora and fauna that require certain stages of forest successional habitat. However it is not conservation …it is not a wise use of a forest resource …to take a whole tree that has been growing for decades only to grind its lumber into woodchips to briefly fuel a power plant.
Biomass, or trash, or both? Stay tuned.
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Let’s hear from biomass opponents. What can we learn from Massachusetts Forest Watch?
Massachusetts Forest Watch-
Under proposals from the Patrick Administration, 80% of State forests and even State parks would be open to commercial logging at rates on average 400% to 700% higher than historical levels, mostly with clearcutting and its variants.
Please help stop the clearcutting and aggressive logging of MA public forests and oppose plans to cut healthy forests to fuel biomass power plants which increase greenhouse gasses, worsen air pollution and add pressure to clearcut forests. The wood required by the 5 proposed taxpayer subsidized power plants would require a tripling of the total amount of the wood currently cut on MA public and private forests. The 185 MW of power from these plants would increase power generating capacity about 1% and divert green energy funds from truly clean and green energy sources. Just trucking the wood to these plants will use more than 1,500,000 gallons of diesel per year.
Before we demand third world countries protect huge swaths of their forests, shouldn't we first be willing to protect our public forests? These lands represent only 10% of the land area in Massachusetts, since after all, these priceless lands are "Our Nature” and are our best chance of preserving some wildness in our densely populated state.
MASSACHUSETTS BIOMASS WOOD SUPPLY - MYTH AND REALITY
Claims leading to the impression that “clean, waste, wood” and “clean forestry residue” will be able to supply the proposed biomass plants are false and impossible. The following is a list of proposed biomass plants in western Massachusetts: Russell, 50 MW, Springfield 30 MW, Pittsfield 40 MW, Greenfield (Pioneer) 47 MW, Greenfield (Coop-Power) 20 MW, Fitchburg 15 MW, Existing Pinetree 17 MW --> Total = 219 MW
According to the report “Biomass Availability Analysis –Five Counties of Western Massachusetts” www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/doer/renewables/biomass/bio-08-02-28-wmass-assess.pdf. On Page 11:1 MW requires 13,000 green tons of wood fuel per year, thus, to provide fuel for 219 MW_ 219 x 13,000 green tons = 2,847,000 green tons of wood required annually.
The same document on page 31 claims that there are 629,000 green tons of TOTAL available “waste” wood in all western Massachusetts, including Worcester County. This number includes C&D waste, and in reality is likely to be much smaller as it does not account for removing contaminated wood, reduced land clearing quantities due to the housing market correction, reduced timber residues due to the depressed industry conditions and “waste” wood already claimed by others. Tellingly, whole trees are already being cut to fuel the existing small biomass plant in Fitchburg. (Out of state supplies are excluded due to demands from their own proposed biomass projects.)
Even if 629,000 green tons were available: The total wood required from whole trees (forest cutting) = 2,847,000 green tons – 629,000 green tons waste = 2,218,000 green tons per year. For perspective, the current average annual public and private timber harvest on all MA lands is about 500,000 to 600,000 green tons, depending if branches and tops left on the forest floor are included. Logging rates would more than triple on all Massachusetts forests to provide this wood, and all forests could be logged in 25 years.
According to “Silvicultural and Ecological Considerations of Forest Biomass Harvesting in Massachusetts: www.mass.gov/Eoeea/docs/doer/renewables/biomass/bio-silviculture.pdf p3, Availability of “sustainable” biomass from lands “likely to be involved in biomass harvesting” is 500,000 dry tons (x 1.9= 950,000 green tons). However, this report (page 25) targets 56%, or 532,000 green tons (280,000 dry tons), to come from public lands annually and the remaining 44% or 418,000 green tons of that likely “available” 950,000 green tons to come from private lands >100 acres (requiring doubling the logging on private lands which is not at all certain). The amount of wood proposed to be cut from public lands is entirely implausible as it would require state land logging to increase more than 10 times, or 1,000% higher than 1980-2006 historical averages of about 50,000 green tons per year. Already, attempts by DCR and DFW to increase logging on public lands has led to public outcry and if the state attempted to get 532,000 green tons of wood from public lands, there would likely be a public revolt. Channel 5 news has aired a story on this current issue which can be seen at:
www.thebostonchannel.com/video/18868966/index.html
If logging on public lands were to continue at 25 year historical rates, which can be assumed to be socially acceptable through experience, the likely private land availability and socially acceptable public land availability of whole tree biomass from additional logging is closer to: 418,000 green tons private + 50,000 green tons public = 468,000 green tons. This is only about 20% of the required 2,218,000 green tons of tree fuel supply for all these plants.
Even this amount requires doubling the logging in Massachusetts. Additionally, many other small biomass power plants are proposed as well as heating projects and even bio-fuel gasoline from trees proposals are being developed in Massachusetts. In combination with increasing air and water pollution, adding CO2 to the atmosphere and degradation of forest ecosystems, these plants are quite “brown”, not “green” as sold. In fact, any increased burning of forests is a bad idea from a carbon, pollution and forest preservation standpoint.
Massachusetts Forest Watch – For more info. – www.maforests.org
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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND FUN STUFF -
Could be you’d better get out and enjoy our public forests and parks before their trees are all incinerated. Click on our Calendar to see what’s going on.
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