Carbon neutrality is one of the biggest recurring debates about bioenergy in the U.S. Two recently released studies, one from Manomet (discussed in the last entry) and one from Pinchot Institute, address the “carbon debt” created in burning biomass in different ways. The ongoing debate, however, is gaining new momentum from the EPA’s new GHG tailoring rules under the Clean Air Act, under which the agency is allowed to assess CO2 as a pollutant per Massachussetts v. EPA, 549 U.S. 497 (2007).

While the furor was hottest in late May through June, even now popular news outlets are discussing the EPA’s regs and the biomass implications. Editorials and replies in the Washington Post, blog posts from the NY Times, and articles in Canadian Business prove that this issue isn’t going to go away from the public mind in the immediate future.

As summer winds down toward the anticipated August Final Rule from the EPA, bioenergy supporters will be watching to see if Congressional appeals like the one from Rep. Mike Simpson (R-Idaho) will result in amendment of the current regulatory scheme.

The Manomet Study of Woody Biomass Energy, released on June 10, 2010, has added fuel to the fires of the Massachussetts anti-bioenergy faction. However, the study itself was transparent in that it reflects neither the way most bioenergy is produced today nor the impacts of a bioenergy industry in states with different resources.

Common misstatement #1: “Worse for climate than coal, study says.” This is the subtitle from the Boston Globe, and it’s a theme echoed in many non-energy-related news outlets around the US. This melodramatic tagline comes from the simple statement that wood emits more carbon dioxide, measure for measure, than coal. Not new science, but detractors are using the individual factoid as if it were the summation.

Both the executive summary and the full study itself are available on Manomet’s website. More balanced and thoughtful responses and commentary on the release can be read at the following links:

Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) Release

MA biomass study finds complex carbon impact (Biomass Magazine)

Green Tech on CNET: Study Finds Biomass Power Not Carbon Neutral

Dams in the desert, Windmills in the doldrums, biopower in the Berkshires (CleanEnergy Footprints blog)

Study analyzes ‘carbon debt’ of woody biomass (SustainableBusiness.com)

Biomass Power Association’s Press Release of June 11, 2010

The 4th Annual Commonwealth of Virginia Energy Symposium (COVES) will be held Oct. 7-8, 2009, at VMI in Lexington, VA. Check-in/Registration will be in Marshall Hall. Join energy professionals from the public and private sectors to exchange energy information and technologies and to build new and enhance existing partnerships.

VBEG & PPV will be hosting the Biomass Track at COVES, kicking off the festivities the evening before - Oct. 6 - with an informational session on forestry in Moody Hall: 7–8pm, Woody Biomass for Energy: Status of Emerging Issues
Dr. Janaki R.R. Alavalapati, Dept. Head, Forest Resources & Env’l Conservation, Virginia Tech

The biomass-centric programs are listed below:
Wed., Oct. 7
Session B 12:15 – 2:15 Technology: Maximizing the Impact of Available Resources

Moderator – John English, English Boilers; Presenters - Chris Lindsey, Antares, and Bradley Schneider, Biomass Gasificiation

Session C 4:00 – 5:15 pm Are Government Facilities in the Lead?

Moderator – Scott Klopfer, Virginia Tech; Presenters - Richard Bratcher, Longwood University, and Tom Inge, Ward Burton Foundation

Thurs., Oct. 8
Session D 10:30 – 11:45 am Financing Biomass Energy Today

Moderator – Dillon Franks, President, VBEG; Presenters - Brandon Ogilvie, Intrinergy, Inc., and Michael Schewel, McGuireWoods

For more details on these and other presentations at COVES, go to http://www.vmi.edu/show.aspx?tid=27297&id=40203&ekmensel=8f9c37c3_643_715_btnlink. You can register at that website.