From the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2009/05/25/a_red_flag_on_green_energy_plan/

“SUPPOSE you learned that, in the name of green energy, Massachusetts was going to sanction cutting down trees - a lot more trees - and burning them. Crazy, you’d say? Right. But those are the facts.

“It’s widely acknowledged that forest burning in developing countries is a major source of greenhouse gases. Yet because of an accounting convention, the northeastern Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, which seeks to cap carbon dioxide generated by the energy sector, treats carbon released into the atmosphere by burning wood as if it is immediately “resequestered” by new growth, and is thus “carbon neutral.” Although it takes a minute to burn a tree and 70 years to grow it back, there is no acknowledgement that regrowth is not immediate. The climate bill before Congress buys into this notion, too.

“To meet the 2018 cap set by the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, Massachusetts is increasing renewable energy generation, and treating wind, solar, and biomass as equally carbon-neutral approaches. Hence, the state is fast-tracking three large biomass plants to generate 135 megawatts of power in Western Massachusetts. In total, 165 to 200 megawatts of biomass generation are being planned.” …

(Read the rest of the article at the link above. For a continuing discussion of this topic, please visit the forums at http://www.virginiabiomass.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1108.)