Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. MARKEY. Mr. President, I want to thank Senator Cantwell for her tireless work on this Energy bill and for her help in improving the biomass amendment that the Senate adopted last night.

Biomass energy is already contributing to the U.S. energy mix in ways that help reduce carbon pollution that causes global warming.

There are great examples of electricity generation coming from wood residues like at the Fort Drum Army installation in New York and the Gainesville Renewable Energy Center in Florida. Both of these projects have included efforts to ensure that their biomass material promotes land stewardship and responsible forestry practices. Projects like these are generating biomass electricity, jobs, and economic value in their local communities.

These are the type of projects that we need to encourage to meet the climate change challenge.

But not all biomass energy is created equal. I understand the amendment's intent to support biomass energy that is determined to be carbon neutral.

I appreciate the modifications made to the amendment to ensure that U.S. bioenergy policy is not encouraging conversion of forest lands to non-forest uses. This protection is important to acknowledge.

But it is also important to acknowledge that the timeframe for any climate benefits from biomass energy can vary. In many instances that timeframe can be very long--on the order of 50 to 100 years.

Some practices like clear-cutting forests and burning whole trees for energy should never be considered carbon neutral.

That is why it is critical to incorporate what science tells us about forests and their interaction with the global carbon cycle into policies governing biomass energy.

EPA has a scientific advisory board working on this issue of bioenergy carbon accounting right now. They will have a meeting in April to hear from stakeholders about their experience in using biomass to reduce carbon pollution. The results of the advisory board's work will be crucial to inform policy across agencies.

It is important to have agencies working together on cross-cutting issues like this one. But efforts to make policies more consistent across Federal agencies shouldn't interfere with individual agency's statutory responsibilities. The amendment should not be interpreted as enabling one agency to block another agency's rulemaking or guidance.

I want to thank Senators Collins, Klobuchar, King, and the other co- sponsors of the amendment for working with other concerned Senators like myself on modifications to improve the amendment. I look forward to continuing working with them to ensure that the United States has a smart, sustainable, and scientifically backed policy for biomass energy.

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