Letter to Gina McCarthy, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency - Biomass Energy Regulations
Letter
The Honorable Gina McCarthy
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20460
Dear Administrator McCarthy:
We write today to express our support for the role that biomass power plays in our Nation's energy supply, and to request that EPA take action to remove regulatory ambiguities in the treatment of utility-scale biomass power as a renewable resource. Biomass is a renewable form of energy that provides jobs for our rural communities, promotes healthy forests, and offers an environmental solution for organic material that would otherwise be landfilled, left to decay in the forest or on farm fields, or simply burned. Converting these low-value materials to electricity is a win for the environment and our economy.
The primary source of biomass feedstock for electricity comes from "low-value" wood and agricultural residues. While biomass varies by region, all biomass fuels for electricity share a common trait, namely, a material that has no higher value use in the marketplace. Biomass feedstocks for electricity are not generally "grown" or "harvested" for energy, but are a by-product of non-energy uses. Whether from forests (tops, limbs, thinnings), farms (rice hulls, bagasse, orchard prunings) or the urban environment (pallets, railroad ties and other forms of "waste wood"), biomass power's use of these materials should be encouraged for producing electricity.
While EPA has been generally supportive of biomass power in recent documents, how the agency intends to treat biomass power continues to be ambiguous at best. We request that EPA move quickly to clarify the extent to which these facilities will be covered by proposed carbon emission rules. Providing this regulatory certainty, including through full or partial exemption from these rules, could promote a diverse energy portfolio and contribute to healthy forests, farms, and rural communities.
Thank you for your timely consideration of our request. We look forward to your response and to continuing to work with you in service of the American people.
Sincerely,
Ann McLane Kuster
Member of Congress
Bruce Westerman
Member of Congress
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