AF&PA CEO Says U.S. EPA Lagging Behind Europe in Recognizing Benefits of Biomass Energy

American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the European Commission’s recent proposal to integrate land use and forestry sector into its Climate and Energy Framework.

“The European Commission (EC) recently released its proposal to integrate the land use and forestry sector (LULUCF) into the European Union’s 2030 Climate and Energy Framework. The EC’s proposal, released on July 20, reiterates its current accounting practice for bioenergy, with emissions related to biomass use reported and accounted for under LULUCF, i.e. biomass use in the energy sector is zero rated, to avoid double-counting.

“This proposal reinforces the need for the U.S. to appropriately recognize the benefits of biomass energy. The uncertainty caused by EPA is putting the U.S. out of step with the rest of the world, and puts our American workers and job creators at a competitive disadvantage.

“The forest products industry is the nation’s leading producer and user of carbon-neutral renewable biomass energy. Biomass is an important part of renewable energy solutions around the world. Until EPA created uncertainty around biomass in their 2010 Tailoring rule, without notice and comment, biomass was properly recognized here at home as well.

“The U.S. must keep pace with the rest of the world in its carbon accounting of biomass, or we will be left behind. This latest EC proposal further reinforces the need for the U.S. to act.”
http://www.paperage.com/2016news/08_04_2016afpa_biomass_energy.html

 

 

Related Posts

Striving to Improve Smallholder Access to Certification

At the heart of PEFC is our ambition to enable smallholders to access forest certification, independent of region and socioeconomic condition. But there is more than can be done. This was highlighted last week at the first meeting of Standards Revision Working Group 2, responsible for the revision of PEFC's Group Certification Standard and the development of a set of requirements for certification bodies operating audits in forest management. The importance of strengthening the management system approach and of clearly describing the interaction between group members and group management was emphasized by representatives from the accreditation community. While the current standard already responds to these issues, their further development will support the use and expand the application of the standard.

Smurfit Kappa reports strong progress in its 8th annual Sustainable Development Report

Forest - All raw material used in paper production is now sourced under certified Chain of Custody systems Climate Change - 21.6% reduction in carbon emissions per tonne of paper produced, on track for 2020 target of 25% reduction Water - 28% reduction in organic content of water (COD) returned to the environment from mills, on track for 2020 target of 33% reduction Waste - Twelve out of 38 paper mills effectively did not send waste to landfill in 2014

FSC US Announces New Leadership

Forest Stewardship Council United States (FSC US) announced the appointment of Sarah Billig as its new President following a comprehensive internal and external search. Billig steps into the role succeeding Stuart Hale, Forestry Program Manager for the US and Canada Carbon Markets Team at The Nature Conservancy, who has been serving as Interim President while also Co-Chairing the Board of Directors. With nearly 25 years of expertise in forestry and natural resources management, Billig brings a wealth of experience to her new position. In her previous role as Stewardship Director at the Mendocino Companies, she was key in expanding sustainability initiatives, enhancing certified lands, and spearheading entry into new markets including carbon sequestration. “Sarah is coming to us with years of experience working with FSC, including previously Co-Chairing the FSC US Board and serving on multiple committees and working groups,” said Hale. “In addition, her experiences as someone working on and managing lands within the FSC system provide Sarah with valuable perspectives on the opportunities and challenges we face in achieving our strategic goals.”
Back To Top
×Close search
Search