Astute Biomass Op-Ed
David S. Cohen at the ABQJournal yesterday: “Biomass A Clean Source of Energy“
Biomass also helps the environment by aiding in forest fire management by removing organic waste and undergrowth which exacerbates perilous wildfires. Oddly, this last fact has stoked the ire of Santa Fe’s Forest Guardians, a group that is far outside the mainstream of environmentalists. Apparently, they’re motivated by opposition to prudent wildfire management. The Forest Guardian Web site advocates that the government “allow fire to re-assert its natural role in backcountry forests and for more use of prescribed fire closer to home.” One wonders what the residents of Los Alamos and Lake Tahoe, as well as the forest fighters who risk life and limb, think of the radical proposition of “fire closer to home.”
“We do not consider biomass plants clean or renewable energy,” recently asserted a Forest Guardian spokeswoman, either uninformed or unwilling to acknowledge that wildfires are far more polluting than any biomass facility.
Another erroneous claim is that biomass “clear cuts” the forest. Not true. Biomass projects can and do run on more than just forest thinnings, from rotted trees to animal waste. Furthermore, existing laws and regulations prevent clear cutting. Plus, contractual and statutory limitations delineate what may be utilized in biomass facilities. In the case of the Estancia project, all fuel contracts with landowners— whether private or governmental— require that the facility and the landowner develop a plan in accordance with environmentally acceptable methods.
Whether the misinformation campaign will thwart green energy development in New Mexico is still up in the air.
