PFI and BTEC Respond to Washington Post Editorial Board 

Following the U.S. Senate's passage of its energy bill, S.2012, the Energy Policy Modernization Act, earlier in April, there has been much media attention paid to the biomass carbon neutrality amendment included in the legislation.

Fueled by opponents of biomass, several articles have demonstrated a misunderstanding of the biomass industry and the role we play. The Washington Post and New York Times have each published an editorial against the amendment, using outdated and inaccurate references like "burning trees." 

This week, PFI teamed up with the Biomass Thermal Energy Council to respond to the inaccuracies in the article. In a letter signed by PFI Chairman Stephen Faehner, PFI and BTEC set the record straight on heating with biomass, asking the editorial board to present a more accurate view of the biomass carbon cycle:

We, the biomass heat energy sector, are disappointed with the substance and tone of your April 28 editorial entitled "Dear Congress: Burning wood is not the future of energy". The piece ignores some basic scientific principles that underpin the carbon cycle and paints the entire forest biomass energy space as monolithic.   

Forest biomass is used to generate electricity, but an increasing portion of this resource is destined for highly efficient heating or combined heat and power systems for residential and commercial uses. Many of these new biomass heating systems reach efficiency levels as high as 90 percent, meaning nearly all of the energy generated by combustion is being put to use. Other pathways for forest biomass energy-namely electricity and liquid fuels-top out at about 25 and 45 percent efficiency levels, respectively.

.....

Your headline implies that all uses of wood for energy are bad for the environment. Our nation was built on the use of wood as a fuel, primarily for heating. Modern wood heating technology combusts cleanly and efficiently. We would welcome an opportunity to visit with you to provide more perspective on why we think heating with biomass presents a very bright future for energy in this country.  

Read the full letter here.  Biomass101, a collaborative group representing forest owners, pulp and paper, and forest products industries, has also published several rebuttals of the Post and Times editorials. 

Reserve Your Space at the 2016 PFI Annual Conference in Asheville, NC!

Don't miss this year's PFI Annual Conference at the Omni Grove Park Inn in Asheville, North Carolina! Registration opened last week for the conference, taking place July 24-26, 2016. 

The PFI Annual Conference highlights the various applications of densified biomass, as well as trends and best practices within the densified biomass industry. It attracts a broad range of individuals from the public and private sectors, academia, and local, state and national governments from North America and beyond. The conference features two days of educational sessions as well as industry exhibits, extensive networking opportunities and a golf tournament.