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Bioenergy
Biomass
Scientists to EPA: Boost biomass regulations
By Poughkeepsie Journal
June 23, 2014 - In a letter submitted Thursday to the Environmental Protection Agency, 91 of the country's leading scientists urged the EPA to draft new scientifically sound rules to curb carbon emissions from biomass-fueled power plants.
The letter came as the EPA concluded a three-year evaluation period to more accurately determine the carbon emissions effects of using biomass fuels, such as burning whole trees and other plant materials in large-scale electricity generation.
The EPA appointed a Science Advisory Board in 2011 that found several concerns with the agency's draft carbon accounting framework and made recommendations to more effectively assess the carbon-emissions impact of biomass energy production. The letter from the larger U.S. scientific community echoes the the board's concerns and underscores several of its key recommendations.
