Jan 24 2011
The National Alliance of Forest Owners’ NAFO, has been granted a petition for reconsidering the treatment of biomass under the Title, ‘V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule and the Prevention of Significant Deterioration,’ by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The EPA has declared that they would defer permitting processes for production of biomass energy for at least three years during, which time the science of biomass production would be considered and consequently rule making would be done. NAFO’s President, Dave Tenny, remarked that NAFO was highly appreciative of EPA’s action and recognized it as a significant milestone for the biomass production. He considered that the three year Moratorium was an appropriate reply to NAFO’s request and would allow the USDA and the EPA to collaborate with biomass producers, the consumers, the scientists, the congress and other interested parties for developing a policy based on science to support on a long-term basis, the biomass energy sector without affecting biomass production. He also was thankful that the Administration, USDA and EPA had taken note of the concerns raised by NAFO with regard to the Tailoring Rule including an unexpected and extraordinary policy change without public participation. Many State Officials, Bi-partisan Congress members and more than a hundred Scientists have shown concern with regard to the rule and all of them have requested EPA to recognize the advantages, which biomass energy production would offer to RE production, sound forest management practices and rural job creation.
NAFO was in total agreement with Lisa Jackson, an EPA administrator whose assessment was that RE homegrown sources are a must for the energy future as they were capable of reducing the pollution, which was responsible for climate change. NAFO was also grateful to the contributions of key leaders in the Congress such as Tom Vilsack, who is the Secretary of Agriculture. Dave Tenny further stated that it was now all the more essential that all should work together in support of biomass energy production, removing doubts that would be harmful towards investments in the sector and for the overall benefit of the country.
NAFO is a group of private forest owners who are dedicated to promote economic and environmental benefits for privately owned forests. Their membership covers around 79 million areas of private forestland in 47 states.