April, 24 2018, 12:00am EDT
EPA Falsely Deems Wood Burning for Electricity "Carbon Neutral"
Statement by Peter Frumhoff, Director of Science and Policy, Union of Concerned Scientists.
WASHINGTON
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt made yet another anti-scientific decision based on politics yesterday when he announced that the EPA will treat burning wood as carbon neutral when biomass is used to produce energy, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS). The organization noted that Pruitt's decree could jumpstart a polluting energy industry.
Below is a statement by Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy at UCS.
"Unfortunately, you can't mandate something to be true that isn't. Burning forest biomass to make electricity is not inherently carbon neutral, even if Mr. Pruitt declares it so. In fact, under some conditions burning trees releases as much or more carbon dioxide per unit of electricity as coal-fired power plants.
"It takes many decades to a century for a tree to grow large enough to remove the carbon dioxide that was put into the atmosphere by burning a similar tree. And not all trees reach maturity because of drought, fire and insect infestations. All the while, the added carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is trapping heat.
"Mr. Pruitt's decree ignores science to favor another polluting energy industry. Today, the U.S. forest biomass industry is fairly small, with wood energy-fueled power plants struggling to compete with lower-cost power from natural gas, wind and solar. But once federal policies designed to reduce carbon pollution are enacted, the false assumption of wood energy as 'carbon neutral' will help make these power plants more cost-competitive to the detriment of our nation's forests and the climate."
The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and to secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.
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Despite 100% Pentagon Audit Failure Rate, House Passes $883.7 Billion NDAA
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex," said Defense Spending Reduction Caucus co-chairs.
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Despite the Pentagon's repeated failures to pass audits and various alarming policies, 81 Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives voted with 200 Republicans on Wednesday to advance a $883.7 billion annual defense package.
The Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2025, unveiled by congressional negotiators this past Saturday, still needs approval from the Senate, which is expected to vote next week. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that he plans to vote no and spoke out against the military-industrial complex.
The push to pass the NDAA comes as this congressional session winds down and after the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced last month that it had failed yet another audit—which several lawmakers highlighted after the Wednesday vote.
Reps. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), co-chairs and co-founders of the Defense Spending Reduction Caucus, said in a joint statement, "Time and time again, Congress seems to be able to find the funds necessary to line the pockets of defense contractors while neglecting the problems everyday Americans face here at home."
"Instead of fighting the rising cost of healthcare, gas, or groceries, this Congress prioritized rewarding the wealthy and well-connected military-industrial complex with even more unaccountable funds," they continued. "After a seventh failed audit in a row, it's disappointing that our amendment to hold the Pentagon accountable by penalizing the DOD's budget by 0.5% for each failed audit was stripped out of the final bill. It's time Congress demanded accountability from the Pentagon."
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Several of the 124 House Democrats who voted against the NDAA cited those "culture war" policies, in addition to concerns about how the Pentagon spends massive amounts of money that could go toward improving lives across the country.
"Once again, Congress has passed a massive military authorization bill that prioritizes endless military spending over the critical needs of American families. This year's NDAA designates $900 billion for military spending," said Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), noting the audit failures. "While I recognize the long-overdue 14.5% raise for our lowest-ranking enlisted personnel is important, this bill remains flawed. The bloated military budget continues to take away crucial funding from programs that could help millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet."
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As Omar, a leading critic of the U.S.-backed Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip, also pointed out: "The NDAA includes a provision that blocks the Pentagon from using data on casualties and deaths from the Gaza Ministry of Health or any sources relying on those statistics. This is an alarming erasure of the suffering of the Palestinian people, ignoring the human toll of ongoing violence."
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Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), who voted against the NDAA, directed attention to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's proposed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), set to be run by billionaires Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy.
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