2010, Manomet, MA – There has been much press coverage of the
Manomet study about using forest biomass for energy in
Massachusetts. This study was commissioned and funded by the
Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources. Many of the
resulting press articles have oversimplified the results.
Indeed, a key lesson of the study is that understanding the
greenhouse gas (GHG) impacts and benefits of using wood for
energy is more complex than most people have assumed, and that a
lifecycle assessment is needed to assess these GHG costs and
benefits. Manomet is providing some additional clarifying
comments about the study given the substantial press coverage
that followed the release of the report on June 10, 2010. The
study can be downloaded from www.manomet.org. encourages
interested parties to read the report, or at least the executive
summary, to understand first-hand what the study concludes.
commonly used press headline has been ‘wood worse than coal’ for
GHG emissions or for ‘the environment.’ This is an inac