Moirs Environmental Dialogues

Mary S Booth, PhD ecologist tells of how wood-burning electric biomass generators were found to be an answer, good for the nation’s carbon-footprint as well as a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels. Massachusetts sought to add 135 megawatts of electricity. Into the permitting process went three new biomass plants, in Springfield, Russell (Westfield River), and Greenfield (Deerfield River). The Ocean River Institute got involved defending taking &warming of water in a coldstream salmon river, the Westfield (oceanriver dot org). Meanwhile, Mary researched the impacts on Massachusetts forests, carbon emissions overall, and air quality. Biomass generators work at best with 24% efficiency meaning one needs to burn 4 cords of wood to get 1 cord of wood energy. Informed by good science, the state is less gung-ho for burning construction debris. Recently, the state did a turn around to no longer view wood-burning biomass generators as a green solution for climate change concerns.