Biomass and Biofuels

Biomass, derived from plants or other organic matter, can be converted into fuel used for electricity, heating, or transportation.  While wood has been burned for heating and cooking for thousands of years, more advanced technologies are being developed to take advantage of biomass as a source of renewable, climate-friendly energy. When crops and trees are burned as fuel, they emit carbon dioxide that has been absorbed from the atmosphere relatively recently, and this CO2 can theoretically be recaptured through regrowth.  For this reason, these fuels are sometimes referred to as “carbon neutral,” whereas the carbon contained in fossil fuels has been stored over millions of years, and is not renewable or carbon-neutral on human time scales.  However, new studies are finding that the use of certain biofuels may not have a net benefit to the climate.  In addition, pressure to increase the use of wood for renewable fuels is placing escalating pressure on other forest values and land resources. It is vital that biofuels incentives and regulations are designed to ensure net greenhouse gas reductions and to avoid or minimize pollution and adverse ecosystem impacts.

Background

The Northeast is home to a very significant forest products industry and an abundant supply of woody biomass and wood by-products. Next generation biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, made from woody biomass or grasses have the potential to have lower lifecycle GHG emissions than alternative fuels from corn, sugar cane and soybeans in other regions. Commercializing sustainable production of advanced fuels from woody biomass and grasses as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels could be an important mechanism for helping the region lower its GHG emissions and could become a new, local revenue stream. ENE is involved in efforts to research the potential environmental and economic impacts of increasing the use and production of biofuels in the Northeast. ENE's goal is to ensure that policies and incentives to promote biofuels in the Northeast include guidelines that will guarantee net carbon benefits and will avoid unintended consequences for ecosystems in the region or elsewhere.