The rush to build wood-burning biomass plants across Michigan raises serious concerns for the future of our forests. These plants are often built by coal and gas providers as a way to gain "green" credits and to meet their 10 percent renewable energy mandate.
Although they claim to use "scrap" wood to fuel these burners, industry experts and foresters say whole tree harvesting from state and federal land is necessary and more efficient. And they are receiving huge government subsidies (our tax dollars) to harvest and burn our forests under the guise of being renewable.
Burning trees and tree products in biomass plants, however, is not green, not carbon neutral and not sustainable.
Our forests should not be classified as a renewable resource for biomass. It takes minutes to burn a tree, decades to grow a new one. Several biomass plants currently operate in Michigan and more are being proposed in Gaylord, Traverse City, Frankfort, Mancelona and in the Upper Peninsula.
Each one uses a 50- to 75-mile radius to determine fuel availability. These boundaries overlap. Based on data from Massachusetts (where wood-burning biomass has been temporarily banned), it takes 13,000 tons of wood to produce 1 megawatt of power for one year. At a moderate harvest rate of 20 tons per acre, one small 30 megawatt electric plant would burn approximately 20,000 acres of wood each year. This is not a sustainable use of our forests.
Wood-burning biomass is not carbon neutral. It emits 1.5 times as much CO2 into the atmosphere as coal. Harvesting and transporting wood chips to biomass plants adds to the carbon emissions. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, it takes hundreds of years for replanted tree seedlings to sequester the carbon emitted from the harvesting and burning of larger trees.
Wood burning also releases numerous toxic chemicals, volatile organic compounds and high levels of particulate matter. The American Lung Association opposes wood-burning biomass, stating that their emissions pose unacceptable health risks.
Healthy forests are necessary for our very survival. They provide us with the oxygen we breathe, carbon sequestration, habitat for plant and animal life, as well as lumber for furniture and houses. Dead trees and debris which litter the forest floor provide food and habitat for insects, fungi, plants and animals, regenerate the soil and allow for future growth and biodiversity.
Michigan forests are the lifeblood of our tourist economy. Our public forest land should be protected, not viewed as a commodity to be auctioned off to a furnace. Friends of the Jordan is asking Gov. Jennifer Granholm to call for a moratorium on the building of wood-burning biomass plants (as Massachusetts has already done). Our tax dollar subsidies should be used to promote wind, solar and other energy sources which are truly carbon neutral and sustainable.
About the author: Anne Zukowski is a board member of Friends of the Jordan River.
About the forum: The forum is a periodic column of opinion written by Record-Eagle readers in their areas of interest or expertise. Submissions of 500 words or less may be made by e-mailing letters@record-eagle.com. Please include biographical information and a photo.
Opinion
Forum: Biomass not really 'sustainable'
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Another view: Concern about Iran, Israel
There is growing concern worldwide that Israel might launch an attack on Iranian nuclear plants.
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Another view: Job Corps for vets
It's an embarrassment that men and women returning have trouble landing and keeping jobs in the country they defended. A new program modeled after the Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930s could put thousands of them back to work.
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Letters to the editor: 02/11/2012
Throw them all out; Losing our liberties
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Trades students get chance to demonstrate their skills
The issue: TBA sponsors Skills USA Competition; Our view: Recognition is important
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TC officials' 'office hours' an outreach
Some city commissioners have begun to hold regular "office hours" at the Governmental Center so residents could drop in to chat person-to-person. Let's hope it translates to city business.
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Letters to the Editor: 02/10/2012
Save, don't pave; Maybe not so confused; Not merely statistics; Know what's going on
Continued ... - Thursday, February 9, 2012
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Other View: Not the time for 'right-to-work' fight
Michigan's Legislature should follow the lead of Gov. Rick Snyder and avoid staging an ugly confrontation over right-to-work legislation.
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Letters to the Editor: 02/08/2012
Tax unearned income; Center calls a nuisance
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Op-Ed: Komen decision set precedent
When organizations like Susan G. Komen began pulling money from Planned Parenthood, they set a precedent. When other funding resources follow suit, the people affected are the very people Susan G. Komen set out to empower: vulnerable women.
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Op-Ed: Reform falls on deaf ears
Surprise! Would you believe that political systems are stacked in favor of those with money? That's probably been true since the days of the Pharaohs. But these days, two things make the normal much worse in our country.
Continued ... - Wednesday, February 8, 2012
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Numbers show economic gains; more is yet to be done
By the numbers, there is some reason to hope Michigan is slowly nosing its way out of the recession that has gripped the state for a decade now. But they also show that children and low-income families remain at risk.
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Forum: HopeLine gives phones to needy
If you received a new phone for the holidays, you can easily turn your old device into a lifeline by recycling it or putting it in the hands of someone who needs it.
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Letters to the Editor: 02/08/2012
Honor basic concepts; You don't have to yell
Continued ... - Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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Bertha Vos switch will work if Montessori gets home
The issue: Bertha Vos to house only International Baccalaureate program; Our view: District must still expand Montessori
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Forum: Moving can't be only autism option
Michigan is currently ranked in the top 10 worst places to live for children with autism. Today, the best option for families to get help is to move out of state, where autism is covered by insurance.
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Letters to the Editor: 02/07/2012
Calling us to account; A healthier alternative
Continued ... - Monday, February 6, 2012
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Cheers: 02/06/2012
To Elnora Milliken; the late Cliff Merrick; city commissioners; the Traverse City Planning Commission; photographer Mark Lindsay; the Herbert and Grace Dow Foundation; and Marty Dagneau Bates and her terrier Tully.
Continued ... - Letters to the Editor: 02/06/2012
- Sunday, February 5, 2012
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Our view: Battle of Acme may be over
The Battle of Acme is apparently nearing an end, and after six years or so of wrangling over Meijer Inc.'s plans for a big-box store along M-72, both sides appear ready to move on with getting a store built, local residents hired and the doors open.
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Jack Segal: Ending the war in Afghanistan
In November 2010, the President and our allies agreed to continue fighting in Afghanistan through the end of 2014. In a surprise announcement Feb. 1, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters that the United States has now decided to end our combat role by "mid-to-late 2013." Thereafter, NATO troops will remain in a "training and advisory role" as Afghans take full responsibility for security.
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Letters to the editor: 02/05/2012
Don't want to pay more; Burgers still dominate
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Jack Lessenberry: Overcoming the Morouns
Americans are justifiably outraged whenever a lawmaker is caught taking bribes or misusing public funds. But what do you suppose the voters' reaction would be if it were discovered that one very rich family was trying to buy off the Legislature solely for their own financial gain? What if that family spent millions on what amounted to legalized bribes to successfully block a project that virtually every corporation in the state agreed was essential to Michigan's economic future? We are talking about the family of Manuel J. "Matty" Moroun, the 84-year-old billionaire who owns the aging Ambassador Bridge.
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George Weeks: Granholm has new gig
Over the last half-century, most Michigan governors upon leaving office have gone into or sought another form of public service. The last one, Democrat Jeniffer Granholm, is blazing into the public light with a sprightly talk show gig on California-based national cable TV.
Continued ... - Saturday, February 4, 2012
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Another view: U.S. budget needs work
The Congressional Budget Office recently released its 10-year budget projection and economic outlook for the U.S. and guess what: We still need to work on the whole spending versus revenue thing.
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Another view: Words of a weasel
In his Missourinet blog this week, Bob Priddy (news director for the Missourinet, a statewide radio network) took state legislators to task for rhetoric and tossing about phrases such as revenue enhancement. Priddy relates that it was Theodore Roosevelt, recalling a friend in 1879, who would have called phrases such as "revenue enhancement" weasel words.
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Another view: Concern about Iran, Israel
Police: Houston Found Dead in Her Hotel Room
Paul Suffers Narrow Loss to Romney in Maine
Recording Superstar Whitney Houston Dead at 48
Maine GOP Chairman Says Romney Wins Caucuses
Palin Brings Anti-Washington Message to CPAC
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
