From: Cailin Heinze <cailinheinze@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, July 26, 2019 5:09 PM
To: RPS, DOER (ENE)
Subject: Concerns over proposal to add wood burning to renewable
portfolio
Hi,
I wanted to express my concerns about the proposal to allow large scale wood burning to be part of MA's renewable energy portfolio. Wood burning is little different from the burning of fossil fuels in terms of the pollution that is produced so this change will not serve any benefit from a pollution standpoint. Plus it will encourage the logging of older forests that serve as carbon sinks, so the effect on the environment is doubled.
From the standpoint of wood being renewable, yes, new trees can be planted, but it is more likely that any land that is lumbered in support of this provision will instead be developed rather than replanted. Even if it were to be replanted, it would be decades before the trees would be able to absorb as much carbon as the ones that were cut or be large enough to be cut again to be burned.
MA should be focusing on cleaner energy from solar and wind, not trying to give more dirty energy a pass.
Cailin Heinze
Northborough, MA
301-752-8776