From:                                                       Daphne T Stevens <info@email.actionnetwork.org>

Sent:                                                         Monday, May 20, 2019 9:21 AM

To:                                                            RPS, DOER (ENE)

Subject:                                                   Please, cleam air with solar and water, not biomass and trash incineration.

 

John Wassam,

I’m calling on the Department of Environmental Resources and Governor Charlie Baker’s administration to stop renewable energy subsidies for all biomass and trash incineration in our state.

Biomass and trash incineration are bad for our health. Incineration pollutes our air with toxic chemicals that can cause respiratory problems like asthma as well as heart disease, cancer, and other serious health problems. Incineration will have a negative impact on the health of all people who live near these polluting facilities.

Further, biomass incineration will exacerbate climate change at a time when we must be doing everything in our power to stop it. The recent Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report gives us only 12 years to completely reverse course before we experience the worst effects of climate change. Massachusetts has already begun to feel the effects, with some of the hottest summers on record and serious flooding on the coast. We don’t have time to invest in energy sources that will continue to emit greenhouse gases.

Massachusetts has already made great strides towards increasing renewable energy to protect our health and climate. Let’s not reverse that progress by using funds set aside for clean, renewable energy to fund dirty, polluting industries like biomass and trash incineration. I’m calling on you to stop using any renewable energy subsidies for incineration to protect our health and climate for years to come.

Daphne T Stevens
daphnetstevens4@gmail.com
56 Firethorn Laane
Northampton, Massachusetts 01060