From: McCarthy, Carolyn M <Carolyn_McCarthy@uml.edu>
Sent: Wednesday, May 15, 2019 8:07 AM
To: RPS, DOER (ENE)
Subject: Please Read: Oppose RPS Class I and RPS Class II Changes
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to
strongly oppose the proposed changes to RPS Class I and RPS Class II
regulations that would weaken restrictions on the use of wood bioenergy.
Peer-reviewed scientific research from our own climate experts in Massachusetts
(@ UMass Lowell) has shown that the climate impacts of wood bioenergy are worse than coal for decades to centuries under most
management scenarios. Massachusetts could be in a position to lead on
science-based climate policy – instead the proposed changes would increase
emissions of climate pollutants while diminishing the capacity of forests to
absorb those pollutants.
I write as a consultant for systems change, as an
educator in climate science, and as a Millennial who, currently, has decided
not to become a mother because I am well aware of the dangerous future we are
heading towards if we do not take quick and unified action. I urge you to
demonstrate that Massachusetts embraces science-based policy by taking biomass
out of the APS and ensuring that it is not included in the RPS.
Sincerely,
Carolyn McCarthy
Resident of
Lowell, Massachusetts
Program
Associate, Climate
Change Initiative