Destroying and degrading forests to produce biomass is counter-productive. Forests help slow global warming by storing and sequestering carbon, regulate local and regional rainfall, and are among the most important storehouses of biological diversity on land -- containing over two-thirds of known terrestrial species. They also harbor the largest share of threatened species.
I urge you to take these threats into account when considering any legislation addressing biomass:
- Don't exempt biomass power from Clean Air Act requirements to limit emissions of soot, smog and global warming pollution.
- Don't allow the harvest of biomass that would imperil threatened wildlife habitat.
- Protect our remaining native grasslands and forests, some of the most threatened ecosystems on the planet.
- Preserve our federal forests, including critical areas such as roadless areas, wilderness and wilderness study areas.
- Ban the use of federal tax dollars to subsidize the burning of wood sourced from forests.
Producing the wrong type of biomass threatens our forests and wildlife and puts the health of our children at risk. I urge you to oppose any bioenergy proposals that involve burning our forests.
