Massachusetts standards hurt Maine biomass plants

May 2, 2012 – Biomass power plants in Maine could be in danger from new industry emissions standards in Massachusetts.

According to the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, the new regulations in Massachusetts would make it much harder for biomass producers to
qualify for financial credits, as well as limit their harvest to timber harvests, tree
tops and branches. As well, biomass plants would have to show a 50 percent reduction in emissions over 20 years.

"The
facilities that are depending on rate payer subsidies from
Massachusetts will likely have some difficult choices to make," said Jonathan Paress, the head of the Clean Energy and Climate Change Program at the Conservation Law Foundation. "But they have an obvious choice to make, which is to either
comply with the standards once they're finalized or to not get
subsidized by Massachusetts rate payers."

For more information, please see the Maine Public Broadcasting Network.