Ed: I am looking into who in our delegation was petitioning the EPA to do this, and apparently Representative Van De Wege and Lynn Kessler were part of the group that asked for this. There appears to be a backstory here, and I’m contacting some individuals who gave them the technical reasons to ask for the deferal. More to follow as the week progresses.
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1/17 Peninsula Daily News – Biomass clear of EPA rules for now as agency defers action for 3 years for analysis
By Tom Callis
Peninsula Daily News
Wood-burning facilities will not be regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency’s new greenhouse gas regulations that went into effect earlier this month, the federal agency announced last week.
EPA said it will defer further action on the matter for three years while it analyzes whether the burning of wood waste to produce electricity, among other uses, can really be considered “green.”
The move came after proponents of biomass energy, including Washington state officials and some members of Congress, protested the inclusion of biomass projects under the new regulations.