Photo: Enviva Pellets Northampton, North Carolina
Credit: Dogwood Alliance

Forest biomass is made by cutting down forests, turning the trees into wood pellets, and burning the pellets to produce electricity. These companies say they only use woody material that's no longer viable – but recent whistleblowers have revealed that this is an industry-wide lie to hide that they raze healthy forests.

Power plants that burn biomass emit 150 percent more climate-wrecking carbon pollution than those burning dirty coal. In fact, in 2019 wood pellets sourced in the U.S. and burned for energy in the U.K. emitted a staggering 17.6 million tons of carbon dioxide.

A huge percentage of the people who live near active biomass sites, wood pellet plants, and wood-burning power plants are from communities of color or low-income communities. Many people near these sites suffer from respiratory illnesses, must wear masks or leave their windows closed to keep dust out, and struggle to sleep at night due to the industrial noise. This is a grave environmental injustice.

The entire biomass industry is built on a lie and the systematic targeting of communities of color and low-income communities.

We must urge Congress to see forest biomass for what it really is: a threat to our climate, wildlife, forests, air quality, and the communities where polluters set up shop.

Dear Member of Congress:

I'm worried about dangerous disinformation that is coming out of the energy industry. Some people are saying that forest biomass – the product of cutting down forests and turning the trees into wood pellets to burn for electricity – is a carbon neutral "clean energy" source. This could not be further from the truth.

Power plants that burn forest biomass have some of the highest climate-wrecking carbon emissions compared to most other power plants. It's impossible for forests to regrow fast enough to take the place of the trees burned, and we can't afford to have 30+ years of carbon pollution further harming the climate.

And the recent growth of the wood pellet mills in the Southeastern U.S. have targeted communities of color and low-income communities. A large percentage of the people who live near active biomass sites and wood pellet factories are people of color – and many people near these sites suffer from respiratory illnesses, must wear masks or leave their windows closed to keep dust out, and struggle to sleep at night due to the industrial noise. This is a grave environmental injustice.

For years, the forest biomass industry has been razing American forests and sending the pellets to Europe, where biomass is tragically written into law as "clean energy." And now the industry is trying to expand even further into the U.S. market. But I need you to stop that from happening.

I need you to see forest biomass as it really is: a threat to our climate, wildlife, forests, air quality, and the communities where this industry sets up shop. Remember – forest biomass is NOT a carbon neutral "clean energy source."

Please do everything you can to stop the forest biomass industry from undermining truly clean energy deployment and our progress addressing climate change.

Thank you.