EPF takes biomass debate to New York Times

The European Panels Federation (EPF) is using the columns of the New York Times (NYT) to raise its opposition to the large-scale use of biomass.

EPF president Ladislaus Dory had a comment published on the Green blog of James Kanter, Brussels-based correspondent for the NYT and the International Herald Tribune (IHT). Now the Tribune is planning an article on the controversial subject on September 26.

In his NYT comment, Mr Dory said the European Environment Agency Scientific Committee had shown that the EU was over-estimating the reductions in greenhouse gas emissions achieved through reliance on biofuels.

“Instead, the EU has been double counting some of the savings,” said Mr Dory.

“The potential consequences of this bioenergy accounting error are immense since it assumes that all burning of biomass does not add carbon to the air.”

Mr Dory has urged EPF members to post additional comments and described the problems they are facing because of the subsidies and other support measures for the burning of wood.

“Additional comments by high-level industrialists from several countries are expected to motivate the NYT and IHT journalists to publish more articles on this issue and will also increase the chances that other media will pick up the issue,” he said.

The panels sector is concerned that biomass power stations armed with subsidies will be able to outbid it for wood raw material.