Biomass Burning is not Carbon Neutral

Alan Journet, Guest Opinion December 4, 2016 Medford Mail Tribune

When we turn on the lights, TV or stereo, we rarely pause to wonder where the electricity comes from. Back in the day, all that concerned us in budgeting was whether income exceeded expense. If it did, we were happy. But when we understand the threat posed by global warming and its consequences (floods, drought, heat waves, dwindling snowpack, wildfires), we realize the need to consider more than just money. We now have to ask ourselves about the source of our energy, and the impact of its generation on greenhouse gas emissions.

Though Oregon has more hydropower than most states, for many of us, the source of our electricity still involves coal or natural gas-fired power plants. Now that Oregon has agreed to turn from coal towards renewable energy, we must ask which energy sources are genuinely clean and thus result in reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

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