Designed to Clean the World

Biomass

Benefits of Biomass

The world's energy markets rely heavily on the fossil fuels coal, petroleum crude oil, and natural gas as sources of energy, fuels, and chemicals. Since millions of years are required to form fossil fuels in the earth, their reserves are finite and subject to depletion as they are consumed. The only other naturally-occurring, energy-containing carbon resource known, that is large enough to be used as a substitute for fossil fuels, is biomass.

Biomass is all non-fossil organic materials that have intrinsic chemical energy content. They include all water and land-based vegetation and trees, virgin biomass, and all waste biomass such as municipal solid waste (MSW), municipal biosolids (sewage) and animal wastes (manures), forestry and agricultural residues, and certain types of industrial wastes. Unlike fossil fuels, biomass is renewable and sustainable. Renewable in the sense that only a short period of time is needed to replace what is used as an energy resource. Sustainable through naturally occurring growth cycles or through a well managed and coordinated regional bio-waste, agricultural waste and industrial waste strategy. Coupled with a comprehensive energy strategy, biomass resources address many of our nation's energy concerns as well as the capability to address many of the same concerns facing community's world wide.

Understanding that a comprehensive national energy policy must meet the public's current and future needs for energy, environmental quality, national security, and a healthy economy, policy makers are beginning to recognize the costs and benefits associated with these public needs. Our nation's Governors' recently submitted their support for a national energy policy based on ten principles. Principles, that must incorporate a strategy of renewable and sustainable biomass resources for success.

HayBaleBiomass

The 10 Principles of our Nation's Energy Policy:

  • Provide our citizens with adequate, affordable energy supplies and services.
  • Ensure environmental quality.
  • Promote conditions in the federal and state regulatory context that recognize the unique and complementary roles of federal, state, and local governments, and are conducive to the development of economically viable and environmentally sound energy resources.
  • Recognize the authority of states, tribes, and local communities in decision making.
  • Promote a diverse and reliable portfolio of energy sources and increase production of domestic sources of energy in a safe and environmentally sound manner.
  • Support the production and use of domestic renewable energy sources.
  • Promote the prudent and efficient use of our country's resources through conservation and efficiency efforts.
  • Support sustained investment of public and private funds into expansion and updating of infrastructure capacities, and ensure improved public and private investment into research and development for alternative and renewable energy resources and advanced technologies for cleaner, more efficient production of traditional energy resources.
  • Provide Americans with access to the information they need to make sound energy choices.·
  • Recognize that states are part of an integrated energy system and partners with neighboring states in developing regional solutions.