Opponents of a long-planned biomass facility in East Springfield that would have burned wood to generate energy are applauding a new ruling upholding the state's decision to revoke permits for the project.
Mass Backtracks On Renewable Energy Subsidies For Wood-Burning Biomass Plants wbur.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wbur.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Waste wood from a logging operation is chopped up into chips to be burned in a biomass facility. (Annie Ropeik, NHPR)
The Baker administration says it no longer stands behind a plan it proposed last December to change state regulations to allow some wood-burning biomass power plants to qualify for renewable energy subsidies. The move follows a loud outcry from environmental groups, public health experts and several prominent politicians who opposed the planned changes.
The state s initial recommendations drew widespread criticism because they would have allowed a proposed biomass facility in the heart of an environmental justice community in Springfield to qualify for lucrative rate-payer subsidies. In walking back that proposal, the administration dealt a blow to that project while also effectively preventing any similar facilities from being built in the state in the future.