Letter Clean Air Committee to the informants
Dear friend and news follower of the Clean Air Committee,
Last week, the Clean Air Committee sent a letter asking the informants (mr Dijkgraaf and mr Van Zwol) for a meeting about the problematic biomass file. This call was made on behalf of a long list of (inter)national organizations, scientists and citizens (see link).
Well-known nature organizations from the US and the Baltic States are clearly represented in this list because, among other things, millions of tons of shredded trees are shipped from their forests to the Netherlands every year for combustion in our biomass power plants. This amount will increase significantly if the new Dutch government does not intervene drastically now.
Especially now that energy company RWE started the permit procedure at the beginning of this year to convert both of its coal-fired power stations (Eemshaven and Amer) to 100% biomass with capture and storage of CO2 (so-called BECCS). In addition, the Committee would like to discuss the implementation of the new European Renewable Energy Directive (RED3) in Dutch legislation. The Clean Air Committee wants biomass combustion to be phased out. This also includes the long-term, already licensed biomass projects. The European Member States have been given this space. The Committee points out to informers that this space must also be used.
You can read the letter and list of signatories here
Opinion article about PBL report
Also in this newsletter is a new opinion piece from the Clean Air Committee about the remarkable, recent advice from the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (PBL) to the cabinet to continue to focus on biomass combustion (via BECCS) as a climate measure. This advice is motivated unilaterally by economic objectives and is therefore misplaced and unfounded, according to the Clean Air Committee.
Read the entire opinion piece here
Bankruptcy of the world biggest biomass producer
Finally, we pay attention to a new article from the American nature platform Mongabay, about the bankruptcy of the world’s largest wood pellet producer Enviva (US). Enviva is now responsible for the majority of Dutch biomass imports. The bankruptcy indicates that the biomass industry is in decline, with major consequences for the energy market in the EU and the Netherlands.
Read the entire opinion piece here
PS. Down to Earth, the Milieudefensie magazine, published this month about Clean Air and our work. Read the interview with Fenna Swart
Written by Robert Elsing en Dewi Gigengack in Down to earth.
Get involved and support our work
Finally, attention to our campaign. The Clean Air Committee is not sponsored by the Postcode Lottery, government, etc. and does not want it to be. We operate independently, based on an interest and a goal, namely: towards clean air as a fundamental right and the protection and expansion of forests & biodiversity, and therefore against the biomass industry.