The 2011 State of the Paper Industry Report: Steps Toward an Environmental Vision

 

The Environmental Paper Network released a comprehensive sustainability report today tracking progress on key pulp and paper industry indicators over the previous decade. The report, titled The State of the Paper Industry 2011: Steps Toward an Environmental Vision, provides data and analysis about fiber sourcing, recycling, consumption, paper production, and the paper industry's impact on communities and the climate crisis.

The report is a follow-up to the EPN’s landmark report published in 2007, The State of the Paper Industry: Monitoring the Indicators of Sustainability, which established the key indicators to monitor the industry. Both reports measure the progress and challenges of the industry and conservationists toward achieving the EPN’s Common Vision for Transforming the Paper Industry.

“Our new report indicates that marketplace responsibility and leadership over the last decade has been the driver of on-the-ground conservation achievements in endangered forests,” said Joshua Martin, Director of Environmental Paper Network.

Read the full report or executive summary here >>>>>>

What are your thoughts on the state of sustainability in the paper industry in North America?  

Obama's EPA Kicks Biomass Can Down the Road

As a conservationist and public health advocate, one of the things I despised most about the George W. Bush Administration's strategy while in office was the release of key, anti-environmental regulations on Friday afternoons, just before a long holiday weekend.  And certainly, with the new Administration, that would "change," right? Right?

Turns out the answer is "No."

On Friday, July 1st, as reported in the New York Times online on July 5th, the U.S. EPA published a final plan (pdf) that will give biomass a three-year, get-out-of-jail-free-card, while the agency studies the effect of plant emissions on climate change. Over those three years, industrial plants that burn woody biomass will not need permits before starting construction and will not need Title V operating permits.  The forest products industry, including pulp and paper, is the largest user of biomass energy in the United States, almost entirely derived from wood from forests.

The final plan (pdf) released Friday by U.S. EPA will give biomass a three-year pass while the agency studies the effect of plant emissions on climate change. During that time, industrial plants that burn woody biomass and landfills that release the greenhouse gases from decomposing biomass won't need permits before starting construction and won't need Title V operating permits.

When the EPA was contacted today to register concern and propose solutions to the fact that organizations and individual citizens that provided unique comments on the proposed rule were not notified of the publication of the final rule, the response was that we all should have "checked the (EPA) website" more often.

Fortunately for our forests, the news was not completely buried. The NYTimes/Greenwire article informed the public that, "biomass-burning facilities will be spared from new federal curbs on gases that help cause climate change."

The federal register notice announcing the final rule can be read here.   It comes on the heels of a provocative new report released by the Biomass Accountability Project called, "Biomass Electricity:  Clean Energy Subsidies for a Dirty Industry."  The EPA has just helped ensure that these subsidies continue for the next three years without restraint, and that the projects which these subsidies develop will be polluters grandfathered into the future rules regulating these emissions from biomass energy.

The EPA's responses to public comments can be found here. (PDF)  What do readers think?  Are you satisfied with the EPA's responses?  

To be sure, there's been several rules announced this week that will be effective in reducing pollution from coal, and the EPA is to be commended for that.  They are based in science and will greatly improve public health, most certainly in the city where I live.  But the fight over diminishing our forests for fuel and dispelling the damaging carbon-neutral myth is not nearly done.  Stay tuned.

Sprint Tops Green Grades from ForestEthics, Others Lag

Today ForestEthics released its 2011 Green Grades Report Card, ranking a dozen U.S. Fortune 500 companies that impact forests through heavy paper use. Now in its 5th year, Green Grades has established itself as a key information source for consumers and companies seeking to match environmental values with paper purchasing and business decisions.

Download the report card here >>


This year Green Grades focuses on companies in the credit card, insurance and telecom sectors – a group characterized by heavy paper consumption, including direct mail marketing. The following companies are graded: American Express, AT&T, Bank of America, Capitol One, Chase, Discover, GEICO, Sprint, State Farm, Travelers, USAA, and Verizon.


Green Grades evaluates companies on key paper sustainability measures, including: Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification; maximization of post-consumer recycled content; reduction in paper consumption; and avoidance of Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) greenwash.

Among all companies surveyed, Sprint emerged as the clear leader. The company will amend its paper policy to avoid fiber from endangered forests and set a purchasing goal of 90% FSC paper by 2012. These commitments enhance an already strong policy, which includes the impressive goal of reducing the total weight of paper the company purchases by 30% within the next year, and 40% by 2017.

AT&T also made important new commitments, including giving preference to FSC certified products for paper purchases.  Discover made the most progress among credit card companies, adopting its first-ever paper procurement policy, and declaring a preference for FSC. Insurer USAA acted to improve its direct mail paper use by setting a minimum goal of 10% post-consumer recycled fiber, with a target of migrating toward 30%. 

Insurance giants GEICO and Travelers are Green Grades’ biggest laggards.  They declined to return the Green Grades survey, and have no publicly available information about their paper policies and practices.

“As some of the world’s largest paper consumers, these companies are part of forest destruction in many regions.  The good news is that ForestEthics has persuaded several of them to use their influence and buying power to help protect forests,” said Mark Schofield of ForestEthics. “We’re most disappointed by GEICO and Travelers, two noted junk mailers who, despite having significant impacts on forests because of paper use, have made no commitments to environmental responsibility in this realm.”


Download the report card here >>

ForestEthics is a member of the Environmental Paper Network.

Introducing the Ancient Forest Friendly Awards

Environmental Paper Network member, Canopy, has announced a prestigious new environmental award for company's which are demonstrating leadership in progressive paper procurement.  In a time when stamps of approval are awarded for meager efforts and unsubstantiated environmental gain, an Ancient Forest Friendly™ award from Canopy is a true mark of integrity and sets the gold standard for meaningful action when it comes to paper purchasing and forest conservation.


Awards will celebrate a company’s progress climbing the Environmental Paper Network’s approved Paper Steps, including the use of papers found in Canopy’s ecopaper database.  Conservation Supporters will also be recognized for their action in supporting protection of the world’s remaining ancient forests.


Learn more.....

Metro Montreal first to guarantee all FSC certified newsprint

Today, Metro Montreal, the most-read newspaper on the island of Montreal, begins printing exclusively on Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified paper as part of a new environmental policy launched in collaboration with North American environmental organization, Canopy. The groundbreaking policy developed with Canopy establishes Metro Montreal as an environmental leader among newspapers, and the first in North America to guarantee all of its newsprint is FSC certified, the only forest certification system recognized by environmental organizations worldwide.

“We are proud to be the first in North America to guarantee that we are printed every day on FSC certified newspaper and we hope that other publishers will follow our lead,” says Daniel Barbeau, publisher of Metro Montreal. “We are also reducing the height of the Metro by almost 4cm to cut our paper consumption. So, today readers will see a redesigned paper that delivers the same news and aesthetic appearance they’re used to, but without having to print too many pages.“


The new environmental policy also commits Metro Montreal to excluding paper from intact and endangered forests, reducing its carbon footprint, and supporting forest conservation initiatives such as the Canadian Boreal Forest Agreement.


“This is no greenwash; Metro Montreal is a newspaper walking the talk,” says Tara Sawatsky, Corporate Campaigner at Canopy. “By committing to purchase wood fibre more responsibly businesses show they understand the environmental importance and ecological value of our forests and, more importantly, work to protect them."

Canopy is a Steering Committee member of the Environmental Paper Network, which publishes the Paper Planet.

Read the Metro Montreal environmental policy.

UPDATE: RISI Removes Article(s) on Paper Scorecards for a 2nd Time

The Paper Planet wishes to apologize that the link that was published yesterday to an updated, corrected, and short version of the two pieces by contributor Phil Riebel, titled, "Five Ways to Check Your Paper," is no longer active.  The new article was removed again overnight from RISI's website, for reasons which are not yet clear.  The long version of the article, "Review of Paper Scorecards and Product Declarations," was removed last week because of factually incorrect statements about the life cycle approach used by the Paper Calculator, and has never been updated or reposted.  


It is unfortunate that these articles were published, distributed, and read with inaccurate information about the life cycle approach of the Paper Calculator.  EPN provides transparency and clear guidance regarding the life cycle model behind the Paper Calculator through documentation available on the Paper Calculator website.  

EPN is dedicated to maintaining the Paper Calculator as the most trusted independent tool available to paper purchasers to measure and report the environmental benefits of better paper choices.  The Paper Calculator was built on the original life-cycle research of the Paper Task Force, which included Environmental Defense Fund, Johnson and Johnson, Time, Inc., McDonald's, Duke University, and others.  It receives ongoing guidance and life cycle data updates from environmental consulting firm, Franklin Associates, a division of ERG. 

Thank you again for using the Paper Calculator to help you or your organization make environmentally responsible paper choices.

RISI Corrects Inaccuracies About The Paper Calculator

Last week, RISI.com published an article evaluating five paper scorecards.  Unfortunately, the article contained factually incorrect information about the Paper Calculator and its life cycle model. The Environmental Paper Network (EPN) brought this to the attention of the editors at RISI who promptly removed the article from their website temporarily.

We would like to share with you that RISI has republished the piece with corrected information [UPDATE 6/22: This article has now been removed as well as of this morning and the link goes to a blank page.]

EPN is dedicated to maintaining the Paper Calculator as the most trusted independent tool available to paper purchasers to measure and report the environmental benefits of better paper choices.  The Paper Calculator was built on the original life-cycle research of the Paper Task Force, which included Environmental Defense Fund, Johnson and Johnson, Time, Inc., McDonald's, Duke University, and others.  It receives ongoing guidance and life cycle data updates from environmental consulting firm, Franklin Associates, a division of ERG.  EPN provides transparency and clear guidance regarding the life cycle model behind the Paper Calculator through documentation available on the Paper Calculator website. 

Thank you for using the Paper Calculator. 

New Leaf and Office Depot Talk Recycled Paper and Radical Transparency

At the Greenbiz.com, State of Green Business Forum, 2011, New Leaf Paper and Office Depot presented their "One Great Idea" in which they used cutting-edge web technology to tell the story of 100% recycled copy paper and the surprising make-up of its carbon footprint. Their approach exemplifies a new direction in customer engagement around sustainability and provides a visually powerful representation of complex environmental data.


As Jeff Mendelsohn of New Leaf Paper says, "There is a qualitative difference between being transparent about true carbon emissions with a focus on emission reduction, and simply making claims of carbon neutrality." 


With dubious claims proliferating rapidly in an unregulated environment, his point is very timely for the paper industry.  Watch the short video below of their great presentation and check out their cool project using SourceMap technology in partnership with MIT.

Campus Organizations Launch Campaign to Recover 75% of Paper Waste for Recycling by 2015

This past Earth Day, campuses across North America were called to take part in the RePaper Campus Challenge – a movement to increase sustainability on college campuses by recovering 75% of campus paper waste for recycling by the year 2015. The campaign is headquartered in the not-for-profit organization Environmental Paper Network’s RePaper Project – a program focusing on increasing paper recovery to best maximize recycled content in paper manufacturing. The Campus Challenge will teach students, faculty and staff on higher education campuses about the impacts of paper, and how best to recover it for effective recycling.

Pam Blackledge, the RePaper Project coordinator, is spearheading this effort. She says, “While campuses are making strides to become ‘carbon neutral’ and making major shifts toward long-term sustainability, improving their paper practices is a significant step in the right direction. We applaud our higher education institutions for being leaders in sustainable practices, and we encourage each and every one to capture 75% of their paper waste for recycling.”

When asked why paper recycling is so important on campuses today, Blackledge responded “With over 20 million students in the United States today, each using at least 700 pounds of paper a year, campuses have a huge opportunity to make a difference. Paper is often ignored as having an immense environmental impact, mostly because we use it every day – it’s everywhere we look. But by creating paper practices that matter to the environment such as reducing waste, recovering more paper for recycling, and purchasing recycled content paper, a campus can make a dramatic impact on their sustainability goals.”

Participating campus organizations currently include College and University Recycling Coalition (CURC), National Wildlife Federation Campus Ecology, RecycleMania!, and Recycling Organizations of North America Higher Education Program (RONA U).

For more information about the RePaper Campus Challenge, visit the webpage www.repaperproject.org, or contact Pam Blackledge at pam@environmentalpaper.org, along with any of the above organizations.

Release: Rainforest Action Network Finds Disney Tied to Forest Destruction and Endangered Tiger Loss

Mickey Mouse Costumed Protesters Hang 35-Foot Banner Blocking Main Entrance to Disney Headquarters; Arrests Likely

Hi res photos available at ran.org/disneyphotos

Follow @ranactions on Twitter for live updates

Burbank, CA—Today, activists with Rainforest Action Network (RAN), costumed as Mickey and Minnie Mouse, unfurled a 35-foot banner reading, “Disney: Destroying Indonesia’s Rainforests,” blocking The Walt Disney Company’s two-story main entrance at its Los Angeles headquarters. The group is protesting the iconic company after lab results found that paper used in Disney’s kids books contained fiber from endangered Indonesian rainforests.

“Disney is printing children’s books with paper that is driving the destruction of Indonesia’s rainforests,” said Robin Averbeck, Rainforest Action Network’s Forest Campaigner. “It is past time for Disney to catch up with its peers and adopt a policy that guarantees tiger extinction and deforestation will no longer be found in kids’ books or in any products the company sells. Of all companies, Disney should not be harming the earth’s real magic kingdoms.” 

Disney is the largest publisher of children’s books in the world, producing over 50 million books and 30 million magazines a year. However, Disney has remained an industry laggard when it comes to forest protection. RAN has found that itspaper policy, released in March, fails to prevent controversial fiber and suppliers like Asian Pulp and Paper (APP) and APRIL (Indonesia’s largest pulp and paper companies) from entering its products.

In March of 2010, RAN hired an independent lab, Integrated Paper Services (IPS), to conduct tests on the fiber found in children’s books published by the top ten U.S. publishers. Eight publishers, including Scholastic and Simon &Schuster, have since committed to eliminating controversial fiber from theirsupply chains. Though RAN has been in discussion with Disney for over a year, the company remains behind those industry leaders.

“Disney’s paper buying practices are driving some of the world's most iconic rainforest creatures towards extinction, this is the dark side of Disney,” said Lafcadio Cortesi, Rainforest Action Network’s Forest Campaign Director. “In fact, the very creatures Disney features in its classic film ‘The Jungle Book’ are threatened by the paper Disney's children's books are printed on.”

Last week, international news sources reported the release of footage from motion detector cameras showing 12 of the estimated 400 critically endangered Sumatran tigers, including mothers with their cubs, in Indonesian forests. These forests are under imminent threat of being cleared by the pulp and paper industry.

Indonesia’s rainforests, home to unique species like the orangutan and the Sumatran tiger, are under severe threat from paper companies that rely on clearing natural rainforests and peatlands. The carbon emissions from this large-scale deforestation has made Indonesia the world’s third largest greenhouse gas polluting country, behind only the U.S. and China.

Rainforest Action Network is asking The Walt Disney Company to eliminate its use of controversial Indonesian fiber and publicly sever all financial ties with APP and APRIL and their affiliates until key reforms are adopted. RAN is also asking Disney to implement a comprehensive company-wide paper policy and rigorous due diligence procedures that ensure it is rainforest safe.

For more information, please visit www.ran.org/disney.

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Rainforest Action Network runs hard-hitting campaigns to break North America’s fossil fuels addiction, protect endangered forests and Indigenous rights, and stopdestructive investments around the world through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action. For more information, please visit: www.ran.org

Mainstream Media Finally Covers Black Liquor Loophole and Taxpayer Rip Off

For more than a year the Environmental Paper Network has been working to dig into the facts, the politics, and the cost of what is the year's biggest untold stories of taxpayer rip-off and an important lesson for lawmakers in unintended consequences that should inform current debates about energy subsidies and the pitfalls of corporate welfare in general.  We've been telling the world this story, and looking and encouraging the mainstream media to catch up.

Today, Washington Post journalist, Steven Mufson, has a dead-on piece entitled, "Paper industry pushed further into the black by ‘black liquor’ tax credits."

The Washington Post piece introduces the issue by saying,

The heart of the issue is the tax treatment of a substance called “black liquor,” a byproduct of the wood-pulping process at paper mills. The companies have burned black liquor to generate power since the 1930s. 

It was not the intent of Congress to reward that behavior, but the industry and its accountants persuaded the Internal Revenue Service to allow black liquor to count as an alternative fuel in 2009. Under that program, the paper industry received more federal money than almost any industry outside the auto sector.

Wow.

The spokesman for the American Forest & Paper Association, Chuck Fuqua, says in the piece, “Companies have a fiduciary responsibility to their shareholders to use the credits if it is advantageous for them,”

But, the thing is, they didn't just innocently, "use the credits if..."  It was consultants for a paper company that first found the loophole.  Then they pushed.  They lobbied.  They persuaded Senate allies to weigh and protect their bailout.  They cried they were being, "singled out" if the loophole was closed.  Those that know the facts of the case also know how dubious and obscure the IRS memos were that surprised everyone and trumped the EPA's unequivocal and contrary interpretation and sealed the deal for them to receive millions dollars more free money this year.

Some of us might find Mr. Fuqua's spin slightly hard to swallow.  It doesn't help that many of us remember Chuck Fuqua from his tour in the Bush Administration's Commerce Department and as one of the stars of a December 2007 Congressional Committee Report titled, Political Interference with Climate Change Science Under the Bush Administration.

But this is a serious issue that matters for people's pocketbooks and our environment right now.  That's why we've been working so hard to tell this story for so long.  It has already cost taxpayers billions and billions of dollars, padding corporate profits while achieving no public benefit.  It caused waste and overproduction of virgin tree fiber paper by companies seeking to cash in on free government money tied to volume, even when demand for the product is dropping.  It created an unfair environment for businesses to compete in a free market, subsidizing virgin tree fiber production while doing nothing whatsoever to support recycled paper manufacturing.  This risked closures and job loss at recycled mills, and disruptions through the whole recycling system, a major employer, and key to our national security and climate change management.

This story needed to be told, and we hope you will read the full article and share your comments below.

50 Organizations Declare Solidarity with Italian NGO, Terra! After Conviction

More than 50 environmental organizations - European, international and Indonesian - sign statement in support of the NGO Terra!, targeted by the Italian paper company Cartiere Pigna.

Last January, the environmental organization Terra! was convicted by an Italian court for exposing links between the Italian paper manufacturer Cartiere Pigna and the deforestation of Indonesian rainforests carried out by Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). The destruction of Indonesian rainforests has become one of the major causes of greenhouse gas emissions globally and is threatening the continued existence of Sumatran tigers, rhinos and elephants, among many other species. APP has also been implicated in numerous human rights abuses and corruption. Today, on Earth Day, more than 50 NGOs declare their solidarity with Terra! in a joint statement. Terra! is a Steering Group member of the European Environmental Paper Network.

Instead of admitting the truth and demonstrating corporate accountability and cleaning up its production, Cartiere Pigna sought charges against Terra! in a suit for damages to its corporate reputation. In court Terra! proved both that Pigna is a customer of APP, submitting the details of trade invoices - and that Pigna's products contain fibres coming from tropical deforestation (mixed tropical hardwood) and from plantations related to deforestation (acacia), according to paper fibre tests carried out by the independent fibre testing company IPS Testing. Despite this, Terra! was convicted for damaging Pigna's brand name, and was sentenced to pay EUR 20,000 plus expenses, thereby putting the association at risk of closure.

Terra! will of course appeal. Meanwhile it has received solidarity from more than 50 environmental groups: "The law should prosecute those companies involved in environmental crimes against the Indonesian rainforests and against the global climate, instead of convicting those pointing out the problem”, says the statement. “This is a blatant abuse of the right to free speech and an attempt to prevent environmental campaigning, and we express our full solidarity with Terra!"

Among the signatures are groups such as Greenpeace International, Friends of the Earth International, Rainforest Action Network, Forest Ethics and many others.

"Campaigns against large corporations can be risky - especially for smaller NGOs this can be associated with substantial financial risks”, says Daniel Hausknost, coordinator of the European Environmental Paper Network (EEPN), an umbrella organization representing 53 environmental organizations across Europe, which promoted the call for solidarity for Terra! “The Terra! activists have done a great job and now they need our support. We regard Pigna's attack on Terra! to be an attack on all of us working for a sustainable environment. The environmental movement must continue to refuse any gagging orders by the industry", he concluded.

The solidarity statement has been signed by: Aktivis Sosial, ARA, Both Ends, CAPPA, Chlorine Free Products Association, Climate for Ideas, Dogwood Alliance, FERN, Euroepan Enviromental Paper Network, Forest Peoples Programme, ForestEthics, Forum Environment and Development, Forum Ökologie & Papier, Friends of the Earth Europe, Friends of the Earth International, Friends of the Siberian Forests, GLOBAL 2000/Friends of the Earth Austria, Green Press Initiative, Greenpace International, Initiative 2000 plus, Jaringan Kerja Pemetaan Partisipatif (JKPP), Kabut Foundation, Kaliptra Sumatera, Legambiente, Les Amis de la Terre, Luonto Liitto, , Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands), New York Climate Action Group, Ole Siosiomaga Society, Orangutan Information Centre, Pro Natura/Friends of the Earth Switzerland, Pro REGENWALD, Protect the Forest, Rainforest Action Network, Rainforest Foundation UK, Rainforest Relief, Rettet den Regenwald e. V. , Robin Wood, Salva la Selva, Satunama, Sawit Watch, Scale Up, Stiftung Artenschutz, Sumatran Orangutan Society, TELAPAK, The Finnish Nature League, Timberwatch Coalition, Transnational Institute, Umweltbildung, Urgewald, WALHI - Friends of the Earth Indonesia, Wartawan, World Rainforest Movement, Yayasan Setara Jambi, Yayasan Wahana Bumi Hijau.

For further information contact: 

Daniel Hausknoat, co-ordinator, European Environmental Paper Network (EEPN)

daniel@environmentalpaper.eu

+44-1782-769853

Kids to KFC: “Be an environmental leader for change”

On March 3rd, four elementary school children from the Charlotte, North Carolina area made the 350 mile journey to Louisville, Kentucky to deliver over 6,000 hand-drawn postcards to corporate executives at KFC.  They collected the postcards from youth across North Carolina urging KFC to be a leader for environmental change by using more recycled paper and no longer buying paper that comes from endangered forests on the North Carolina coast. 

Today, Dogwood Alliance released a video documenting these inspiring children’s journey.  The video tells the story in their words about why forests and wildlife should not be harmed to make fast food packaging and how KFC can be a leader for environmental change for their generation.  You can watch the video here, or below.

“I had a second grade project to be an environmental activist,” said 10 year old Cole, the child who inspired this work.  “I found that the forests in NC are being cut down and animals are being endangered and so I did [work to get] McDonald’s to change and they switched to 100% post-consumer recycled bags.  Now I am doing KFC.”

Paper Calculator Relaunched in Time for Earth Day Focus on Green Choices

Today, version 3.0 of the Paper Calculator was launched and ownership and management was transferred to the Environmental Paper Network (EPN) from its original developer and host, Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).  The Paper Calculator is the most trusted, independent tool available to paper purchasers to measure and report the environmental benefits and savings of choosing environmentally superior paper.

The tool is built on the original life-cycle research of the Paper Task Force, which included EDF, the US EPA, McDonald’s and others.  The Paper Calculator receives ongoing expert guidance and life cycle data from environmental consulting firm, Franklin Associates, a division of ERG. 

The Paper Calculator is available online at www.papercalculator.org.

“For many years, Environmental Defense Fund provided the Paper Calculator to enable companies to quantify the benefits of choosing environmentally preferable paper,” said Victoria Mills, Managing Director, Corporate Partnerships at EDF. “We are confident that under the management of Environmental Paper Network, the Paper Calculator will remain a credible and valued tool for businesses wishing to reduce the environmental impacts of their paper use.” 

Regular users of the Paper Calculator may notice a few subtle changes in the new version, but its operation, methodology and appearance remain essentially the same. Franklin Associates has created a new technical support document that explains the data, methodology and references underlying the Paper Calculator. 

The Environmental Paper Network is proud to provide this important tool for calculating the impacts and benefits of paper choices and to ensure the Paper Calculator’s continued integrity and value to the many paper purchasers who use it. The Paper Calculator is a critical tool because anyone can measure and report the environmental savings and benefits of certain papers, compare different papers to each other, and do so knowing they are getting straightforward information from an unbiased source.

Please help spread the word and let others know about the Paper Calculator and the benefits of choosing environmental papers. Share this post on Facebook, Twitter and by email. Use the new graphics below on your website or blog to advertise the link to www.papercalculator.org. Right-click on the images to save them to your desktop. And please share your stories with us of how the Paper Calculator has helped you, your organization or your company achieve your "green" goals.

U.S. EPA Advertises Key Hearing on Climate Pollution With Only One Day Notice

The Obama Administration seeks a three-year deferral for permitting greenhouse gas pollution from bioenergy and other biogenic sources.

The Obama Adminstration distributed details to the public only one day in advance of a key public hearing Tuesday on its proposed three-year loophole in regulating climate pollution from bioenergy under the Clean Air Act.  The topic of the hearing to be held in Washington, D.C. is the Administration’s proposal to delay the EPA’s responsibility to regulate greenhouse gas pollution from bioenergy and other biogenic sources.  The Environmental Paper Network previously issued a statement raising concerns about the long-term forest and climate impacts of a three-year deferral, and the importance of a science-driven process to navigate the special interests and the politically charged debate.

The delay threatens to set off an unsustainable sprint to build forests-to-energy facilities across the southern United States and elsewhere that will be grandfathered into the final rule.  It will further entrench the scientifically unfounded myth that using forests for biomass energy and forest products is carbon-neutral.  The delay will divert limited and much needed government funding and subsidies for renewable energy to be diverted from true renewable energy sources like wind and solar.  And it will undermine our nation’s recycling infrastructure by failing to account for the full emissions of producing virgin forest fiber products, such as paper. 

When: April 5, 2:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. EDT

What: A public hearing on the EPA’s proposed rule that would defer, for a period of three years, greenhouse gas (GHG) permitting requirements for carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from biomass-fired and other biogenic sources.  EPA is also making available a guidance document, Guidance for Determining Best Available Control Technology for Reducing Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Bioenergy Production, to assist facilities and permitting authorities with permitting decisions until the Proposed Rule is finalized, which would clarify that biomass-fired sources can be considered Best Available Technology.

Where:  The hearing will be held at, Environmental Protection Agency, 1310 L St., NW, Room 152-154, Washington, DC 20005   

More information and to register to listen to the hearing via phone: http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/deferralruleregister/deferral-rule-register.html

Live highlights from the public hearing via Twitter on @whatsnyourpapr and @dogwoodalliance starting at 2:30 Eastern on April 5, 2011.

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Media Contacts:  Joshua Martin, Environmental Paper Network, 828-242-4238

                                    Scot Quaranda, Dogwood Alliance, 828-251-2525 x18

The Environmental Paper Network accelerates environmental transformation in the paper industry through collaboration and the coordination of a strong and diverse coalition of non-governmental organizations in order to protect forests, climate, water and communities.  Learn more athttp://www.environmentalpaper.org.