Paper, Wood Manufacturers and Steelworkers Meet with White House to Discuss Biomass Carbon Neutrality

Thursday, October 02, 2014

Press release from the issuing company

WASHINGTON – American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Donna Harman and United Steelworkers International President Leo W. Gerard issued the following statement after their meeting at the White House today with Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Dan Utech, the focus of which was on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) upcoming proposed Accounting Framework for Biogenic CO₂ Emissions from Stationary Sources.

“U.S. paper and wood products compete on a global scale. Our trading partners recognize the carbon neutrality of biomass energy used in our manufacturing processes, and the U.S. government should too. We hope that EPA’s upcoming proposed biogenic CO₂ accounting framework will put this issue to rest by clearly recognizing the carbon benefits of our processes. Failure to recognize the difference between biomass-based emissions and fossil fuel emissions, or relying on speculative models instead of actual data, will produce the wrong result for American manufacturers and the hard-working men and women who make the products society needs for communication, packaging, and housing.”