What is the tailoring rule?
The Tailoring Rule requires that facilities that must already obtain New Source Review permits for other pollutants will be required to include greenhouse gases in their permits if they increase their emissions of the gases by at least 75,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent per year.
How does biomass energy reduce greenhouse gases?
As a renewable and reliable energy source, biomass can be used to generate energy on demand with virtually no net contributions to global greenhouse gas. So, by burning biomass fuels we release no more carbon dioxide than would have been produced in any case by natural processes such as crop and plant decay.
Does biomass reduce greenhouse gas emissions?
Biomass energy can be used to reduce greenhouse emissions. Biomass can produce less emission in the range of 14% to 90% compared to emission from fossil for electricity generation. Therefore, biomass could play a vital role for generation of clean energy by reducing fossil energy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Does biomass energy produce greenhouse gases?
Biomass and biofuels made from biomass are alternative energy sources to fossil fuels—coal, petroleum, and natural gas. Burning either fossil fuels or biomass releases carbon dioxide (CO2), a greenhouse gas.
What is the tailoring rule EPA?
The Tailoring Rule, in which EPA set greenhouse gas emission thresholds to define when permits under the New Source Review Prevention Significant Deterioration (PSD) and title V Operating Permit programs are required for new and existing industrial facilities.
How is the EPA regulate greenhouse gases?
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Massachusetts v. EPA that GHGs are air pollutants covered by the Clean Air Act. The EPA may regulate GHGs if they are determined to be a danger to human health.
Is biomass a bioenergy?
Bioenergy is energy produced from renewable, biological sources such as biomass. Biomass is plant material that can be turned into fuel (also known as biofuel when it is made from biological material) to supply heat and electricity. Bioenergy can be obtained from many forms of biofuels.
Is bioenergy good for the environment?
The use of bioenergy has the potential to greatly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. If biomass is harvested at a rate that is sustainable, using it for energy purposes does not result in any net increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
Why bioenergy is renewable energy source?
Biomass is an incredibly versatile substance, able to produce energy through being burned directly, converted into liquid biofuels or harvested as a gas from landfills or anaerobic digesters. Its own source of energy comes from the sun, and as plant matter can be regrown relatively quickly, it is classed as renewable.
How is biomass calculated?
One way to measure biomass is to obtain the dry weight of an organism (since it is a rough approximation to the amount of biomass) and multiply it by the number of those organisms in a given area. The units are grams per meter squared (or cubed if it is an aquatic ecosystem).
Can the EPA regulations greenhouse gas?
EPA has authority under the Clean Air Act to monitor and regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The U.S. Supreme Court first confirmed this interpretation of the law in 2007. Regulations on other pollutants from burning fossil fuels remain in effect.
What is the greenhouse gas rule?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued the Final Mandatory Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (GHG) Rule which will require mandatory reporting of GHG emissions from large sources in the U.S. Beginning on January 1, 2010, manufacturers of vehicles and engines, suppliers of fossil fuels or industrial GHGs.