EU rules out binding green criteria for biomass

26 Feb 10

The European Commission yesterday (25 February) ruled out binding EU-wide sustainability criteria for biomass, offering member states recommendations for national action instead. The European Commission said the wide variety of biomass feedstocks make it impossible to devise a harmonised scheme, which would require taking into account their varying potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It also said that the environmental risks related to domestic biomass production "are currently low" and do not require specific EU rules. In the absence of an EU-wide sustainability scheme, the Commission proposed criteria that member states could apply voluntarily.
http://www.euractiv.com/en/energy/eu-rules-out-binding-criteria-biomass-news-290021