[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E159]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
RECOGNIZING THE RACHEL CARSON COUNCIL'S ``CLEAR CUT'' REPORT
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HON. JAMIE RASKIN
of maryland
in the house of representatives
Monday, February 11, 2019
Mr. RASKIN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor the important work
of the Rachel Carson Council (RCC), which is named after the visionary
marine biologist, nature writer and environmentalist who was a proud
resident of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Founded and based in Bethesda, the RCC pays tribute to Rachel
Carson's imperishable legacy by linking environmental, health, and
social policy solutions ``with the goal of building a more just,
sustainable, and peaceful future.''
The RCC recently released a comprehensive report called ``Clear
Cut,'' examining wood pellet production and its adverse effects on the
health and sustainability of our forests and communities. The report
details the process by which Southeastern forests are being cut down,
chopped up, and dehydrated before being shipped and burned as carbon-
intense fuel.
According to the report, despite being touted as a ``green''
alternative to fossil fuels, the sourcing of wood pellets contributes
to widespread deforestation and pollution throughout much of the
American Southeast. In North Carolina alone, the largest producer of
wood pellets, Enviva, clear cuts more than 50 acres of forest each day.
Left standing, these forests would help control the climate, maintain
the biodiversity of our ecosystems, and filter our air and water.
Following this environmentally invasive sourcing process of clear-
cutting, pellets are burned, producing Volatile Organic Compounds
(VOCs), particulate matter (PM), nitrogen oxides (NO), and carbon
monoxide (CO<inf>2</inf>), all of which pose serious health risks to
human beings. Although the pollutants emitted by wood pellet mills are
indiscriminately harmful to nearby inhabitants, the RCC report notes
that wood pellet mills have been disproportionally constructed near
poor communities of color, which are bearing the disproportionate
burdens of deforestation, including poor air quality and increased
flood risks.
Although the environmental drawbacks of wood pellet production are
clear--wood pellet mills emit approximately 65-percent more C02 per
megawatt hour than modern coal plants--the RCC argues that the industry
has continued to mislead the public about the sustainability of this
practice. Moreover, the RCC's report concludes that the expansion of
the wood pellet industry is making it harder for us to maintain our
environmental standards and address the global crisis of climate
change.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to review the well-researched and
well-documented ``Clear Cut'' report by visiting the RCC website at
www.rachelcarsoncouncil.org. We must keep the profound concerns raised
in this report in mind as we enact environmental, forestry, and energy
policies and work to protect the public health and safety.
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