eNGO and Conservation Group Outreach on Biomass
Research Report
eNGO and Conservation Group Outreach on Biomass: Position and rationale regarding the use of biomass for electricity/heat production
Jenn Dagg
Kristi Anderson
Dave Lovekin
Tim Weis
Copyright Date: Sep. 7, 2011
Published by: Pembina Institute
Pages: 89
OPEN ACCESS
https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep00208
Table of Contents
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  1. Front Matter
    Front Matter (pp. ii-ii)
  2. Table of Contents
    Table of Contents (pp. iii-iv)
  3. Executive Summary
    Executive Summary (pp. 5-7)
  4. 1. Introduction
    1. Introduction (pp. 8-9)

    Environment Canada received funding from Natural Resources Canada’s Clean Energy Fund in the fall of 2010 to lead, co-ordinate and manage an interdepartmental Federal Advisory Committee to complete a full life cycle analysis (LCA) of biomass feedstock for electricity/heat production. This work is focused on identifying environmental impacts and benefits of biomass use as it relates to ecosystem and resource sustainability, with respect to crown land forests, private woodlots and agricultural bioenergy crops.

    An important component to this work is a thorough understanding of the sensitive environmental issues and aspects associated with utilizing biomass for electricity/heat production. Key stakeholders including...

  5. 2. Methodology
    2. Methodology (pp. 10-13)

    The information collected and presented for this project was compiled through a literature review (Chapter 3), phone interviews (Chapter 4) and an online survey (Chapter 5) of key eNGO and conservation organizations that have an understanding of the use of biomass for electricity and/or heat production in Canada. The methodology for these three steps is outlined below.

    Publicly documented positions with respect to the use of biomass for electricity and/or heat production were reviewed from a broad range of eNGOs, conservation groups and human rights and/or First Nations organizations.

    The sources of information that were reviewed for this phase include:...

  6. 3. Literature Review
    3. Literature Review (pp. 14-25)

    This chapter summarizes a literature review from forest conservation, climate change/energy and human rights/First Nations groups.

    A total of 15 conservation groups (listed below) representing national or regional interests were reviewed for public positions on biomass for electricity and/or heat production. Eight of these organizations (53%) had stated positions on the use of forest biomass for energy and seven (47%) organizations did not.

    The list of conservation organizations researched for public opinion on the use of biomass for electricity and/or heat production include:

    Canadian Parks and Wilderness Association

    Algonquin Wildlands League

    Canadian Boreal Initiative

    Environment North

    Bird Studies Canada

    Alberta...

  7. 4. eNGO / Conservation Group Interviews - Summary
    4. eNGO / Conservation Group Interviews - Summary (pp. 26-37)

    Table 3 summarizes the eNGOs that were contacted for the one-on-one interviews.

    The following question was asked regarding biomass energy policy:

    Does your organization have a stated position or a policy on the use of forest biomass (and, to a lesser extent, agricultural biomass) for generating energy?

    The majority of the interviewed organizations do not have a specific policy on biomass for energy. A few organizations support small-scale, high efficiency combustion for heat only. Three organizations support using only biomass sourced from waste products (sawmill waste, transmission line, oil and gas right-of-ways and other waste streams that are currently handled...

  8. 5. On-line Survey Results
    5. On-line Survey Results (pp. 38-47)

    The on-line survey was sent to the following organizations:

    Sierra Club Canada

    Friends of the Earth Canada

    Nature Conservancy

    Wildlife Habitat Canada

    International Institute of Sustainable Development

    Centre for Indigenous Environmental Resources

    Toronto Environmental Alliance

    Conservation Ontario

    Evergreen

    Ontario Nature

    Canopy

    There were a total of eight responses from six organizations, and not all responses were complete. Below is the summary of individual responses.

    The benefits of using biomass for energy varied amongst organizations, with no one benefit clearly outweighing other benefits.

    The most common response was in-line with most feedback and information received from other organizations – in that...

  9. 6. Key Findings, Analysis and Recommendations
    6. Key Findings, Analysis and Recommendations (pp. 48-58)

    This chapter provides a collective summary of key findings with respect to eNGO and conservation groups’ perceptions of the main environmental benefits and issues related to biomass use for electricity/heat generation from the literature review, interviews and on-line survey. The chapter concludes with a series of observations that should be considered when developing metrics on the use of biomass for heat and/or electricity production, and recommendations for further work.

    Information and opinions collected indicate that the highest levels of support for the optimal use of biomass for electricity/heat is with small-scale, distributed, high combustion efficiency biomass systems. There is more...

  10. Appendix A. eNGO and Conservation Groups
    Appendix A. eNGO and Conservation Groups (pp. 59-60)
  11. Appendix B. eNGO Interview Responses
    Appendix B. eNGO Interview Responses (pp. 61-88)