Sen. Gómez Seeks to Close ‘Biomass Loophole’ on Beacon Hill

BOSTON — State Sen. Adam Gómez recently took to the State House to testify in support of a pair of bills he filed this session aimed at closing the ‘biomass loophole’ in the greenhouse gas emissions standards for municipal lighting plants (MLPs), which could prevent a controversial wood-burning fire plant from coming to fruition.

“For over 15 years, we have fought this same fight, with the people of Springfield continuously saying ‘no’ to a biomass incinerator in our community,” Gómez said. “This facility is not new, it’s not needed, and it’s not safe. These bills are not just about words on a page. They are about shutting off the flow of public dollars and clean energy subsidies to a facility that has no business being called ‘green.’ They’re about protecting communities like Springfield from being sacrificed for someone else’s profit. And they’re about making sure the science — not the lobbying — guides our climate policy.”

The two bills in question would remove woody biomass from the list of non-carbon-emitting sources that municipal lighting plants can use to meet the greenhouse gas emission standard that was created as part of the 2021 Climate Roadmap Law.