NRDC cautions against major environmental damage from SE pellets industry

In Washington, the National Resource Defense Council has released a scathing report against the wood pellet industry in the Southeast that is exporting the majority of its product to Europe where they are co-fired with coal in an attempt to reduce GHG emissions. The study looks at the impacts of the growing industry on the region’s biodiversity, water quality, and other ecosystem services. The report sounds the alarm over companies moving into environmentally sensitive areas that will have a devastating impact on the local ecology if the mature hardwood trees are removed.