Editor’s note: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has started the process required to designate wood-fired energy, or biomass, as carbon neutral under “appropriate circumstances.”

In a letter to New Hampshire’s governor and a visit to the state, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said his agency is poised to add biomass, including wood and other plant-based fuels, to the nation’s “all of the above” energy portfolio.

That was particularly good news for New Hampshire, where a half-dozen biomass power plants produce heat and electricity and provide a significant market for low-grade timber products. [Read more…]