Senator’s Amendment Passes to Open Way to Biomass Projects, Lower Costs

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Lisa Murkowski’s amendment that would clear the way for rural biomass energy demonstration projects (energy derived from plants/wood) to be allowed in Alaska passed unanimously in the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs yesterday. The Committee was considering S1584, the Tribal Energy Bill, which contains a provision for tribes to participate in such projects – particularly tribes in the lower 48 – and Murkowski’s amendment creates the same opportunities in Alaska for Native corporation lands.

“This is another one of those laws and rules that don’t work in Alaska, where our people have hundreds of thousands of acres of timber lands and an enormous need for exactly these sorts of innovative solutions,” said Murkowski. “As I saw during my August trip through rural Alaska, burning biomass is a proven way to curb our high energy costs, and I thank my committee colleagues for seeing the value of this common-sense amendment.”