Last week, an article in the Wall Street Journal reported that the State of Massachusetts began implementing strict regulations on the burning of wood in power plants to generate electricity. The new regulations are based on an emerging body of scientific research documenting that burning wood on a large scale, and in particular the burning of whole trees, will likely result in increased carbon emissions when compared to coal and other fossil fuels. The new regulations are aimed at ensuring that energy providers who use wood as a “renewable” energy source are actually achieving net carbon emission reductions when compared to fossil fuels.