In a unanimous decision county commissioners in North Carolina voted to set a moratorium on biomass facilities until they can have biomass rules written into the county’s land use ordinance.

In question is the manufacturing of wood pellets. The facilities use hundreds of thousands of tons of wood a year to manufacture the pellets. 

The group “Clear Sky Madison,” which was pushing for more regulations, said Western North Carolina counties will need rules to protect the forests from biomass production or wood pellet creation in the future.