The language in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 adopts the Farm Bill’s definition of renewable forest biomass for the renewable electricity and renewable fuels standards and carbon offsets. Bill Carlson, of the Biomass Power Association, says it’s reasonably close to the language his organization is looking for.
“It’s improved as it’s moved through the process at virtually every step,” he said of the legislation. “We’re pleased with that.”
The association will suggest moderate changes to the Waxman-Markey legislation, which recently passed in the House, Carlson said, including tweaking a prohibition on operating in old growth and late-successional public lands. If biomass harvesting is done in those areas to promote or enhance the forest, it should be allowed, he said. The language in the legislation also says each tree should be evaluated to see if it meets criteria for dead, severely damaged or badly infested wood before it’s harvested for biomass. “We should be looking at the condition instead of the actual tree,” Carlson argues. Private lands have few restrictions in the legislation.
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Carlson says BPA is also concerned about an overlay of federal and state laws, as federal lands currently operate under federal laws. “It’s just one way to slow down the process,” he said.
The National Alliance of Forest Owners praised the provisions for renewable forest biomass and carbon offsets, emphasizing the adoption of the Farm Bill renewable forest biomass definition. The group also outlined the USDA oversight of the carbon offset programs for agriculture and forestry and a timely implementation of the carbon offset program, which would enable forestry offsets to participate early in a new offsets market; and the recognition of a full suite of forestry activities for eligible carbon-offset project types, including afforestation, reforestation, conservation, forest management and harvested wood products, according to the NAFO.
Several groups, including NAFO wrote a letter in late June asking the House to include the Farm Bill renewable forest biomass definition in the Waxman-Markey legislation.