WASHINGTON – The American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) filed comments this week on the Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) proposed rule to implement the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). AF&PA President and CEO Donna Harman issued the following statement regarding the comments:
“AF&PA urges USDA to refocus the BCAP toward the supply component of the programand to ensure that federal matching payments are directed to materials where viable markets do not currently exist. A refocused BCAP could help create infrastructure for woody biomass materials that are not currently economical to collect and transport and would avoid negative trade-offs that could harm existing renewable energy production and affect hundreds of thousands of family wage jobs tied to the production of value added wood and paper products in rural communities across America.
“AF&PA supports USDA’s stated goal of avoiding diversion of materials potentially eligible for the BCAP matching payments from existing value-added production processes already occurring in the marketplace. Unfortunately, we have serious concerns with USDA’s proposed approach to implementation. If USDA focuses the matching payments component on woody biomass materials without a viable market, it can avoid diversion of materials from existing value-added production processes, provide equal treatment of all existing and new producers of biomass energy within the bounds of budget constraints, avoid negative tradeoffs between existing and new renewable energy and jobs, and fulfill the goals of Congress and the President.”
To download a copy of AF&PA’s comments, please click here