Biomass Crop Transition Assistance Program Sign-on Letter

Dear Colleagues:

Below is a group sign-on letter for your consideration being circulated by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, and other organizations concerned about sustainable bioenergy feedstocks.  The letter is self-explanatory; it will be sent to all US Senators to encourage them to support the WYDEN-HARKIN AMENDMENT (#3736) to the Farm Bill (more information below).

If your organization can sign on to the letter, please let Martha Noble know as soon as possible emailing or calling her at mnoble@sustainableagriculturecoalition.org or 202-547-5754. Sign-ons are needed by Noon EST, Thursday, December 6.

I hope that you will join us so that we can have as large a showing as possible on this very important issue.  If you have questions, please feel free to email/call Jetta or myself.  Thank you so much for your consideration.

Support Letter (PDF)

Amendment Language (PDF)

Amendment Fact Sheet (PDF)

Sincerely,

Carol Werner

Carol Werner, Executive Director
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
122 C Street, NW, Suite 630
Washington, DC  20001
(p) 202/662-1881    (f) 202/628-1825

Jetta Wong, Senior Policy Associate
Environmental and Energy Study Institute
(202) 662-1885
jwong@eesi.org

THE WYDEN-HARKIN AMENDMENT (#3736)
HELP FARMERS GROW THE NEXT GENERATION OF Sustainable BIOENERGY CROPS

The Biomass Energy Crop Transition Assistance provision in the Senate Farm Bill Energy Title was originally designed to provide incentives to farmers and foresters to grow bioenergy crops for cellulosic biofuels and other renewable bioenergy in a sustainable manner.  Many bioenergy crops - particularly perennial crops - will be new crops, grown for the first time in regions across the country.  The goal of the original measure – a Bioenergy Crop Transition Assistance Program - was to give farmers and foresters financial assistance and incentives to incorporate good conservation measures into new bioenergy crop systems and to participate in projects that can generate information that other farmers and foresters can use to grow bioenergy crops sustainably. 

As passed by the Senate Agriculture Committee, however, the biomass crop transition measure has many drawbacks.  A farmer or forester cannot participate unless there is a formal financial commitment from a biomass energy facility. This prevents the Program from being used by farmer to undertake trial plantings of bioenergy crops to incorporate them into their farming operations. Adequate conservation goals have been removed from the original measure. The Program’s funding could be used to support agricultural practices that harm wildlife and destroy native habitat. The limited funding in the Program is not targeted to perennial crop systems that can increase soil quality and carbon sequestration and decrease erosion and field run-off.

Senators Ron Wyden and Tom Harkin (Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee) have filed an amendment (#3736) to the Senate farm bill to restore the Program’s ability to help groups of farmers and foresters come together to begin to grow biomass crops for energy, restore conservation measures removed from the Senate bill, and target the Program to land where the establishment of perennial bioenergy crops will result in improved conservation performance.  The Wyden-Harkin Amendment would help ensure that the new generation of perennial bioenergy crops is grown sustainably.