BTEC News

April 1, 2010

BTEC Submits Comments on Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) Proposed Rule

The Biomass Thermal Energy Council (BTEC) today submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on the draft regulations for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). Click here for a PDF of the letter.

BCAP provides financial assistance to producers or entities that deliver eligible biomass material to designated biomass conversion facilities for use as heat, power, biobased products or biofuels. In February 2010, USDA released draft regulations ("Proposed Rule") for the implementation of the program and invited comments from the public.

In its comments, BTEC expressed its support for the goals of the BCAP program and its appreciation for the funds made available to date through local Farm Service Agency offices across the country. BTEC's letter emphasized the importance of technology and feedstock neutrality in energy policy and requested that the BCAP program continue to be administered in such a manner. Specifically, BTEC recommended that the program be administered in a way that:

• Maintains the full matching payment per dry ton for eligible biomass materials used to produce thermal energy
• Preserves the program eligibility of vegetative waste materials (e.g. wood wastes and residues)
• Considers the integrated nature of the biomass thermal industry whenrestricting transactions between biomass conversion facilities and eligible material owners
• Ensures that funding is only made available to eligible material owners and conversion facilities producing biomass fuels for consumption in the United States.

TAKE ACTION ON BCAP: VOICE YOUR SUPPORT FOR BIOMASS THERMAL ENERGY 

USDA needs to hear from those supportive of biomass thermal energy! Email your own comments on the BCAP Proposed Rule to cepdmail@wdc.usda.gov by April 9, 2010. Address your comments to:

Robert Stephenson
Director of CEPD, USDA FSA
CEPD, Stop 0513, 1400 Independence Ave., SW.
Washington, DC 20250-0513.

MORE INFORMATION

BTEC Public Comments on BCAP (PDF)

BCAP Fact Sheet (PDF)

BCAP Proposed Rule (PDF)

USDA BCAP Website

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