Last week, RCRC expressed support for a bipartisan bill co-sponsored by U.S. Representative Jim Costa (CA-21, D-Fresno) and Representative Blake Moore (UT-1), which would create a commission to provide recommendations to help advance Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technologies across the nation. Known as the BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 (H.R. 5597), the bill would establish a BECCS Advancement Commission in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and would include at least one, and up to two, members from counties receiving Secure Rural Schools funding.
BECCS provides another avenue to utilize woody byproducts from forest management projects, preventing pile burning and other less desirable, higher emitting alternatives. While California has yet to site a BECCS facility, the state continues to examine pathways for diverse technologies to use unmerchantable materials from the forests. The BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 would significantly improve the ability of land managers to conduct fuels treatment projects by advancing recommendations on policy related to BECCS.
Read RCRC’s letter of support here. For more information, contact RCRC Senior Policy Advocate, Staci Heaton.