Wyden-Harkin Amendment Support Letter Signed by 92 Organizations

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2007
For More Information Contact: Jetta Wong (202) 662-1885

On November 29, the U.S. Senate received a letter signed by 92 organizations, including EESI and the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, supporting the Wyden-Harkin amendment - a farm bill amendment to improve the Biomass Crop Transition Assistance Program. Signatories included representatives from environmental organizations, trade groups, and bioenergy companies.

In addition to the 92 organizations that signed onto this letter, a number of other groups have sent additional letters of support for this amendment to the Senate. Some of these are posted below.

Copy of the Letter (PDF)
Press Release from the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (PDF)
Amendment Fact Sheet (PDF)
Amendment Language (PDF)

If you have questions, please email or call EESI at bioenergy [at] eesi.org or (202) 662-1885.

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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 in the Program unless there is formal financial commitment from the individual to provide biomass to an 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.

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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) is a non-profit organization that works at the nexus of policy and innovation to promote environmentally sustainable societies. EESI was founded in 1984 by a bipartisan group of Congressional Members dedicated to finding environmental and energy solutions. EESI provides credible, timely information and innovative policy ideas through coalition building, media outreach, publications, briefings, workshops and task forces on the issues of energy efficiency and renewable energy, transportation, smart growth, agriculture and global climate change. Carol Werner leads the EESI team as executive director.