Merkley, Bentz bill would expand renewable biomass definition for RFS

Four lawmakers on July 23 introduced a bill to broaden the RFS renewable biomass definition. Jeff Merkley, Cindy Hyde-Smith, Cliff Bentz and Bennie Thompson backed the Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act, a bipartisan, bicameral measure they said would create new market demand for forestry biomass byproducts, promote renewable fuels and improve wildfire resiliency.

The bill would expand the Renewable Fuel Standard definition of eligible renewable biomass, a change the sponsors cast as both a forest management tool and a fuel policy. Hyde-Smith’s office said the measure would improve forest health and management by creating new demand for biomass byproducts, while Merkley’s office said it would open a larger market for forestry biomass and keep that material in play for renewable fuel production.

The push follows years of debate over what counts as renewable biomass under federal law. Ron Wyden laid out that argument in a 2019 one-pager, saying current law excludes some biomass uses and that carefully selected wood waste could be turned into cleaner transportation fuel without putting old-growth forests at risk. EPA’s July 12, 2023 final rule for 2023-2025 and its June 17, 2025 proposal for 2026 and 2027 show the RFS remains an active rulemaking channel even as Congress revisits the feedstock side of the program.

Industry reaction remains split. Growth Energy has said the RFS has supported hundreds of thousands of American jobs and gives consumers more affordable fuel options. Taxpayers for Common Sense has argued the mandate has not delivered meaningful benefits for taxpayers and consumers. The Forest Landowners Association has pressed for a woody biomass amendment to strengthen forest markets, a position that lines up with the sponsors’ push to give biomass byproducts a larger role in the fuel pool.