BCAP on the chopping block again

Just a few months after the Biomass Crop Assistance Program narrowly escaped defunding with the failure of the proposed federal omnibus spending bill, the biomass industry is gearing up for another battle, as Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., has introduced an amendment to the new spending bill that once again proposes elimination of BCAP funding.

Section 1285, page 195, of the continuing resolution states, “None of the funds appropriated or made available by this division or any other Act shall be used to pay the salaries and expenses of personnel to carry out the Biomass Crop Assistance Program authorized by section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 in excess of $112,000,000.”

The amendment proposed by Flake strikes out “in excess of $112,000,000,” which would defund the program.  

Lawmakers have proposed more than 500 amendments to the $1.2 trillion spending bill, and the House is still in the process of considering them after finishing the bill read-through early Thursday morning. House passage is expected by the end of the week, but the Senate will not consider it until after next week’s recess, four days before the March 4 deadline.