Representatives Moore, Costa Introduce Legislation Promoting Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage
WASHINGTON — Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Jim Costa (D-CA) introduced bipartisan, innovative legislation bolstering the deployment of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) technology in the U.S. The BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 establishes a commission of industry and policymakers at the Departments of Agriculture, Energy, and the Interior to provide recommendations, guidance, and expertise on the deployment of related projects.
"I’m thrilled to introduce the first-ever bill exclusively promoting Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). BECCS is a novel technology uniquely positioned to promote wildfire mitigation, bolster economic development in rural America, and deliver much-needed baseload power as energy demand for data centers and artificial intelligence continues to grow," Rep. Moore said.
“From our farms to our forests, the San Joaquin Valley is on the frontlines of both climate challenges and clean energy solutions. This legislation will help us harness new technology to reduce wildfire risks, create good-paying jobs, and keep rural economies like ours growing,” Rep. Costa said.
“The Utah Biomass Resources Group (UBRG) strongly supports forest management initiatives that promote healthy ecosystems, mitigate wildfire risk, and enhance carbon sequestration. In addition, UBRG endorses the establishment of a commission dedicated to advancing biomass energy and carbon storage solutions derived from forestlands across the United States. Forest managers are in urgent need of reliable offtake options for hazardous fuels. The Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) Advancement Commission Act represents a positive step toward addressing this need by facilitating the development of sustainable pathways for biomass utilization and carbon removal,” said Darren McAvoy, Chair of Utah Biomass Resources Group at Utah State University.
“At Arbor, we believe BECCS has a potential to add over 200GW of baseload power to the electric grid, all while improving forestry health and agricultural waste management,” said Sutton Guldner, Head of Business Development and Policy at Arbor Energy. “This firming power is perfect tool to support the energy dominance required for America to execute on its AI ambitions, all while bringing a huge benefits to rural and WUI economies. While there are a host of exciting new technologies at the plate to execute on this vision, there are key governmental signals that need to be clear to unlock the excited private capital required to deploy these projects. This commission brings together thinking required to make sure this can be achieved quickly and efficiently.”
“We commend Congressman Blake Moore and Congressman Jim Costa for introducing bipartisan legislation to promote American leadership on BECCS and provide baseload power to help meet America’s energy demands. This legislation will be critical in enabling efficient federal coordination for accelerated action to support the deployment of BECCS projects across the United States. BECCS will play an integral role in advancing American energy dominance, wildfire mitigation, and economic opportunities in rural communities,” said Will Gardiner, Executive Chair of Elimini.
"Bioenergy with carbon capture is an incredibly underutilized resource that, when fully realized, will reduce atmospheric carbon. Making BECCS more accessible to new and existing biomass power facilities will also incentivize biomass utilization, providing much-needed baseload renewable power, reducing wildfire risk and supporting the forestry supply chain. We are grateful to Rep. Moore and Rep. Costa for introducing this bill, and we look forward to it becoming law," said Carrie Annand, Executive Director of American Biomass Energy Association.
“We thank Representatives Moore and Costa for their commitment to supporting bioenergy technology and its use in U.S. manufacturing. Wood product mills are leaders in producing low embodied carbon products that are often manufactured using bioenergy produced from mill residuals. Further enhancing these practices could further improve the sector’s already strong efficiency and sustainability profile. As a sector, we look forward to working with the commission and Congress to understand how BECCS can support rural economies, forest health, U.S. wood products manufacturers, and further reduce carbon emissions,” said Will Layden, Vice President of Government Affairs at American Wood Council
“Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage can provide multiple benefits across the United States, from economic development in rural communities to wildfire mitigation. Creating a commission of leaders from the public and private sector is an important step to deliver on these benefits with maximum impact and to minimize any potential risks,” said Ben Rubin, Executive Director of Carbon Business Council. “The Carbon Business Council is grateful for the leadership of Congressman Costa and Congressman Moore for introducing the BECCS Advancement Commission Act to help accelerate progress on carbon removal.”
“CRES applauds this common sense and practical approach as part of an all-of-the-above energy strategy,” said Heather Reams, President and CEO of Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions. “Expanding BECCS will strengthen America’s energy security, help meet rising energy demand and promote both healthier forests and safer communities. Rep. Moore’s legislation ensures Congress receives the expert guidance needed to unlock the full potential of BECCS, delivering clean energy for our future.”
“Substantially increasing active forest management and wildfire mitigation across all landscapes and ownership boundaries – federal, state, and private – remains a national challenge, and our shared success requires existing as well as new forest markets,” said Jason Hartman, President of the National Association of State Foresters and Kansas State Forester. “State Foresters applaud the bipartisan efforts of Representatives Moore and Costa to bring the right people together to explore innovative technology and its potential to deliver markets that help keep our communities safe, local economies prosperous, and forested landscapes thriving.”
“We applaud the bipartisan leadership of Representatives Moore and Costa to advance tools and technologies that support forest health, wildfire mitigation, and rural economic prosperity,” said Dave Tenny, President and CEO of National Alliance of Forest Owners. “As private working forest owners, we know that the challenges facing our forests don’t stop at property lines – and neither should the solutions. We stand with all those working to advance the environmental and economic benefits of sustainable forest management. Together, we can create stronger markets, healthier forests, and a more resilient future for the communities that depend on them.”
"RCRC members have been profoundly impacted by wildfire in the past two decades. The biggest hurdle for land managers to treat their lands for fire resilience continues to be lack of infrastructure to process woody byproducts. The BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 would help create opportunities for siting BECCS facilities and provide a valuable tool in the toolbox for forest managers," said Geri Byrne, Chair of Rural County Representatives of California.
"The lack of infrastructure to use woody byproducts is continually a barrier to increasing the pace and scale of fuels treatment on California’s forest land. Land managers cannot improve the health of our forests and prevent wildfires without advancing wood utilization," said Michael Kobseff, Chair of Golden State Natural Resources. "The BECCS Advancement Commission Act of 2025 is an important step in building capacity and diversifying how we use the unusable wood from our forest lands."
Background:
BECCS is a technology that converts biomass into heat, electricity, or fuel, while capturing and storing carbon emissions produced during the process. The captured CO2 can be stored in geological formations or embedded in long-lasting products. BECCS supports the American forestry industry, healthy forest management, and wildfire mitigation by providing offtake options for hazardous fuels that accumulate and too often result in catastrophic wildfires posing environmental and health risks.
The commission would be responsible for providing a report to Congress that:
- Analyzes the benefits of BECCS on domestic forest health, wildfire mitigation, economic development in rural America and the forestry sector, and the production of firm, clean energy.
- Provides legislative and regulatory recommendations to advance BECCS deployment—including how to further the use of biomass from federal lands.
Read the full bill here and on Congress.gov.