Political Quotes

“Mr. Chair, I rise to offer my amendment designated Bentz No. 2 which modestly expands the definition of ``renewable biomass'' under the Renewable Fuel Standard so that it includes materials generated in the manufacture of forest products, such as mill residuals, wood chips, bark sawdust, and shavings. The amendment would also amend the current statutory other framework to include as renewal biomass, trees, shrubs, and slash from our Federal forests, Tribal forests, non-Federal land, and public lands, rather than being limited to a small part of these lands. This amendment would allow materials from these sources to be economically used for domestic biofuel production. I thank Chairman Westerman, Congressman Fulcher, and Congressman Stauber for their support of this amendment. The amendment falls within the farm bill under title VIII, forestry, and title IX, energy. Consistent with these titles, this amendment will incentivize removal of excess fuel from our forests, thus reducing fire risk and improving forest health, and it will make possible the productive use of what otherwise would be considered waste. For too long, Federal policy has treated wood fiber from Federal lands in only two ways: either as merchantable sawtimber with commercial value or as waste with no value whatsoever.”