Bipartisan US congressional group introduces biomass bills – forest thinning, heating systems

In Oregon, Republican Greg Walden and Democrat Kurt Schrader are among a bipartisan group in Congress introducing legislation this week to support the development of biomass technology.  U.S. Rep. Greg Walden introduced a bill to expand forest thinning projects, telling the Associated Press that “What we are trying to do is provide the kinds of tools to the (U.S.) Forest Service that, frankly, every other forester has today, whether it is on state land, county land or certainly private land, so they can practice good stewardship more effectively on the federal forests.”

The bill amends the 2003 Healthy Forests Restoration Act, aiming to accelerate thinning projects on federal lands and expanding the areas where the Forest Service may use a fats-track environmental review. In other news,  Congressman Kurt Schrader of Oregon introduced a bill to fund $100 million in interest-free loans to  schools, hospitals, universities and government and tribal offices, for wood-burning heating systems.

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