Congressman wants to turn wildfire fuel from federal forests into an energy market
By Paris Apodaca, Daily Caller News Foundation
Republican Oregon Rep. Cliff Bentz wants to turn wildfire fuel from federal forests into an energy market as the Trump administration moves to rescind a Clinton-era “roadless rule.”
The lawmaker’s Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act would expand what forest material qualifies as renewable biomass, potentially creating buyers for low-value vegetation removed during wildfire prevention and forest restoration. The bipartisan bill has 25 cosponsors including both Republicans and Democrats.
“Does the government have to support this effort? And the answer is yes,” Bentz told the Daily Caller News Foundation, arguing that the cost should be weighed against the billions spent fighting wildfires.
Whether a large enough market exists to make that tradeoff economical, however, remains a central question.
“Absolutely. I don’t have a study yet that shows exactly how great that demand is,” Bentz said when asked whether enough demand currently exists to make the model viable.
Bentz pointed to aviation fuel as one potential market, arguing that demand for “green kerosene for jet fuel is through the roof.”