House Legislation Would Extend Corporate Giveaways for Forest-Destroying Bioenergy

This week, the House Ways and Means Committee released a discussion draft of the Growing Renewable Energy and Efficiency Now (GREEN) Act. As drafted, the legislation would continue providing tax incentives for the biomass and biodiesel industries through 2024. In response, Mighty Earth Campaign Director Rose Garr released the following statement:

“The GREEN Act is a tremendous disappointment. While many of provisions are in line with the science on climate change and biodiversity, too many are corporate handouts that will hurt the environment. The provisions in this bill that extend tax breaks for biomass and biofuels will encourage the destruction and degradation of forests and other habitats in the U.S. and around the world by incentivizing dirty energy generation. These are giveaways to the timber and agribusiness lobbies and an insult to anyone who wants to save forests, protect endangered species, conserve land, and address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity collapse.

“You can be a climate champion, or you can be a biodiesel and biomass supporter, but you cannot be both. Solving the climate crisis requires the leadership to not only advance solutions but to also reject false ones. It appears this distinction has been lost.”