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BCAP PART
ONE SUSPENDED
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60-day Comment Period on New Rules Begins
Effective immediately, the Biomass Crop
Assistance Program is on hold in all states. Local FSA offices will no longer accept new
applications for Collection, Harvest, Storage and Transportation (CHST) matching
payments.
The USDA proposed new rules for the program
on February 4. A 60-day comment period follows the announcement. After the comment
period, the USDA will develop a more final set of implementation standards. Once these rules are
announced, the agency will begin accepting applications once again. For applications received
prior to the suspension of the program, payments will continue through March 31.
The new rules highlight the fact that the 2009 implemen- tation--based on the Notice of
Funds Availability--was a sort of rapid prototyping. It allowed the USDA to get a small version of
the program up and running so it could evaluate the effects of the program on
markets, the total costs of the program, and whether the program accomplished its goals. It appears
the process was successful.
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BCAP PART TWO
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Establishment Cost & Annual Payment Program
The proposed rules released by the USDA on
February 4 also include the draft guidelines describing the biomass crop establishment cost and
annual payment program. What follows is a highlight of the major requirements of the program. All
page references are to the 104-page
Proposed Rules on the USDA's website.
Eligible Crops (pages 36-37):
Except for invasive and noxious species and crops covered under Title I of the 2008 Farm
Bill, all renewable plant materials, including plants and trees, are considered eligible crops. No
further detail appears in the proposed rules.
Eligible Lands (pages 40-43):
Both agricultural land and non-industrial private forest lands are eligible. Non-industrial
private forest land is defined as rural land with existing tree cover owned by private individuals
and groups, but excludes ownership by corporations whose stocks are publicly traded or those
engaged primarily in the production of wood products. Lands must be located in a project area to be
eligible.
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