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CPA intensifies battle against BCAP |
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With the same fortitude it showed in keeping a level playing field when
CARB (California Air Resources Board) formaldehyde regulations came
out, the CPA Composite Panel Association (CPA) is battling the Biomass
Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).
It's a fight for the survival of the composite panel industry, says the
CPA. BCAP is a USDA program intended to encourage the use of biomass - woody and other types -
for energy.
The composite panel industry depends on the availability of cheap,
residual wood fiber mainly from lumber mills. That foundation was
shaken with the downturn of the lumber industry and is being threatened
even more by the growth of bioenergy products like wood pellets and
cellulosic ethanol.
BCAP provides assistance to companies using biomass for energy and,
says the CPA, is playing havoc with the price and availability of
fiber.
The CPA's campaign is being fought on Capitol Hill and nationwide and includes a website www.BCAPreform.com.
The website states that although BCAP’s purpose was to incentivize the
collection of unused and under-utilized wood and agriculture scraps
resulting from farming and timber activities, Congress never intended
to divert materials currently used for the production of higher value
products.
As now structured, BCAP will:
• Increase the US carbon footprint rather than reduce it as intended in the 2008 Farm Bill.
• Jeopardize as many as 350,000 American manufacturing jobs and
an additional 20,000 in the composite panel industry. (US Census 2006)
CPA recently launched a lobbying effort on Capitol Hill to encourage
members of Congress to persuade the USDA to change the BCAP subsidy so
it doesn't harm the composite panel industry. Visits to key members of
the House and Senate Agriculture committees and phone calls and emails
expressed concern about wood costs and possible job losses. A
bipartisan letter is being circulated in the House asking members to
join in requesting that the USDA freeze BCAP until the program is
modified.
CPA president Tom Julia urges member companies to intervene with
members of Congress in all states and districts where they have
manufacturing facilities.
CPA member Flakeboard, has said that BCAP could double the cost of raw
materials for its particleboard plant in Simsboro, Louisiana. According to a local news report, Flakeboard is concerned that the
BCAP could increase the plant’s cost for wood chips, shavings and
sawdust by $10 million per year. It would potentially force the company
to cease operations putting 125 employees at risk of losing their jobs.
www.pbmdf.com
www.BCAPreform.com
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