06 Dec BPC Action Joins the American Forest Foundation and the Nature Conservancy in Applauding Rural Forest Markets Act Introduction in Energy and Environment

Following the introduction of the Rural Forest Markets Act (RFMA) in the Senate by Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA), Mike Braun (R-IN), and Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). BPC Action joined the American Forest Foundation (AFF) and the Nature Conservancy in issuing the following statements in support of the legislation:

“The Rural Forest Markets Act will support private forest landowners’ ability to implement innovative forest practices and cultivate new revenue streams from carbon, water, and timber,” said Michele Stockwell, President of BPC Action. “The RFMA is a commonsense solution that will help eliminate technical and financial barriers to fully realize the economic and environmental opportunities of nature-based solutions, as recommended by the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Farm and Forest Carbon Solutions Task Force.”

“The Rural Forest Markets Act would catalyze private investment into rural communities, helping landowners build generational wealth and ensure the long-term health and value of their forests,” said Rita Hite, president and CEO of AFF. “The bicameral, bipartisan support of the RFMA speaks to the massive potential it brings to our country’s 21 million family forest owners and their woodlands. It’s time to put the power of private finance into the hands of rural America – for the sake of our communities and our planet.”

“We need our forests for clean air, clean water, wildlife, and outdoor recreation – and for removing and storing atmospheric carbon that contributes to climate change,” said Alix Murdoch, Senior Policy Advisor at The Nature Conservancy. “With families owning nearly 40 percent of the forestland in the United States, it’s important that they can keep their forests healthy and in the family. This proposed legislation would help do so, at very little cost to the government. It’s a win for family forest owners and all of society.”

The Rural Forest Markets Act was introduced in the House of Representatives in August of this year by Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and William Timmons (R-SC). The bicameral, bipartisan legislation would enable the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to issue guarantees for loans and bonds that help small landowners access carbon markets; incentivize family landowners to adopt climate-friendly forest practices that increase the value of market commodities like carbon, water, and timber; and allow the U.S. to achieve the necessary scale of climate impact by bringing the power of private finance from large corporations to rural America. Learn more about the Rural Forest Markets Act here.