S. 2183: Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2025

This bill, titled the Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2025, aims to improve assistance for community wood facilities by amending existing legislation related to wood and energy innovation. Below are the key provisions and changes that the bill proposes:

Section 1: Community Wood Facilities Grant Program

The bill updates the Community Wood Facilities Grant Program by making the following revisions:

• The program's focus is shifted more towards "community wood facilities" instead of exclusively “Energy and Wood Innovation.”
• It redefines "forest biomass," emphasizing the processing or manufacturing aspect.
• The maximum funding available for projects is increased from $5 million to $50 million, allowing for larger grants.
• The language of the grant program is updated to include market competitiveness, not just cost-effectiveness.
• The eligibility criteria are revised, increasing the capacity limits for projects from 5 megawatts to 15 megawatts of thermal energy.
• The funding authorization for the program is raised from $25 million annually during specified years to $50 million for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2030.

Section 2: Wood Innovations Grant Program

This section modifies the Wood Innovations Grant Program by making the following changes:

• The program title is updated to reflect a broader focus, emphasizing “Innovations” rather than singular “Innovation.”
• It aims to expand forest products manufacturing, moving away from just incentivizing existing milling operations.
• The funding mechanism is revised to indicate that 50 percent of the grant amount will be available to eligible projects.

Overall, the bill seeks to enhance the support for community wood facilities through increased funding, broader eligibility, and a focus on manufacturing in the forestry sector, thereby promoting the use of wood products and biomass energy solutions.

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