S. 5087: Wildfire Reduction Market Expansion Act of 2026

This bill would change the Clean Air Act’s definition of renewable biomass for the federal Renewable Fuel Standard, which is the program that helps determine what kinds of materials can be used to make qualifying biofuels and generate credits.

Main effect

The bill would broaden the types of forest- and vegetation-based material that can count as renewable biomass. In practical terms, that means more kinds of wood, plant matter, and wildfire-related debris could be used to produce renewable fuel credits under the program.

What materials would be added or clarified

• Wood and paper manufacturing residues would be included, such as wood residuals, paper residuals, sawdust, wood chips, shavings, bark, sanding dust, and certain paper recycling residuals.
• Trees, shrubs, and parts of trees or shrubs, including slash and storm debris, could qualify if they come from:
  • non-federal land that is managed under a forest sustainability or logging certification program,
  • non-federal land classified as forest land, timberland, or land in current forestry use, or
  • non-federal land where the owner attests the land is managed for long-term timber production.
• Similar material from National Forest System lands or other public lands could qualify if the relevant federal agency certifies that it is:
  • a by-product of land management, fuel reduction, ecological restoration, or pre-commercial thinning,
  • not reasonably suitable to be used as a sawlog, and
  • sourced in compliance with applicable federal laws, regulations, and land management plans.
• Vegetation removed to create defensible space around homes, businesses, and public facilities could qualify, as well as material from wildfire risk reduction activities in the wildland-urban interface.
• The bill also says that land owned by, or held in trust for, Indian tribes or individual Indians, and land owned by Alaska Native Corporations, is included within the non-federal land category.

Certification requirements

The bill would allow the needed certification or attestation to be provided in a letter to the person seeking renewable fuel credits. For private land, the attestation would come from the landowner. For federal lands, it would come from the local office of the Department of Agriculture or the Department of the Interior with authority over the relevant plan.

Limit on how the bill changes land management rules

The bill says that the federal land-management certification does not require a forest plan or resource management plan to explicitly name renewable fuel or biomass energy as the final use of the material, as long as the underlying removal, sale, or disposal is otherwise authorized and consistent with the plan.

Likely practical impact

Overall, the bill would make it easier for certain forest residues, wildfire-risk-reduction debris, and related vegetation to qualify for renewable fuel credits. That could expand the supply of eligible biomass material for fuel producers and potentially increase the market for materials removed during forestry management and wildfire mitigation activities.

Relevant Companies

• ADM — Could benefit if the company expands or sources more feedstocks for renewable fuel production and related credit generation.
• DAR — Could be affected through renewable fuel and biomass-related supply chains if more forest and vegetation residues become eligible inputs.
• GEVO — A biofuels producer that could see changes in available qualifying biomass feedstocks and associated credit opportunities.
• MEOH — Methanol and renewable-fuels related operations could be indirectly affected if biomass feedstock availability changes.