Bioenergy, Agriculture, and Forestry Provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009

This briefing describes the bioenergy, agriculture, and forestry provisions of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES, H.R. 2454). The bill proposes a cap-and-trade system to reduce nationwide greenhouse gas emissions, exempting bioenergy from renewable biomass and allowing farmers and land managers to sell carbon offsets. It also includes mandates for renewable electricity, a woodstove change-out program, and the authorization of the National Bioenergy Partnership.

• The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) aims to reduce nationwide emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases by 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels by 2050.
• The bill's cap-and-trade program exempts bioenergy generated from renewable biomass, as such biomass is assumed to be a carbon-neutral feedstock. Conversely, bioenergy producers using feedstocks that do not meet the renewable biomass definition are treated as capped entities and must submit emissions allowances.
• Agriculture, forestry, and land management are not capped sectors; instead, they can generate carbon offsets through verifiable emissions reductions, such as methane capture at livestock operations, or by sequestering carbon in vegetation or soils via long-rotation forestry and conservation tillage. The program initially allows for two billion tons of carbon offsets, with half potentially originating from projects in the United States.
• The Efficiency and Renewable Electricity Standard (section 101) would mandate that utilities derive 6% of energy production from renewables in 2012, rising to 20% by 2021. Energy efficiency can account for up to 25% of this target, and distributed renewable energy sources are counted at triple their actual output.
• The bill includes several specific funding and authority authorizations: $20 million annually from 2010-2014 for an EPA woodstove change-out program (Certified Stoves Program), and $7.5 million annually from 2010-2014 to authorize the National Bioenergy Partnership.

APA

Environmental and Energy Study Institute (2009). Bioenergy, Agriculture, and Forestry Provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/bioenergy-agriculture-and-forestry-provisions-in-the-american-clean-energy-

Chicago

Environmental and Energy Study Institute. Bioenergy, Agriculture, and Forestry Provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009. 2009. https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/bioenergy-agriculture-and-forestry-provisions-in-the-american-clean-energy-.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |title=Bioenergy, Agriculture, and Forestry Provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 |date=23 June 2009 |url=https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/bioenergy-agriculture-and-forestry-provisions-in-the-american-clean-energy- |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{environmentalandenergystudyinstitute2009bioenergy, author = {{Environmental and Energy Study Institute}}, title = {{Bioenergy, Agriculture, and Forestry Provisions in the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/bioenergy-agriculture-and-forestry-provisions-in-the-american-clean-energy-}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }