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

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (ACES) proposes a cap-and-trade system to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions to 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% by 2050. While power plants and fossil fuel producers are capped, bioenergy from renewable biomass is exempt, and agriculture and forestry sectors can generate carbon offsets. The bill introduces a combined Efficiency and Renewable Electricity Standard requiring 20% renewable energy by 2021, expands the definition of renewable biomass for the Renewable Fuels Standard, and authorizes funding for woodstove replacements, the National Bioenergy Partnership, and strategic tree-planting.

• The ACES bill establishes a cap-and-trade program targeting nationwide greenhouse gas emissions reductions of 17% below 2005 levels by 2020 and 83% below 2005 levels by 2050. Bioenergy from renewable biomass is exempt from these mandatory limits, whereas producers using non-compliant feedstocks are treated as capped entities.
• Agriculture, forestry, and land management are not capped sectors but can provide carbon offsets through verifiable emission reductions or carbon sequestration in soils and vegetation. The program initially allows for two billion tons of carbon offsets, with 50% eligible to come from US-based projects.
• The bill's combined Efficiency and Renewable Electricity Standard mandates that utilities derive 6% of energy from renewables in 2012, rising to 20% by 2021. It expands the definition of renewable biomass to include crop waste, animal waste, algae, energy crops, separated yard waste, food waste, and woody biomass from private and federal lands, replacing the narrower definition in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
• The legislation authorizes specific funding and programs: $20 million annually (2010-2014) for the Certified Stoves Program to replace inefficient woodstoves, and $7.5 million annually (2010-2014) for the National Bioenergy Partnership to coordinate biomass activities.
• The Open Fuel Standard grants the Secretary of Transportation authority to mandate that light-duty automobile manufacturers produce 'fuel choice-enabling automobiles' capable of running on E85, biodiesel, or M85 (85 percent methanol).

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} }