Capito, Shaheen Reintroduce Bill to Help Forest and Commercial Building Owners with Sustainability

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – U.S. Senators Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) this week reintroduced their bipartisan bill, the Forest Incentives Program Act, to help landowners make forest management more affordable and provide them with feasible options to preserve their land. With financial assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), private forest owners would be encouraged to employ environmentally conscious forest management techniques. Additionally, non-residential building owners would be incentivized to use less-energy intensive products, such as wood, for structural building materials. 

“West Virginia is recognized across the country and world for our natural beauty and our many outdoor recreational opportunities. This legislation helps maintain that natural splendor by making forest conservation more affordable for private landowners, and incentivizes the deployment of new techniques to better maintain their forests. Conservation efforts like this are critical for ensuring that our forests remain strong and vibrant for generations to come, and I am proud to once again join Senator Shaheen in introducing this legislation,” Senator Capito said. 

“The sustainability of our state’s private forests is critical to preserve our natural resources and support the North Country’s local economy,” Senator Shaheen said. “I’m leading this bipartisan legislation to help make forest management more affordable for Granite Staters and incentivize sustainable methods for preserving our working forests. Empowering forest owners with the resources they need is a commonsense step towards bolstering our forestry industry and local ecosystems. I’ll continue to work across the aisle to provide our rural communities with the tools they need to grow.”

Specifically, the bill directs the USDA to establish an incentive program that allows eligible forest landowners to enter into a long-term contract to adopt conservation practices that have been proven to deliver emissions reductions. The bill also creates financial incentives for commercial building owners to use biological products, such as wood, as structural building materials instead of more energy-intensive materials. 

Full text of the legislation is available here. 

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