Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2025

The Community Wood Facilities Assistance Act of 2025 aims to enhance support for community wood facilities by amending existing grant programs. It renames the current "energy and wood innovation" program to the Community Wood Facilities Grant Program and substantially increases its authorized appropriations from $25 million to $50 million annually for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. Key changes include raising the maximum grant award from $1.5 million to $5 million and increasing the federal cost share for projects from 35 percent to 50 percent . The bill also broadens the scope of eligible projects to include the construction, use, or retrofitting of forest products manufacturing facilities , moving beyond just existing sawmills. Additionally, it modifies thermal energy requirements and emphasizes the use of primarily forest biomass. Furthermore, the legislation amends the Wood Innovations Grant Program to align with these changes, focusing on expanding forest products manufacturing . These revisions collectively aim to provide more robust financial assistance and flexibility for the development and modernization of wood processing and manufacturing infrastructure in communities.