Biochar's Washington Playbook - with Maureen Walsh

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Maureen Walsh, Executive Director of the US Biochar Coalition (USBC), to discuss how biochar has quietly built one of the most resilient policy positions of any CDR technology in the United States.

Recorded amid tariff pressures, farm bill limbo, and a Washington reshaped by the second Trump administration, the conversation gets straight to the question: is this political moment different? Maureen's answer is yes, but biochar is finding opportunities others aren't, by refusing to be defined as a climate technology.

The episode unpacks the strategic reframe at the heart of USBC's approach: positioning biochar as a solution to waste, wildfires, PFAS contamination, and farmer resilience rather than leading with carbon removal. Maureen explains how this opens doors across the aisle, from senators focused on carbon sequestration to those who just need to deal with mountains of woody biomass before fire season.

The discussion dives into the legislative machinery: the Carbon Resources Innovation Act (Senate Bill 3778), a technology-neutral update to 45Q that would make biochar and other CDR methods eligible for the tax credit without naming them explicitly. Maureen breaks down why 45Q doesn't currently cover biochar, how BBBA reshaped the tax credit landscape, and why biochar survived the cut when other technologies didn't. Sebastian and Maureen also explore the art of Hill advocacy, the 20-minute meeting, the constituency-first argument, and why cultivating champions now is the only way to be ready when the next big tax vehicle arrives.

Maureen walks through USBC's concrete wins: the EPA's landmark 2024 ruling that pyrolysis of clean cellulosic biomass is no longer classified as waste incineration, and biochar's dedicated section in Fix Our Forests, which has passed the House with bipartisan support. She also details the USDA conservation practice codes already paying farmers and producers to use biochar, and the patchwork of regional implementation that USBC is steadily working to fix.

The episode closes with two lessons every CDR sector should hear: drop the word sustainability and start talking about resilience, and if you're still going to Washington alone, you're already behind.

Links:

Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and Website
Sebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website
Maureen Walsh: LinkedIn
US Biochar Coalition: LinkedIn and Website

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