<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><BillSummaries>
    <item congress="118" measure-type="hr" measure-number="7391" measure-id="id118hr7391" originChamber="HOUSE" orig-publish-date="2024-02-15" update-date="2024-06-17">
        <title>Securing and Understanding our National Renewable Agriculture Yields for Energy Act</title>
        <summary summary-id="id118hr7391v00" currentChamber="HOUSE" update-date="2024-06-17">
            <action-date>2024-02-15</action-date>
            <action-desc>Introduced in House</action-desc>
            <summary-text><![CDATA[<p><strong>Securing and Understanding our National Renewable Agriculture Yields for Energy Act or the SUNRAY for Energy Act</strong></p><p>This bill requires the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to conduct a study, research, and demonstration regarding agrivoltaic systems. The bill defines&nbsp;<em>agrivoltaic system </em>as a system under which solar energy production and agricultural production, including crop or animal production, occur in an integrated manner on the same piece of land through the duration of a project.</p><p>Specifically, the bill directs USDA to study agrivoltaic systems, which includes conducting a review of current research and identifying research gaps. USDA must also develop a five-year plan for using USDA's research, extension, outreach, conservation, and renewable energy activities to better support agrivoltaic systems that do not displace agricultural production.</p><p>USDA must also develop a definition for <em>agrivoltaic system</em> for the purposes of incorporating these systems into federal agriculture and energy programs, and investment tax credits.</p><p>In addition, the Agricultural Research Service must establish and maintain a network of agrivoltaic systems research and demonstration sites in multiple U.S. regions to investigate increasing agricultural productivity and profitability, enhancing agricultural resilience and the capacity to mitigate and adapt to climate change,&nbsp;protecting biodiversity, and increasing economic opportunities in rural communities.</p><p>Further, the Natural Resources Conservation Service must develop national and regional guidance on best practices for the protection of soil health and productivity during the siting, construction, operation, and decommissioning of solar energy systems on agricultural land. The guidance must be updated at least every two years.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><!--tinycomments|2.1|data:application/json;base64,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-->]]></summary-text>
        </summary>
    </item>
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        <dc:language>EN</dc:language>
        <dc:rights>Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.</dc:rights>
        <dc:contributor>Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress</dc:contributor>
        <dc:description>This file contains bill summaries for federal legislation. A bill summary describes the most significant provisions of a piece of legislation and details the effects the legislative text may have on current law and federal programs. Bill summaries are authored by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) of the Library of Congress. As stated in Public Law 91-510 (2 USC 166 (d)(6)), one of the duties of CRS is "to prepare summaries and digests of bills and resolutions of a public general nature introduced in the Senate or House of Representatives". For more information, refer to the User Guide that accompanies this file.</dc:description>
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</BillSummaries>
