I 111th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 4227 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES December 8, 2009 Mr. Schrader (for himself, Mr. Walden, Mr. Baird, Ms. Herseth Sandlin, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers, Mr. Minnick, and Mr. DeFazio) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture A BILL To authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to provide loans to support the conversion of energy generation or heating and cooling systems to the use of renewable biomass and to support the installation of new equipment to use renewable biomass for such systems, and for other purposes.
1.
Short title
This Act may be cited as the Incentives to Increase Use of Renewable Biomass Act of 2009.
2.
Department of Agriculture loan program for conversion of certain public facilities to biomass energy generation, heating, or cooling systems
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.), as amended by section 9001 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Public Law 110–246; 122 Stat. 2064), is amended by adding at the end the following new section:
9014.
Loan program for conversion of certain public facilities to biomass energy generation, heating, or cooling systems
(a)
Establishment
The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish a program to provide interest-free loans to eligible institutions described in subsection (b) for capital costs for converting existing equipment or for installing new equipment to use renewable biomass for energy generation, heating, or cooling systems. (b)
Eligible institutions
The following institutions are eligible for a loan under the program established under subsection (a): (1)An institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001)). (2)A public or private elementary or secondary school. (3)A hospital. (4)A local government building. (5)A governmental, community, health, or educational building owned or leased and occupied by an Indian tribe, except any building used in whole or in part for gaming (as defined in section 4 of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2703)). (c)
Use of loan funds
The Secretary shall ensure that an eligible institution receiving a loan under the program established under subsection (a) will use renewable biomass for not less than 75 percent of the energy generation, heating, or cooling needs of the facility of the covered institution for which the loan is received. (d)
Revolving fund
(1)
Establishment
There is established in the Treasury a revolving fund for the program established under subsection (a). (2)
Use of amounts in fund
Amounts in the revolving fund established under paragraph (1) shall be available to the Secretary to carry out the program established under subsection (a). (3)
Deposits
The amounts received as payment on loans provided under the program established under subsection (a) shall be deposited into the revolving fund established under paragraph (1). (4)
Initial deposit
Of the funds of the Commodity Credit Corporation, the Secretary shall make available $100,000,000 to the revolving fund established under paragraph (1).
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