[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5723 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 5723

  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and 
 education tools to farmers on the cost savings, energy savings, water 
  conservation, and carbon emissions reductions that can be realized 
  through the use of energy-efficient pumping systems, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 26, 2023

Mr. Molinaro (for himself, Ms. Caraveo, and Ms. Slotkin) introduced the 
   following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and 
 education tools to farmers on the cost savings, energy savings, water 
  conservation, and carbon emissions reductions that can be realized 
  through the use of energy-efficient pumping systems, and for other 
                               purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Leveraging Efficiency Awareness for 
Pumping Systems Act'' or the ``LEAPS Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) There are over 600,000 pumping systems used for 
        irrigation on agricultural land in the United States, many of 
        which still rely on fossil fuels.
            (2) Improving the efficiency of agricultural irrigation 
        pumping systems can save up to 22 billion kilowatt hours of 
        energy per year and eliminate 8.3 million metric tons of carbon 
        emissions annually.
            (3) Energy savings from electrifying agricultural 
        irrigation pumping systems can save farmers and ranchers more 
        than $1.8 billion annually in energy costs.
            (4) Pumping systems play a central role in the watering of 
        livestock and the management of animal waste in every State.
            (5) Pumping systems are a critical component of the 
        Nation's $2,300,000,000 aquaculture industry.
            (6) Improving the efficiency of pumping systems used in 
        raising livestock and fish can significantly reduce energy use, 
        save producers millions of dollars annually, and provide 
        meaningful reductions in carbon emissions.
            (7) Agricultural irrigation pumping systems utilizing 
        plastic piping can provide significant drought relief benefits, 
        dramatically reducing water losses from evaporation and 
        seepage; agriculture uses 37 percent of the Nation's surface 
        and ground water, 30 percent of which is lost to seepage and 
        evaporation.
            (8) Reducing the friction in piping used for agricultural 
        irrigation and livestock watering can provide meaningful energy 
        and cost savings; there are potentially 2,500 kWh of energy 
        savings for every 10 miles of plastic piping utilized in 
        delivering water for crops and livestock.
            (9) Solar pumping systems can play an important role in 
        protecting riparian habitat and improving water quality in 
        streams, rivers, lakes, and estuaries through providing 
        alternative watering options for livestock.

SEC. 3. INFORMATION ON ENERGY-EFFICIENT PUMPING SYSTEMS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping 
system experts, in order to educate farmers on the benefits of energy-
efficient pumping systems, shall develop and make publicly available on 
the website of the Department of Agriculture easily accessible 
information on cost savings, energy savings, water conservation, and 
carbon emissions reductions that can be realized through the use of 
energy-efficient pumping systems.
    (b) Contents.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
include information on--
            (1) pumps, pipes, motors, drives, and controls that can 
        provide energy savings and cost savings, conserve water, and 
        reduce carbon emissions; and
            (2) Department of Agriculture programs that provide farmers 
        resources for acquiring energy-efficient pumping systems and 
        drought management infrastructure, including the environmental 
        quality incentives program, the Rural Energy for America 
        Program, and the conservation stewardship program.

SEC. 4. ENERGY EFFICIENCY PRE-ASSESSMENT TOOL.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping 
system experts, in order to raise awareness of the benefits of energy-
efficient pumping systems and increase participation in Department of 
Agriculture programs that promote energy efficiency, shall develop and 
make publicly available on the website of the Department of Agriculture 
a user-friendly tool to--
            (1) assist farmers in making a preliminary assessment of 
        the energy efficiency of existing pumping systems; and
            (2) provide an estimate of potential energy savings, cost 
        savings, and carbon emissions reductions that may be realized 
        through pumping system improvements.
    (b) Requirements.--
            (1) Ease of use.--The Secretary shall ensure that the tool 
        made available under subsection (a) provides a user with 
        projected energy savings, projected cost savings, and projected 
        carbon emissions reductions through the input by the user of 
        the following data relating to an existing pumping system:
                    (A) Pump type.
                    (B) Flow rating and actual flow.
                    (C) Pressure rating and actual pressure.
                    (D) Speed rating and actual speed.
            (2) Considerations.--The Secretary shall ensure that the 
        tool made available under subsection (a)--
                    (A) in assessing the energy efficiency of a pumping 
                system, takes into consideration pumps, pipes, motors, 
                drives, and controls associated with the pumping 
                system; and
                    (B) in projecting the energy savings, cost savings, 
                and carbon emissions reductions that may be realized 
                through pumping system improvements, takes into 
                consideration the cost of electricity and the profile 
                of the existing pumping system.

SEC. 5. ENERGY AUDITOR EDUCATION.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with pumping 
system experts, in order to increase the effectiveness of Department of 
Agriculture energy efficiency programs, shall establish a process to 
educate persons performing energy efficiency audits for the Department 
of Agriculture on energy use and energy efficiency in pumping systems.
    (b) Implementation.--In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary 
shall consider the use of existing education and training programs 
focused on energy use and energy efficiency in pumping systems.

SEC. 6. CONSERVATION STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM ACTIVITIES.

    Section 1240I(2)(B)(i) of the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 
3839aa-21(2)(B)(i)) is amended by inserting ``and energy-efficient 
pumping systems'' before ``, as determined''.

SEC. 7. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
            (2) Pumping system.--The term ``pumping system'' means any 
        pumps, pipes, motors, drives, and controls used to move water 
        and other fluids on farms, ranches, and aquaculture operations.
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