[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1555 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 1555
To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to support
solar projects under the Rural Energy for America Program, and for
other purposes.
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IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 11, 2023
Mr. Merkley (for himself and Mr. Booker) introduced the following bill;
which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture,
Nutrition, and Forestry
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to support
solar projects under the Rural Energy for America Program, 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 ``Pollinator Power Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. SOLAR PROJECTS UNDER RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM.
Section 9007(c) of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of
2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107(c)) is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A)--
(i) in clause (i)(II), by striking ``and''
at the end;
(ii) in clause (ii)(III), by striking the
period at the end and inserting ``; and''; and
(iii) by adding at the end the following:
``(iii) loan guarantees and grants to
agricultural producers, rural small businesses,
and farmer-owned cooperatives to carry out
solar projects that include the creation of
pollinator habitat (as defined by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service), in accordance
with subparagraph (C).''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(C) Solar projects with pollinator habitat
requirement.--A project described in subparagraph
(A)(iii) shall meet the following requirements:
``(i) Not less than 35 percent of new solar
area created under the project shall be
pollinator habitat (as defined by the Natural
Resources Conservation Service).
``(ii) Not less than 50 percent of the
pollinator habitat (as so defined) shall be
planted and maintained as a native cover
composed only of native plant species.'';
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (4) as
paragraphs (3) through (5), respectively;
(3) by inserting after paragraph (1) the following:
``(2) Priority.--In providing loan guarantees and grants
under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall give priority to
projects described in clause (iii) of that paragraph.''; and
(4) in paragraph (4) (as so redesignated), in subparagraph
(A)--
(A) by striking ``The amount'' and inserting the
following:
``(i) In general.--Except as provided in
clause (ii), the amount''; and
(B) by adding at the end the following:
``(ii) Solar projects with pollinator
habitat.--The amount of a grant under paragraph
(1)(A)(iii) shall not exceed 55 percent of the
cost of the activity carried out using funds
from the grant, including the cost of the
creation of a pollinator habitat.''.
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