[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.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   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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