To enhance the efficiency of bioenergy and biomass research and development programs through improved coordination and collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Energy, and land-grant colleges and universities, and for other purposes.

Summary: Biofuels Research Initiative Act of 2007 - Amends the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish grants to the lead land grant university for each regional consortium.



Prescribes the use of such grants. Requires each regional university consortium to provide competitive grants to Agricultural and Land Grant colleges and universities in the region of the consortium.

Directs the Secretary to establish a Bio Energy Consortium led by five universities meeting specified criteria, which shall be responsible to identify talents and expertise that contribute to advancing biomass for energy.

SECTION 1. BIOFUELS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.

    (a) Short Title.--This section may be cited as the ``Biofuels 
Research Initiative Act of 2007''.
    (b) Research, Extension, and Educational Programs on Biobased 
Energy Technologies and Products.--Title IX of the Farm Security and 
Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by 
adding at the end the following:

``SEC. 9011. RESEARCH, EXTENSION, AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS ON BIOBASED 
              ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES AND PRODUCTS.

    ``(a) Purposes.--The purposes of the programs established under 
this section are--
            ``(1) to enhance national energy security through the 
        development, distribution, and implementation of biobased 
        energy technologies;
            ``(2) to promote diversification in, and the environmental 
        sustainability of, agricultural production in the United States 
        through biobased energy and product technologies;
            ``(3) to promote economic diversification in rural areas of 
        the United States through biobased energy and product 
        technologies; and
            ``(4) to enhance the efficiency of bioenergy and biomass 
        research and development programs through improved coordination 
        and collaboration between the Department of Agriculture, the 
        Department of Energy, and the land-grant colleges and 
        universities.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Land-grant colleges and universities.--The term 
        `land-grant colleges and universities' means--
                    ``(A) 1862 Institutions (as defined in section 2 of 
                the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education 
                Reform Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7601));
                    ``(B) 1890 Institutions (as defined in section 2 of 
                that Act) and West Virginia State College; and
                    ``(C) 1994 Institutions (as defined in section 2 of 
                that Act).
            ``(2) Secretary.--The term `Secretary' means the Secretary 
        of Agriculture.
    ``(c) Establishment.--To carry out the purposes described in 
subsection (a), the Secretary shall establish programs under which--
            ``(1) the Secretary shall provide grants to the lead land 
        grant university for each of the regional consortiums with the 
        lead university selected based on criteria in subsection (e); 
        and
            ``(2) the consortium shall use the grants in accordance 
        with this section.
    ``(d) Grants to a Consortium.--The Secretary shall use amounts made 
available for a fiscal year under subsection (j) to provide a grants in 
equal amounts to the lead land grant university for each of the 
regional consortiums with the lead university selected based on 
criteria in subsection (e):
    ``(e) Criteria for Consortium Membership.--To be a member of a 
consortium, a university must have the following attributes:
            ``(1) Demonstrated history, capability and intellectual 
        property in germplasm development, including but not limited to 
        genetics, plant breeding, and molecular techniques.
            ``(2) Production logistics, including but not limited to 
        cropping systems, harvesting technologies, storage 
        technologies, and transportation systems.
            ``(3) Economic and policy analysis, including but not 
        limited to probabilistic forecasts, economic feasibility, and 
        business plans.
            ``(4) Environmental assessment, including but not limited 
        to life-cycle analysis, climate change assessment, air quality, 
        and water use evaluations of bioenergy production systems.
            ``(5) Facilities, including but not to facilities for 
        genomics, plant breeding, crop production, crop processing, 
        equipment design and fabrication, equipment testing, and 
        environmental testing.
            ``(6) Academic and research capabilities in plant science, 
        agronomy, soil science, plant physiology, plant pathology, 
        entomology, engineering, agricultural engineering, and 
        agricultural economics.
            ``(7) Management capabilities in academics, research 
        administration, intellectual property development, contract 
        management, Federal procurement, and agricultural technology 
        transfer.
    ``(f) Regional Consortium Groups.--Each of the following shall be 
considered a regional consortium group for the purposes of this Act:
            ``(1) North-central consortium.--A north-central university 
        consortium for the region composed of the States of Illinois, 
        Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, 
        South Dakota, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
            ``(2) Southeastern consortium.--A southeastern university 
        consortium for the region composed of--
                    ``(A) the States of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, 
                Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, 
                Tennessee, and Virginia;
                    ``(B) the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; and
                    ``(C) the United States Virgin Islands.
            ``(3) South-central consortium.--A south-central university 
        consortium for the region composed of the States of Arkansas, 
        Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, 
        and Texas.
            ``(4) Western consortium.--A western university consortium 
        for the region composed of--
                    ``(A) the States of Alaska, Arizona, California, 
                Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington; 
                and
                    ``(B) territories and possessions of the United 
                States (other than the territories referred to in 
                subparagraphs (B) and (C) of paragraph (2)).
            ``(5) Northeastern consortium.--A northeastern university 
        consortium for the region composed of the States of 
        Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, 
        Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, 
        Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and West Virginia.
    ``(g) Use of Funds.--
            ``(1) University consortium.--Of the funds made available 
        for a fiscal year to a consortium under subsection (d), the 
        consortium member shall use not more than 25 percent of the 
        amount for administration to support excellence in science, 
        engineering, and economics at each regional consortium to 
        promote the purposes described in subsection (a) through each 
        applicable State agricultural experiment station, cooperative 
        extension services, and relevant educational programs of the 
        regional consortium member.
            ``(2) Grants to land-grant colleges and universities.--Each 
        regional university consortium shall use the funds that remain 
        available for a fiscal year after expenditures made under 
        paragraph (1) to provide competitive grants to Agricultural and 
        Land Grant colleges and universities in the region of the 
        consortium as follows:
                    ``(A) Not less than 30 percent of the funds to 
                conduct, consistent with the purposes described in 
                subsection (a), multi-institutional and multi-State 
                research, extension, and educational programs on 
                technology development.
                    ``(B) Not less than 30 percent of the funds to 
                conduct, consistent with the purposes described in 
                subsection (a), multi-institutional and multi-State 
                integrated research, extension, and educational 
                programs on technology implementation.
            ``(3) Indirect costs.--A university consortium may not 
        recover the indirect costs of making grants under paragraph (2) 
        to other land-grant colleges and universities.
    ``(h) Plan.--Subject to the availability of funds under subsection 
(j), each university consortium, in cooperation with other land-grant 
colleges and universities and private industry in accordance with 
paragraph (2), shall jointly develop and submit to the Secretary, for 
approval, a plan for addressing at the State and regional levels the 
bioenergy, biomass, and gasification research priorities of the 
Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy for making 
grants under paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (e).

``SEC. 9012. BIO ENERGY CONSORTIUM.

    ``(a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Agriculture shall establish 
a Bio Energy Consortium led by 5 universities selected by the Secretary 
that meet criteria of excellence across a wide range of expertise, 
experience, and reputation. These universities shall have 
responsibility for regional and disciplinary organization across the 
United States to identify talents and expertise that contributes to 
advancing biomass for energy and incorporate teams to address priority 
issues and to accelerate biomass for energy technologies. The lead 
universities are responsible for avoiding redundancy, bringing the best 
science to address issues and developing an integrated nationwide 
program. Identification of the best science for selected areas of 
research may be structured under a peer review competitive process 
developed by the 5 lead universities.
    ``(b) External Advisory Group.--The Bio Energy Consortium and each 
of the 5 lead universities selected under subsection (a) shall each--
            ``(1) be advised by external advisory group selected by the 
        regional consortium and be comprised of stakeholders in the 
        region and that have broad range of expertise; and
            ``(2) submit an annual report to the advisory group 
        defining the research, extension, and teaching programs and 
        accomplishments during of each entity submitting a report 
        during the year for which the report is submitted.
    ``(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $50,000,000 for 
each of fiscal years 2008 through 2017.''