II 

112TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2225 

To amend the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to 

reauthorize and improve the Rural Energy for America Program. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 22, 2012 

Mr. FRANKEN (for himself and Mr. HARKIN) 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 reauthorize and improve the Rural Energy 

for America Program. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 

4 Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest5 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended— 

6 (1) in subsection (b)(2)— 

7 (A) in subparagraph (C), by striking 

8 ‘‘and’’ at the end; 


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1 (B) by redesignating subparagraph (D) as 

2 subparagraph (E); and 

3 (C) by inserting after subparagraph (C) 

4 the following: 

5 ‘‘(D) a nonprofit organization; and’’; 

6 (2) in subsection (c)— 

7 (A) by striking paragraph (1) and insert8 ing the following: 

9 ‘‘(1) LOAN GUARANTEE AND GRANT PRO10 GRAM.— 

11 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In addition to any 

12 similar authority, the Secretary shall provide 

13 loan guarantees and grants to agricultural pro14 ducers and rural small businesses— 

15 ‘‘(i) to purchase renewable energy sys16 tems, including— 

17 ‘‘(I) systems that may be used to 

18 produce and sell electricity, such as 

19 for agricultural or residential pur20 poses; and 

21 ‘‘(II) unique components of re22 newable energy systems; and 

23 ‘‘(ii) to make energy efficiency im24 provements. 

25 ‘‘(B) TIERED APPLICATION PROCESS.— 


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1 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In providing loan 

2 guarantees and grants under this sub3 section, the Secretary shall use a 3-tiered 

4 application process that reflects the sizes 

5 of proposed projects in accordance with 

6 this subparagraph. 

7 ‘‘(ii) TIER 1.—The Secretary shall es8 tablish a separate application process for 

9 projects for which the cost of the activity 

10 funded under this subsection is not more 

11 than $80,000. 

12 ‘‘(iii) TIER 2.—The Secretary shall 

13 establish a separate application process for 

14 projects for which the cost of the activity 

15 funded under this subsection is greater 

16 than $80,000 but less than $200,000. 

17 ‘‘(iv) TIER 3.—The Secretary shall es18 tablish a separate application process for 

19 projects for which the cost of the activity 

20 funded under this subsection is equal to or 

21 greater than $200,000. 

22 ‘‘(v) APPLICATION PROCESS.—The 

23 Secretary shall establish an application, 

24 evaluation, and oversight process that is 


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1 most simplified for tier I projects and more 

2 comprehensive for each subsequent tier.’’; 

3 (B) in paragraph (2)— 

4 (i) in subparagraph (C), by inserting 

5 ‘‘and public health’’ before ‘‘benefits’’; and 

6 (ii) by striking paragraph (F) and in7 serting the following: 

8 ‘‘(F) the natural resource conservation 

9 benefits of the renewable energy system; and’’; 

10 (C) in paragraph (3)— 

11 (i) in subparagraph (A), by inserting 

12 ‘‘in an amount not to exceed $100,000 per 

13 grant’’ after ‘‘in the form of grants’’; and 

14 (ii) by striking subparagraph (C); 

15 (D) in paragraph (4)(C), by striking ‘‘75 

16 percent of the cost’’ and inserting ‘‘all eligible 

17 costs’’; and 

18 (E) by adding at the end the following: 

19 ‘‘(5) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out this sec20 tion, the Secretary shall not require a second meter 

21 for on-farm residential portions of rural projects 

22 connected to the grid.’’; 

23 (3) in subsection (f)— 

24 (A) by striking ‘‘Not later’’ and inserting 

25 the following: 


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1 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later’’; and 

2 (B) by adding at the end the following: 

3 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT REPORT.—Not later than 4 

4 years after the date of enactment of this paragraph, 

5 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on 

6 activities carried out under this section, including 

7 the outcomes achieved by projects funded under this 

8 section.’’; and 

9 (4) in subsection (g)— 

10 (A) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking ‘‘for 

11 fiscal year 2012’’ and inserting ‘‘for each of fis12 cal years 2012 through 2017’’; and 

13 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

14 (i) by striking ‘‘this section 

15 $25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘this sec16 tion— 

17 ‘‘(A) $25,000,000’’; 

18 (ii) by striking the period at the end 

19 and inserting a ‘‘; and’’; and 

20 (iii) by adding at the end the fol21 lowing: 

22 ‘‘(B) $100,000,000 for each of fiscal years 

23 2013 through 2017.’’. 

Æ 


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