I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1273 

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

reauthorize and improve the Rural Energy for America Program. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MARCH 19, 2013 

Mr. WELCH (for himself and Mr. WALZ) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Agriculture 

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. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Rural Energy Improve5 ment Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RURAL ENERGY FOR AMERICA PROGRAM. 

7 Section 9007 of the Farm Security and Rural Invest8 ment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8107) is amended— 

9 (1) in subsection (c)— 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1273 IH

1 (A) by redesignating paragraphs (2), (3), 

2 and (4) as paragraphs (3), (4), and (5), respec3 tively; 

4 (B) by inserting after paragraph (1) the 

5 following new paragraph: 

6 ‘‘(2) TIERED APPLICATION PROCESS.—In car7 rying out this subsection, the Secretary shall estab8 lish a three-tiered application, evaluation, and over9 sight process that varies based on the cost of the 

10 proposed project with the process most simplified for 

11 projects referred to in subparagraph (A), more com12 prehensive for projects referred to in subparagraph 

13 (B), and most comprehensive for projects referred to 

14 in subparagraph (C). The three tiers for such proc15 ess shall be as follows: 

16 ‘‘(A) TIER 1.—Projects for which the cost 

17 of the project funded under this subsection is 

18 not more than $80,000. 

19 ‘‘(B) TIER 2.—Projects for which the cost 

20 of the project funded under this subsection is 

21 more than $80,000 but less than $200,000. 

22 ‘‘(C) TIER 3.—Projects for which the cost 

23 of the project funded under this subsection is 

24 $200,000 or more.’’; 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1273 IH

1 (C) in paragraph (3) (as redesignated by 

2 subparagraph (A)), by striking paragraph (F) 

3 and inserting the following new subparagraph: 

4 ‘‘(F) the natural resource conservation 

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

6 (D) in paragraph (4) (as so redesig7 nated)— 

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

9 ‘‘in amounts not to exceed $100,000 per 

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

11 (ii) by striking subparagraph (C); and 

12 (E) by adding at the end the following new 

13 paragraph: 

14 ‘‘(6) REQUIREMENT.—In carrying out this sub15 section, the Secretary shall not require a second 

16 meter for on-farm residential portions of rural 

17 projects connected to a power grid.’’; 

18 (2) in subsection (f)— 

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

20 the following: 

21 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later’’; and 

22 (B) by adding at the end the following new 

23 paragraph: 

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

25 years after the date of the enactment of the Rural 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1273 IH

1 Energy Improvement Act, the Secretary shall submit 

2 to Congress a report on activities carried out under 

3 this section, including the outcomes achieved by 

4 projects funded under this section.’’; and 

5 (3) in subsection (g)— 

6 (A) in paragraph (1)(D), by striking 

7 ‘‘2012’’ and inserting ‘‘2012 and for each of 

8 fiscal years 2014 through 2018’’; and 

9 (B) in paragraph (3)— 

10 (i) by striking ‘‘this section 

11 $25,000,000’’ and inserting ‘‘this sec12 tion— 

13 ‘‘(A) $25,000,000’’; 

14 (ii) at the end of subparagraph (A) 

15 (as designated by clause (i)), by striking 

16 the period and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

17 (iii) by adding at the end the fol18 lowing new subparagraph: 

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

20 2014 through 2018.’’. 

Æ 


srobinson on DSK4SPTVN1PROD with BILLS