II 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 3472 

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

the adoption of technologies developed by the Department of Agriculture, 

to encourage small business partnerships in the development of energy 

through biorefineries, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

SEPTEMBER 11, 2008 

Mr. FEINGOLD 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 further the adoption of technologies developed 

by the Department of Agriculture, to encourage small 

business partnerships in the development of energy 

through biorefineries, and for other purposes. 

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 ‘‘Energy and Tech5 nology Advancement Act of 2008’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. FEDERAL ENERGY AND FORESTRY BUSINESS AS2 SISTANCE. 

3 Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 

4 Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding 

5 at the end the following: 

6 ‘‘SEC. 9014. FEDERAL ENERGY AND FORESTRY BUSINESS 

7 ASSISTANCE. 

8 ‘‘(a) SUPPORT FOR BUSINESS INCUBATORS.— 

9 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

10 ‘‘(A) BUSINESS INCUBATOR.—The term 

11 ‘business incubator’ means the programs and 

12 assistance designed to accelerate the successful 

13 development of new or existing small businesses 

14 through an array of support resources and serv15 ices, developed and managed by the Secretary. 

16 ‘‘(B) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘Depart17 ment’ means the Department of Agriculture. 

18 ‘‘(2) DUTY OF SECRETARY.—To further the 

19 adoption of technologies developed by the Depart20 ment, the Secretary shall establish criteria and pro21 cedures to facilitate and encourage businesses and 

22 other organizations— 

23 ‘‘(A) to rent equipment and property 

24 owned by the Federal Government for the de25 velopment of new and improved products and 


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1 processes (including the production of reason2 able quantities of product for sale); 

3 ‘‘(B) to authorize employees of the Depart4 ment and employees of the private sector to 

5 work together in experimental or production fa6 cilities owned by— 

7 ‘‘(i) the Federal Government; or 

8 ‘‘(ii) a private entity; 

9 ‘‘(C) to provide business support services 

10 to start-up and small businesses; and 

11 ‘‘(D) to enter into cooperative agreements 

12 with Indian tribes, States, counties, institutions 

13 of higher education, and other educational and 

14 governmental units to support business incuba15 tors for businesses that use technologies and 

16 products of interest to the Secretary. 

17 ‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT OF BIOREFINERY PILOT

18 PLANT.— 

19 ‘‘(1) DUTY OF SECRETARY.—Not later than 90 

20 days after the date of enactment of this section, in 

21 accordance with paragraph (2), the Secretary shall 

22 submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a 

23 plan for the development and construction of a bio24 refinery pilot plant. 


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1 ‘‘(2) COST ESTIMATES.—The Secretary shall in2 clude in the plan described in paragraph (1) a com3 prehensive estimate of each cost relating to the de4 velopment and construction of the biorefinery pilot 

5 plant that is the subject of the plan. 

6 ‘‘(3) DESIGN REQUIREMENTS.—The biorefinery 

7 pilot plant that is the subject of the plan described 

8 in paragraph (1) shall be designed to enable the 

9 plant— 

10 ‘‘(A) to produce liquid fuels from woody, 

11 agricultural, and other biomass— 

12 ‘‘(i) in a flexible, multi-bioproduct 

13 manner; 

14 ‘‘(ii) in a sustainable manner that ad15 dresses life-cycle inputs and outputs; and 

16 ‘‘(iii) in quantities sufficient— 

17 ‘‘(I) to provide proof of process; 

18 and 

19 ‘‘(II) to allow for business incu20 bator and support services described 

21 in subsection (a); and 

22 ‘‘(B) to employ, at a minimum, 

23 thermochemical and biochemical conversion 

24 processes in the production of liquid fuels. 


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1 ‘‘(c) FUNDING.—Of the amounts made available to 

2 the Secretary for programmatic and administrative ex3 penditures, the Secretary shall use such sums as are nec4 essary to carry out this section.’’. 

Æ 


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