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pane, or kerosene occurring on or after January 1, 
2005. 
‘‘(C) Any loan or guarantee extended pursuant 
to this paragraph shall be made at the same interest 
rate as economic injury loans under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(D) No loan may be made under this para-
graph, either directly or in cooperation with banks or 
other lending institutions through agreements to par-
ticipate on an immediate or deferred basis, if the 
total amount outstanding and committed to the bor-
rower under this subsection would exceed $1,500,000, 
unless such borrower constitutes a major source of em-
ployment in its surrounding area, as determined by 
the Administration, in which case the Administra-
tion, in its discretion, may waive the $1,500,000 lim-
itation. 
‘‘(E) For purposes of assistance under this para-
graph— 
‘‘(i) a declaration of a disaster area based 
on conditions specified in this paragraph shall 
be required, and shall be made by the President 
or the Administrator; or 
‘‘(ii) if no declaration has been made pursu-
ant to clause (i), the Governor of a State in 
which a significant increase in the price of heat-
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ing oil, natural gas, gasoline, propane, or ker-
osene has occurred may certify to the Adminis-
tration that small business concerns have suf-
fered economic injury as a result of such increase 
and are in need of financial assistance which is 
not otherwise available on reasonable terms in 
that State, and upon receipt of such certifi-
cation, the Administration may make such loans 
as would have been available under this para-
graph if a disaster declaration had been issued. 
‘‘(F) Notwithstanding any other provision of 
law, loans made under this paragraph may be used 
by a small business concern described in subpara-
graph (B) to convert from the use of heating oil, nat-
ural gas, gasoline, propane, or kerosene to a renew-
able or alternative energy source, including agri-
culture and urban waste, geothermal energy, cogen-
eration, solar energy, wind energy, or fuel cells.’’. 
(B) CONFORMING
AMENDMENTS.—Section 
3(k) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 
632(k)) is amended— 
(i) by inserting ‘‘, significant increase 
in the price of heating oil, natural gas, gas-
oline, propane, or kerosene’’ after ‘‘civil dis-
orders’’; and
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(ii) by inserting ‘‘other’’ before ‘‘eco-
nomic’’. 
(C) REPORT.—Not later than 12 months 
after the date on which the Administrator of the 
Small Business Administration issues guidelines 
under paragraph (3)(A), and annually there-
after, the Administrator shall submit to the Com-
mittee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship 
of the Senate and the Committee on Small Busi-
ness of the House of Representatives, a report on 
the effectiveness of the assistance made available 
under section 7(b)(5) of the Small Business Act, 
as added by this subsection, including— 
(i) the number of small business con-
cerns that applied for a loan under that sec-
tion 7(b)(5) and the number of those that 
received such loans; 
(ii) the dollar value of those loans; 
(iii) the States in which the small 
business concerns that received such loans 
are located; 
(iv) the type of energy that caused the 
significant increase in the cost for the par-
ticipating small business concerns; and
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(v) recommendations for ways to im-
prove the assistance provided under that 
section 7(b)(5), if any. 
(D) EFFECTIVE
DATE.—The amendments 
made by this paragraph shall apply during the 
4-year period beginning on the earlier of the date 
on which guidelines are published by the Admin-
istrator of the Small Business Administration 
under paragraph (3), or 30 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act, with respect to assist-
ance under section 7(b)(5) of the Small Business 
Act, as added by this paragraph. 
(2) FARM ENERGY EMERGENCY RELIEF.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—Section 321(a) of the 
Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act 
(7 U.S.C. 1961(a)) is amended— 
(i) in the first sentence— 
(I) by striking ‘‘operations have’’ 
and inserting ‘‘operations (i) have’’; 
and 
(II) by inserting before ‘‘: Pro-
vided,’’ the following: ‘‘, or (ii)(I) are 
owned or operated by such an appli-
cant that is also a small business con-
cern (as defined in section 3 of the
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Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)), 
and (II) have suffered or are likely to 
suffer substantial economic injury on 
or after January 1, 2005, as the result 
of a significant increase in energy costs 
or input costs from energy sources oc-
curring on or after January 1, 2005, 
in connection with an energy emer-
gency declared by the President or the 
Secretary’’; 
(ii) in the third sentence, by inserting 
before the period at the end the following: 
‘‘or by an energy emergency declared by the 
President or the Secretary’’; and 
(iii) in the fourth sentence— 
(I) by inserting ‘‘or energy emer-
gency’’ after ‘‘natural disaster’’ each 
place that term appears; and 
(II) by inserting ‘‘or declaration’’ 
after ‘‘emergency designation’’. 
(B) FUNDING.—Funds available on the date 
of enactment of this Act for emergency loans 
under subtitle C of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1961 et seq.) 
shall be available to carry out the amendments