American Farm Improvement Act of 2007

Bill: 110-hr-2656
Sponsor: Rep. Mahoney, Tim [D-FL-16]
Introduced: 2007-06-11 in the House
Policy area: Agriculture and Food
Subjects: Administrative procedure
Agricultural conservation
Agricultural prices
Agricultural subsidies
Agricultural wastes
Alcohol as fuel
Alternative energy sources
Biomass energy
Building construction
Cellulose
Commercialization
Construction costs
Department of Agriculture
Economics and Public Finance
Energy
Energy crops
Energy facilities
Energy research
Environmental Protection
Farm lands
Farmers
Federally-guaranteed loans
Government Operations and Politics
Government lending
Law
Oils and fats
Public Lands and Natural Resources
Refuse as fuel
Research and development
Science, Technology, Communications

Summary:
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: 
American Farm Improvement Act of 2007 - Amends the Food Security Act of 1985 to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to establish the Farmland Stewardship Process whose purposes shall be to: (1) enable conservation programs to be responsive to local and site-specific conditions; (2) reduce administrative procedures and costs; and (3) coordinate multiple conservation programs and develop a delivery mechanism which can be applied to individual owners, operators, or producers. Sets forth program provisions.
 
Directs the Secretary to: (1) enter into stewardship conservation agreements with owners, operators, and producers; and (2) make rural land stewardship implementation grants (from funds available for the farmland protection program).
 
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000, the Clean Air Act, the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, and Executive Order 13134 to harmonize specified definitions, including &quot;biomass,&quot; &quot;renewable biomass,&quot; &quot;cellulosic biomass,&quot; and &quot;cellulosic feedstock.&quot;
 
Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to authorize the Secretary to: (1) guarantee loans made by private institutions for construction of facilities to process and convert cellulosic biomass materials directly into alcohol-based fuels, bio-fuels, or other commercial products; and (2) make grants, loans, and loan guarantees to farm owners and tenants for the purchase and installation of equipment and the construction of facilities for processing animal wastes and byproducts into liquid fuel, energy, and other commercial products. 
 
Amends the Biomass Research and Development Act of 2000 to include the production of crops grown for cellulosic feedstock and biomass (energy crops) in the biomass research and development initiative.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2008-04-25
text: Executive Comment Requested from USDA.
action_date: 2008-04-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Conservation, Credit, Energy, and Research.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Science and Technology, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2007-06-11
text: Introduced in House