The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Agriculture has passed its version of the 2012 Farm Bill, the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act. However, this version lacks mandatory energy title funds.
Biomass Magazine reports, “Most energy title programs such as the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and the Rural Energy for America Program retained funding in FARRM, as they did in the Senate version. Significantly contrasting from the Senate bill, however, the House allotted only discretionary funding for the programs and no mandatory funding, an $800 million loss in guaranteed federal support.”
An amendment to reinstate it was rejected.
“As passed, FARRM slates $75 million for the Biorefinery Assistance Program, $50 million for the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels, $75 million for the Biomass Crop Assistance Program and $45 million for the Rural Energy for America Program, with minor changes to some program aspects, aside from axing mandatory funding. This includes the elimination of collection, harvest, transport and storage payments for BCAP, the elimination of feasibility studies for REAP and the elimination of grant payments for the Biorefinery Assistance Program.”
To read the Senate’s version of energy title programs, click here.
To read the full article, click here.
This article posted July 12, 2012.
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