On September 20, 2007, Under Secretary for Rural Development Thomas Dorr announced that 345 proposals had been selected to receive a total of $18.2 million in loan guarantees and grants from the US Agriculture Department’s (USDA) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency program (Sec. 9006 of the 2002 Farm Bill (P.L. 107-171). These awards are the last installment of the Sec. 9006 awards for FY07.

Read More

On September 18, 2007, the U.S. Forest Service announced a request for grant proposals for projects relating to the utilization of woody biomass from National Forest System Lands. The Woody Biomass Utilization Grant Program was established as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to aid in forest restoration activities by using and creating markets for small-diameter material and low-value trees removed as part of restoration operations, including hazardous fuels reduction treatments and treatments to reduce insect and disease outbreaks.

Read More

On September 14, 2007, the USDA announced a public comment period for a proposed rule change. The rule change would combine four existing guaranteed loan programs; Community Facility, Water and Waste Disposal, Business and Industry, and Renewable Energy Systems and Energy Efficiency Improvement Programs; into a unified loan platform for enhanced delivery of these programs.

Read More

On September 11, 2007, the U.S. Climate Change Science Program and USDA posted the second draft of a report on the impacts of climate change: “Synthesis and Assessment Product (SAP) 4.3: The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity.” All comments received during the 45-day public comment period will be considered during preparation of the third draft.

Read More

On August 28, 2007, the Department of Energy announced that they will provide up to $33.8 million, for FY08-11, to support research and development of enzyme commercialization, specifically of “hydrolytic enzymes or enzyme system preparations that can effectively saccharify pretreated lignocellulosics to produce fermentable sugars under process relevant conditions”.

Read More

On July 27, 2007, the House of Representatives passed, with a of vote 231-191,The Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (H.R. 2419). The bill includes new investments in conservation, nutrition, specialty crops (fruit and vegetable) and energy production.

Read More

On June 11, 2007, the Departments of Energy and Agriculture announced that they will provide up to $18 million, for FY07, to support research and development of biobased products, biofuels, bioenergy and related processes.

Read More

On May 11, 2007, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute released, The 2007 Farm Bill: Policy Recommendations for Integrated Renewable Energy Production, this is an update to their 2001 farm bill recommendations, The 2002 Farm Bill: Revitalizing the Farm Economy Through Renewable Energy Development.

Read More

On May 1, 2007, Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Samuel W. Bodman announced that the DOE will provide up to $200 million, from FY07 to FY11, to support the development of small-scale, (at ten percent of commercial scale), cellulosic biorefineries in the United States.

Read More

On April 16, 2007, the Rural Business-Cooperative Service at the US Department of Agriculture announced the availability of approximately $19.3 million for Value-Added Producer Grants (Sec. 6401 of the 2002 Farm Bill).

Read More