II
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 3472
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.
Short title
This Act may be cited as
the Energy and Technology Advancement
Act of 2008
.
Federal energy and forestry business assistance
Title IX of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following:
Federal energy and forestry business assistance
Support for business incubators
Definitions
In this subsection:
Business incubator
The term business incubator means the programs and assistance designed to accelerate the successful development of new or existing small businesses through an array of support resources and services, developed and managed by the Secretary.
Department
The term Department means the Department of Agriculture.
Duty of Secretary
To further the adoption of technologies developed by the Department, the Secretary shall establish criteria and procedures to facilitate and encourage businesses and other organizations—
to rent equipment and property owned by the Federal Government for the development of new and improved products and processes (including the production of reasonable quantities of product for sale);
to authorize employees of the Department and employees of the private sector to work together in experimental or production facilities owned by—
the Federal Government; or
a private entity;
to provide business support services to start-up and small businesses; and
to enter into cooperative agreements with Indian tribes, States, counties, institutions of higher education, and other educational and governmental units to support business incubators for businesses that use technologies and products of interest to the Secretary.
Establishment of biorefinery pilot plant
Duty of Secretary
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, in accordance with paragraph (2), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a plan for the development and construction of a biorefinery pilot plant.
Cost estimates
The Secretary shall include in the plan described in paragraph (1) a comprehensive estimate of each cost relating to the development and construction of the biorefinery pilot plant that is the subject of the plan.
Design requirements
The biorefinery pilot plant that is the subject of the plan described in paragraph (1) shall be designed to enable the plant—
to produce liquid fuels from woody, agricultural, and other biomass—
in a flexible, multi-bioproduct manner;
in a sustainable manner that addresses life-cycle inputs and outputs; and
in quantities sufficient—
to provide proof of process; and
to allow for business incubator and support services described in subsection (a); and
to employ, at a minimum, thermochemical and biochemical conversion processes in the production of liquid fuels.
Funding
Of the amounts made available to the Secretary for programmatic and administrative expenditures, the Secretary shall use such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.
.