Sustainable Bioenergy, Farms, and Forests - January 17, 2014 | Newsletter

A weekly look at sustainable bioenergy, farm, and forest policy issues

January 17, 2014

Bioenergy and Agriculture Funding Affected by Omnibus Spending Bill

On Thursday, January 16, the Senate voted 72-26 to pass the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2014 (H.R. 3547), also known as the omnibus spending bill, to fund the government through the end of this fiscal year. On Wednesday, the House voted similarly, 359-67 on the draft introduced earlier this week by House Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Member Barbara Mikulski (D-MD).

Upcoming Events: USDA Farm to Fleet Industry Day and DOE Bioenergy Technologies Office

On January 30, the USDA will host an industry day for the newly established Farm to Fleet program. Under the Navy Biofuels program established through the Defense Production Act Title III, the USDA is required to support one-third of the total $510 million program. Through the Farm to Fleet program, the USDA will commit Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) funds to purchase 70 million gallons of JP-5 or F-76 fuel for the Navy from biofuel blends ranging up to 50 percent. If biofuels meeting these specifications have a higher cost than the bulk fuel purchase made by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), CCC funds will be used to offset this price difference and result in an overall price-equivalent biofuel portion of the total 700 million gallons of JP-5 and F-76 to be purchased in this round of contracts.

Funding Opportunities of Interest

EESI discusses the opportunities for funding in the various government agencies: Department of Energy, Department of the Interior, Department of the Navy, Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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