NSAC Archives for the 'Renewable Energy / Climate Change' Category
House Agriculture Subcommittee Hearing on Farm Bill Energy Title
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012
On Friday, May 18, the Subcommittee on Conservation, Energy, and Forestry of the House Agriculture Committee held a hearing that included testimony on the next Farm Bill’s Energy Title. This is the final hearing in a series of Farm Bill hearings held in Washington D.C. by House Agriculture Subcommittees that featured farmers, ranchers, agricultural organizations, Read the Rest…
Path to the 2012 Farm Bill: Senate Markup – Energy Title
Tuesday, May 1st, 2012
Note to Readers — This is the sixth in a series of posts on the 2012 Farm Bill reported out of the Senate Agriculture Committee on April 26. Major action on the Farm Bill’s Energy Title was mostly about money as the Senate Agriculture Committee marked up the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act – Read the Rest…
House Sets Government Funding Allocations
Wednesday, April 25th, 2012
On April 19, we reported that the Senate Appropriations Committee had approved discretionary spending allocations for the coming 2013 fiscal year. The size of the total spending pie, as laid out by the Committee, was completely consistent with the levels set by law in the Budget Control Act of 2011. Today, the House Appropriations Committee Read the Rest…
Path to the Farm Bill: House Budget Complicates Farm Bill, but Senate Committee Will Begin Anyway
Friday, March 30th, 2012
On Thursday, March 29, the House approved the FY 13 Budget Resolution introduced by Budget Committee Chair Paul Ryan (R-WI) by a 228-191 vote, with all Democrats and 10 Republicans voting no. The budget resolution will not be taken up by the Senate and hence will only control spending actions in the House. The resolution Read the Rest…
Path to the Farm Bill: Senator Harkin Introduces Rural Energy Investment Act
Friday, March 30th, 2012
On Thursday, March 29, Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced the Rural Energy Investment Act (S. 2270) which would reauthorize and provide mandatory funding for several programs in the Farm Bill’s Energy Title. The bill would provide $1.285 billion in farm bill mandatory funding over five years, including support for two farmer-based programs (see below) plus Read the Rest…
Senate Subcommittee Holds Hearing on FY 2013 Agriculture Appropriations; NSAC Delivers FY 2013 Appropriations Testimony to Senate
Friday, March 30th, 2012
On Thursday, March 29, the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held its first hearing on USDA’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget request. The Subcommittee will consider USDA’s requests as it writes its funding bill for the year. Individual funding requests by Senators and outside groups were also due yesterday. You can download and read our FY Read the Rest…
Congressional Briefing on Perennial Biomass Crops in the 2012 Farm Bill
Thursday, March 29th, 2012
On Monday, March 26th, the Environmental and Energy Study Institute hosted a congressional briefing entitled Conservation, Energy Security and Jobs with Biomass Crops? – A Question for the Next Farm Bill. The briefing focused on how the establishment of perennial biomass crops can increase both environmental quality and economic opportunities in rural America. Presentation slides Read the Rest…
Bill to Improve Rural Energy for America Program Introduced
Friday, March 23rd, 2012
On Thursday, Senators Al Franken (D-MN) and Tom Harkin (D-IA) introduced Senate Bill 2225 that reauthorizes and amends the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP). REAP provides agricultural producers and rural businesses with grants and loans for renewable energy and energy efficiency projects. The Program also provides grant funding for energy audits and renewable energy Read the Rest…
USDA Report on Rural Energy for America Program Achievements
Thursday, March 22nd, 2012
This week, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack released a report entitled The Impact of the Rural Energy for America Program on Promoting Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. The Report summarizes the energy efficiency and renewable energy projects funded by the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) over the last three years, 2009 through 2011. It also Read the Rest…
House Holds Agriculture Appropriations Hearings
Wednesday, March 14th, 2012
Earlier this month, the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee held a series of four hearings on the Obama Administration’s fiscal year (FY) 2013 budget request for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The hearings precede and are meant to inform the markup of a FY 2013 agriculture appropriations bill. The four hearings covered the President’s budget Read the Rest…
