12 2 STA T . 12 40PUBLIC LA W 110 – 2 3 4 —M A Y 22 , 200 8‘ ‘ (i i )eng inee r ing a n d re s ear chk n owl edge rela t ing to b io fu els or the p roduction of inputs for biofuel production
‘‘( B ) the range of species t y pes and cropping practices proposed for study (including species types and practices studied using side - by-side co m parisons of those types and practices); ‘‘( C ) the need for regional di v ersity among feedstocks; ‘‘( D ) the importance of developing multiyear data rel- evant to the production of biomass feedstock crops; ‘‘( E )thee x tent to which the pro j ect involves direct participation of agricultural producers; ‘‘( F ) the extent to which the project proposal includes a plan or commitment to use the biomass produced as part of the project in commercial channels; and ‘‘( G ) such other factors as the S ecretary may determine . ‘‘(d) E NERGY -E F F IC IENCY R E S E A RC H AN D E XT ENSI O N A REAS. —O n-farm energy-efficiency research and extension activities funded under the I nitiative shall focus on developing and demonstrating technologies and production practices relating to— ‘‘( 1 ) improving on-farm renewable energy production; ‘‘( 2 ) encouraging efficient on-farm energy use; ‘‘( 3 ) promoting on-farm energy conservation; ‘‘( 4 ) making a farm or ranch energy-neutral; and ‘‘( 5 ) enhancing on-farm usage of advanced technologies to promote energy efficiency. ‘‘(e) BEST P RACTICES DATA B ASE.— T he Secretary shall develop a best-practices database that includes information , to be available to the public, on— ‘‘(1) the production potential of a variety of biomass crops; and ‘‘(2) best practices for production, collection, harvesting, storage, and transportation of biomass crops to be used as a source of bioenergy. ‘‘(f) AD M INISTRATION.— ‘‘(1) IN GENERA L .—Paragraphs (4), ( 7 ),( 8 ), and (11)(B) of subsection (b) of the Competitive, Special, and Facilities Research Grant Act (7 U .S.C. 45 0 i(b)) shall apply with respect to making grants under this section. ‘‘(2) CONS U LTATION AND COORDINATION.—The Secretary shall— ‘‘(A) make the grants in consultation with the N ational Agricultural Research, Extension, Education, and Economics Advisory Board; and ‘‘(B) coordinate projects and activities carried out under the Initiative with projects and activities under section 9 008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 to ensure, to the maximum extent practicable, that— ‘‘(i) unnecessary duplication of effort is eliminated or minimi z ed; and ‘‘(ii) the respective strengths of the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Energy are appropriately used. ‘‘(3) GRANT P RIORITY.—The Secretary shall give priority to grant applications that integrate research and extension activities established under subsections (c) and (d), respectively. Grants.Ap p lic a b ilit y . Pu blic in fo r m ation.
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