View all text of Part A [§ 15851 - § 15855]
§ 15855. Grants to improve the commercial value of forest biomass for electric energy, useful heat, transportation fuels, and other commercial purposes
(a) DefinitionsIn this section:
(1) BiomassThe term “biomass” means nonmerchantable materials or precommercial thinnings that are byproducts of preventive treatments, such as trees, wood, brush, thinnings, chips, and slash, that are removed—
(A) to reduce hazardous fuels;
(B) to reduce or contain disease or insect infestation; or
(C) to restore forest health.
(2) Indian tribe
(3) Nonmerchantable
(4) PersonThe term “person” includes—
(A) an individual;
(B) a community (as determined by the Secretary concerned);
(C) an Indian tribe;
(D) a small business or a corporation that is incorporated in the United States; and
(E) a nonprofit organization.
(5) Preferred communityThe term “preferred community” means—
(A) any Indian tribe;
(B) any town, township, municipality, or other similar unit of local government (as determined by the Secretary concerned) that—
(i) has a population of not more than 50,000 individuals; and
(ii) the Secretary concerned, in the sole discretion of the Secretary concerned, determines contains or is located near Federal or Indian land, the condition of which is at significant risk of catastrophic wildfire, disease, or insect infestation or which suffers from disease or insect infestation; or
(C) any county that—
(i) is not contained within a metropolitan statistical area; and
(ii) the Secretary concerned, in the sole discretion of the Secretary concerned, determines contains or is located near Federal or Indian land, the condition of which is at significant risk of catastrophic wildfire, disease, or insect infestation or which suffers from disease or insect infestation.
(6) Secretary concerned
(b) Biomass commercial use grant program
(1) In general
(2) Grant amounts
(3) Monitoring of grant recipient activities
(c) Improved biomass use grant program
(1) In general
(2) SelectionThe Secretary concerned shall select a grant recipient under paragraph (1) after giving consideration to—
(A) the anticipated public benefits of the project, including the potential to develop thermal or electric energy resources or affordable energy;
(B) opportunities for the creation or expansion of small businesses and micro-businesses;
(C) the potential for new job creation;
(D) the potential for the project to improve efficiency or develop cleaner technologies for biomass utilization; and
(E) the potential for the project to reduce the hazardous fuels from the areas in greatest need of treatment.
(3) Grant amount
(d) Authorization of appropriations
(e) ReportNot later than October 1, 2010, the Secretary of Agriculture, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, and the Committee on Resources, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Agriculture of the House of Representatives, a report describing the results of the grant programs authorized by this section. The report shall include the following:
(1) An identification of the size, type, and use of biomass by persons that receive grants under this section.
(2) The distance between the land from which the biomass was removed and the facility that used the biomass.
(3) The economic impacts, particularly new job creation, resulting from the grants to and operation of the eligible operations.
(Pub. L. 109–58, title II, § 210, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 658; Pub. L. 109–375, § 6, Dec. 1, 2006, 120 Stat. 2658.)