H0001B0072A05836 SS1 DMS:DM 02/11/08 #90 A05836 AMENDMENTS TO HOUSE BILL NO. 1 (SP.SESS. NO. 1) Sponsor: REPRESENTATIVE TURZAI Printer's No. 72 1 Amend Title, page 1, lines 1 through 10, by striking out all 2 of said lines and inserting 3 Providing for the deployment of energy efficiency measures and 4 the development of alternative energy sources; establishing 5 the Energy Savings Fund; providing for funding to the Ben 6 Franklin Technology Development Authority, to an energy- 7 efficient home assistance program, to a small business energy 8 savings loan program, to the Low-Income Home Energy 9 Weatherization Improvement Plan and to improving energy 10 efficiency in agricultural operations; and establishing the 11 Small Business Energy Savings Loan Fund. 12 Amend Bill, page 1, lines 13 through 19; pages 2 through 29, 13 lines 1 through 30; page 30, lines 1 through 24, by striking out 14 all of said lines on said pages and inserting 15 CHAPTER 1 16 PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS 17 Section 101. Short title. 18 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Energy 19 Savings Act. 20 Section 102. Definitions. 21 The following words and phrases when used in this act shall 22 have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 23 context clearly indicates otherwise: 24 "Fund." The Energy Savings Fund established under section 25 103. 26 Section 103. Energy Savings Fund. 27 (a) Establishment.--The Energy Savings Fund is established 28 in the State Treasury. The moneys of the fund are hereby 29 appropriated on a continuing basis to the Governor for the 30 purposes set forth in this act. 31 (b) Funding.--The fund shall consist of the moneys 32 transferred under subsection (c) and any interest earned on such 33 moneys while in the fund. 34 (c) Annual transfer.--The Governor may transfer up to 35 $25,000,000 from the State Stores Fund to the Energy Savings 36 Fund each fiscal year beginning July 1, 2008, through and
1 including July 1, 2018. 2 CHAPTER 3 3 BEN FRANKLIN TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY 4 Section 301. Alternative energy program funding. 5 (a) Allocation of funds.--The Governor shall allocate the 6 sum of $4,000,000 from the fund to the Ben Franklin Technology 7 Development Authority. Funds under this subsection shall be 8 distributed by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority 9 to the Ben Franklin Technology Partners for energy-related 10 investments to support early-stage activities, including 11 incubator support services, management support, translational 12 research, early-stage research of other programs or 13 administrative activities to develop and implement alternative 14 energy technologies. The Ben Franklin Technology Development 15 Authority shall distribute the allocated funds equally among the 16 Ben Franklin Technology Partners. 17 (b) Guidelines.--The allocated funds shall be used in 18 accordance with guidelines of the Ben Franklin Technology 19 Development Authority Board. The guidelines shall seek to ensure 20 that minority-owned, women-owned and other disadvantaged 21 businesses have the opportunity to substantially participate in 22 funding activities undertaken pursuant to this section. The 23 guidelines shall be posted on the Ben Franklin Technology 24 Development Authority's Internet website. 25 (c) Application.--An applicant for funds under this section 26 shall submit an application, including any supporting 27 information, as required by the Ben Franklin Technology 28 Development Authority. 29 (d) Administrative costs.--No more than 1% of the funds 30 allocated to the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority 31 shall be used for administrative costs. 32 (e) Reporting.--The Ben Franklin Technology Development 33 Authority shall provide an annual report to the chairman and 34 minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the Senate 35 and the chairman and minority chairman of the Appropriations 36 Committee of the House of Representatives. The report shall be 37 posted and maintained on the Ben Franklin Technology Development 38 Authority's Internet website. The report shall include a list of 39 all funds distributed under subsection (a), the recipients of 40 the funds, the technology to be developed, a description of how 41 the investments of the partners through this program will save 42 energy in this Commonwealth and other details relating to the 43 project. 44 CHAPTER 5 45 ENERGY-EFFICIENT HOME ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 46 Section 501. Program funding. 47 (a) Allocation.--The Governor shall allocate the sum of 48 $5,000,000 annually from the fund to the Pennsylvania Housing 49 Finance Agency to operate a pilot program commencing July 1 of 50 the first fiscal year in which the pilot program is expressly 51 provided for by an act of the General Assembly. The pilot 52 program shall award grants of up to $5,000 to homebuyers to 53 offset closing costs or down payment assistance, including, but 54 not limited to, the mortgage rate buy-down for homes that meet 55 the criteria under section 503 for energy efficiency or 56 alternative energy systems, or both. 57 (b) Grants.-- 58 (1) Two thousand five hundred dollars of a grant issued 59 under this chapter may be provided to the purchaser of a home HB0001A05836 - 2 -
1 that exceeds the energy and water conservation requirements 2 set by the act of November 10, 1999 (P.L.491, No.45), known 3 as the Pennsylvania Construction Code Act, and achieves and 4 Energy Star label certified by a Home Energy Rating System 5 rater. 6 (2) An additional grant amount of $2,500 may be provided 7 to the purchaser of a home that incorporates an alternative 8 energy generating system in its design. These systems 9 include, but are not limited to, photovoltaic solar energy 10 systems, solar hot water heater systems, wind turbine energy 11 systems, passive solar energy systems or geothermal heat pump 12 systems. 13 (3) Evidence shall be provided by the grantee to 14 document to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency that the 15 alternative energy generating system was properly designed 16 and installed to maximize the energy output or energy savings 17 potential of the system. 18 (4) The grant shall be a separate product attached to 19 other mortgage products to assist with offsetting the closing 20 costs or down payment assistance for the grant. 21 Section 502. Grant repayment. 22 (a) General rule.--A grant issued under this chapter may not 23 be required to be repaid to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance 24 Agency if the home is owned by the grantee for a minimum period 25 of five years after the closing date on the home. 26 (b) Recapture.--In the event the grantee relinquishes the 27 home in less than five years from the closing date on the home, 28 the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall recapture one- 29 fifth of the grant for each succeeding year up to the five-year 30 minimum. 31 Section 503. Eligibility. 32 In order to be eligible for a grant under this chapter: 33 (1) The home must be the primary residence of the 34 grantee. 35 (2) The home must be new construction with no prior 36 occupants. 37 (3) The maximum income of the grantee may not exceed 38 150% of the Statewide median income for one-member households 39 or 200% of the Statewide median income for two or more member 40 households. 41 Section 504. Participating lenders. 42 The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall offer the grant 43 through participating lenders of the agency as well as other 44 independent lending institutions. 45 Section 505. Program guidelines. 46 Within 60 days of the effective date of this section, the 47 Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall adopt initial program 48 guidelines for the implementation of this chapter and may revise 49 the guidelines whenever appropriate. 50 Section 506. Report to General Assembly. 51 The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency shall, within 60 days 52 of the conclusion of the pilot program, submit a written report 53 to the General Assembly on the implementation of the program. 54 The report shall include, at a minimum: 55 (1) The number of new home buyers assisted through the 56 program. 57 (2) The number and type of financial assistance 58 provided, including a breakdown of the grants issued pursuant 59 to section 501(b). HB0001A05836 - 3 -
1 (3) The agency's overall assessment of the program and a 2 recommendation to continue the program, continue the program 3 with modifications or discontinue the program. 4 CHAPTER 7 5 SMALL BUSINESS ENERGY SAVINGS LOAN PROGRAM 6 Section 701. Scope of chapter. 7 This chapter authorizes a small business energy savings loan 8 program. 9 Section 702. Definitions. 10 The following words and phrases when used in this chapter 11 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 12 context clearly indicates otherwise: 13 "Boiler." A self-contained, fuel-burning appliance of less 14 than 300,000 BTUs per hour energy input, for supplying low- 15 pressure steam or hot water for space heating applications that 16 provide hot water for domestic use that has an Annual Fuel 17 Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating of 85 or higher. 18 "Building envelope improvements." The term includes the 19 following items or combination of items: 20 (1) Compact fluorescent lighting. 21 (2) Door of an entry or exit system, including the door 22 leaf and frame, where applicable, and which is Energy Star 23 rated. 24 (3) Insulation which has the primary purpose of 25 insulating, including floor, ceiling, wall or duct insulation 26 used to retrofit an existing building. 27 (4) Lighting controls which include an occupancy sensor, 28 photocell or timer. 29 (5) Reflective white roof coating consisting of a white, 30 acrylic elastometric roof coating applied to the roof of a 31 building and used to deflect solar radiation and aid in 32 reducing indoor air temperature. 33 (6) Window or skylight designed for installation in an 34 external wall of a building to allow for views and natural 35 daylighting and that is Energy Star rated, regardless of 36 whether it is fixed or operable. 37 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic 38 Development of the Commonwealth. 39 "Eligible expense." The cost of an air-source heat pump, 40 which is an air-source unitary heat pump model consisting of one 41 or more factory-made assemblies which include an indoor 42 conditioning coil, compressor and outdoor coil, including a 43 means to provide a heating function and that: 44 (1) provides the function of air heating with controlled 45 temperature; 46 (2) may include the functions of air cooling, air 47 circulation, air cleaning, dehumidifying or humidifying; 48 (3) may be a single packaged system, where there is only 49 one assembly or, for a split system, where there are two; and 50 (4) at a minimum contains an Energy Star rating of: 51 Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF), 7.6; Energy 52 Efficiency Ratio (EER), 10.5; and a Seasonal Energy 53 Efficiency Ratio (SEER), 12 or higher; and for a split 54 system, Heating Seasonal Performance Factor (HSPF), 8. 55 "Employee" or "employees." An individual or group of 56 individuals employed by a small business. The term also includes 57 a sole proprietor. 58 "Furnace." A heating unit which has as its function the 59 combustion of fossil fuel for space heating with forced hot air HB0001A05836 - 4 -
1 that: 2 (1) includes a burner, heat exchanger, blower and 3 connection to a heating duct; 4 (2) provides hot water for domestic use; and 5 (3) at a minimum, contains an Annual Fuel Utilization 6 Efficiency (AFUE) of 90 or higher. 7 "Geothermal heat pump." Equipment that uses the thermal 8 energy of the ground or groundwater as the heat source and heat 9 sink for residential space heating or cooling, or both, that may 10 provide both space heating and cooling, cooling only or heating 11 only functions and that: 12 (1) consists of one or more factory-made assemblies that 13 normally include an indoor conditioning coil with air-moving 14 means, compressor and refrigerant to fluid a heat exchanger; 15 (2) provides a partial or all of the domestic water 16 heating through the use of a desuperheater, integrated demand 17 water heater or a separately installed compressor that 18 provides demand water heating; 19 (3) includes all the equipment and connections from the 20 point at which the ground heat exchanger enters the house, 21 except for indoor equipment that was installed by someone not 22 representing the manufacturer or manufacturer's 23 representative, such as the ground heat exchanger installer; 24 and 25 (4) at a minimum, contains an Energy Star rating of: 26 Energy Efficiency Ratio (EER), 14.1; Coefficient of 27 Performance (COP), 3.3 for Closed Loop Systems; Energy 28 Efficiency Ratio (EER) 16.2, Coefficient of Performance 29 (COP), 3.6 for Open Loop Systems; and Energy Efficiency Ratio 30 (EER) 15, Coefficient of Performance (COP), 3.5 for Direct 31 Expansion Systems. 32 "Program." The small business energy savings loan program. 33 "Small business." An employer who, on at least 50% of its 34 working days during the taxable year, employed fewer than 100 35 employees. 36 Section 703. Small business energy savings loan program. 37 A small business energy savings loan program is established 38 and shall be administered by the department. The program shall 39 provide loans to eligible small businesses for energy efficiency 40 projects. 41 Section 704. Qualified businesses. 42 (a) Eligibility.--In order to qualify for an energy savings 43 loan under this chapter, a business must meet the criteria for a 44 small business. 45 (b) Applications.--An individual may submit an application 46 to the department requesting a loan. The application shall be on 47 the form required by the department and shall include or 48 demonstrate all of the following: 49 (1) The applicant's name and address. 50 (2) The identity of the approved contractor who will 51 complete the energy efficiency project. 52 (3) A description of the energy efficiency project and 53 an estimate of the cost of the project, including an itemized 54 list of project costs, prepared by the approved contractor 55 identified under paragraph (2). 56 (4) The amount of the loan sought. 57 (5) A statement authorizing the agency to conduct a 58 credit history check. 59 (6) Any other information required by the department. HB0001A05836 - 5 -
1 (c) Review of project financing applications.--The 2 department shall review the application to determine if: 3 (1) The project is eligible for financing under this 4 program. 5 (2) The applicant is eligible to receive a loan under 6 this program. 7 (3) The value of the proposed collateral and the 8 financial resources of the applicant are sufficient to repay 9 the loan. 10 (4) The statement of the estimated cost of the project 11 is accurate and reasonable. 12 (5) The applicant complied with all other criteria 13 established by the department. 14 (d) Approval of loan applications.--Once the application is 15 deemed complete, the department may approve the application. The 16 department shall have complete discretion in determining whether 17 a proposed energy efficiency project is eligible for a loan. 18 (e) Security.--All loans awarded under this chapter shall be 19 secured by a lien on the property for which the loan was 20 approved and other sufficient collateral as determined by the 21 department. 22 (f) Limitations.-- 23 (1) An applicant may not apply for a loan in an amount 24 less than $1,000 nor more than $10,000. 25 (2) The department shall not require a loan to be repaid 26 in full within any period up to six months of the loan 27 closing date. 28 (3) The interest rate shall be a below-market, fixed 29 interest rate, as determined by the department. 30 (4) The loan repayment period may not exceed ten years 31 with no prepayment penalty. 32 Section 705. Approved contractors. 33 (a) General rule.--No contractor may undertake, offer to 34 undertake or agree to perform any energy efficiency project to 35 be financed by a loan issued under this program unless the 36 contractor is approved by the department. 37 (b) Application for enrollment.--A contractor may apply to 38 become an approved contractor by filing an application with the 39 department. The application shall be on the form prescribed by 40 the department and shall include or demonstrate all of the 41 following: 42 (1) For an individual applicant, the name, home address, 43 home telephone number and driver's license identification 44 number of the applicant or an identification card issued by 45 the Department of Transportation, as well as the individual's 46 business name, address and telephone number if different, and 47 all prior business names and addresses of the businesses. 48 (2) For a partnership applicant, the name, home address, 49 home telephone number and driver's license identification 50 number of each partner, as well as the partnership name, 51 address and telephone number. 52 (3) For a corporation, limited liability company or 53 limited partnership applicant, the name, home address, home 54 telephone number and driver's license identification number 55 of each officer, director or individual holding greater than 56 a 5% share in the business, as well as the entity's business 57 name, address and telephone number. 58 (4) For an out-of-State corporation, limited liability 59 company or limited partnership, the name and address of the HB0001A05836 - 6 -
1 entity's resident agent or registered office provider within 2 this Commonwealth and any registration number or license 3 number issued to the entity by its state of incorporation or 4 political subdivision of the other state, if applicable. 5 (5) For a joint venture applicant, the name, address and 6 telephone number of the joint venture, as well as the name, 7 address and telephone number of each party to the joint 8 venture. If the parties to a joint venture include business 9 entities, the information required from the entities under 10 this subsection shall also be provided. 11 (6) A complete description of the nature of the 12 contracting business of the applicant, including a statement 13 defining the service area of the business. 14 (7) A statement whether any of the following apply: 15 (i) The individual or individuals making 16 application, even if doing so as part of a business 17 entity application, have ever been convicted of a 18 criminal offense related to a construction transaction, 19 fraud, theft, a crime of deception or a crime involving 20 fraudulent business practices. 21 (ii) The applicant has ever filed a petition in 22 bankruptcy or, within the last ten years, received a 23 final civil judgment entered against the applicant or 24 businesses in which the applicant held an interest that 25 was related to a home improvement transaction. 26 (iii) The applicant's certificate or the certificate 27 of a business with which the person making application 28 held an interest has ever been revoked or suspended 29 pursuant to an order issued by a court of competent 30 jurisdiction in this Commonwealth or any other state or 31 political subdivision thereof and, if so, the current 32 status of the certificate. 33 (iv) Whether within the last ten years the applicant 34 has been suspended or debarred from participating in any 35 Federal, state or local program through which public 36 funding or other assistance is provided to consumers for 37 home improvements. 38 (8) Proof of liability insurance covering personal 39 injury in an amount not less than $50,000 and insurance 40 covering property damage caused by the work of the contractor 41 in an amount not less than $50,000. 42 (c) Approval of application.--If satisfied that all 43 requirements have been met, the department may approve the 44 application and, if approved, designate the applicant as an 45 approved contractor. The agency shall not approve an application 46 if any of the following conditions exist: 47 (1) The individual or individuals making application as 48 part of a business entity application have ever been 49 convicted of a criminal offense related to a construction 50 transaction, fraud, theft, a crime of deception or a crime 51 involving fraudulent business practices. 52 (2) The applicant has ever been suspended or debarred 53 from participating in any Federal, state or local program 54 through which public funding or other assistance is provided 55 to small businesses. 56 Section 706. Allocation. 57 The Governor shall allocate the sum of $5,000,000 annually 58 from the fund and shall transfer the allocation to the Small 59 Business Energy Savings Loan Fund established under section 707. HB0001A05836 - 7 -
1 Section 707. Small Business Energy Savings Loan Fund. 2 (a) Establishment.--The Small Business Energy Savings Loan 3 Fund is established as a restricted receipts account in the 4 State Treasury and shall be used in association with loans 5 awarded by the department under this program. The moneys of this 6 fund are hereby appropriated to the department on a continuing 7 basis to carry out the provisions of this chapter. 8 (b) Revolving loan fund.-- 9 (1) Proceeds of any bonds issued to fund the loans 10 authorized under this chapter and any moneys received as loan 11 repayments or moneys otherwise made available to the Small 12 Business Energy Savings Loan Fund shall be deposited in this 13 fund and made available for additional loans. 14 (2) No more than 1% of the funds may be used for 15 reasonable administrative costs. 16 Section 708. Annual report. 17 (a) Contents.--On or before December 1 of each year, the 18 department shall prepare a report evaluating the loans awarded 19 under this chapter during the previous fiscal year. The report 20 shall be submitted to the chairman and minority chairman of the 21 Appropriations Committee of the Senate and the chairman and 22 minority chairman of the Appropriations Committee of the House 23 of Representatives and shall include the following, listed by 24 county where appropriate: 25 (1) The total number of applications received and loans 26 awarded. 27 (2) The date of approval of each loan, including the 28 original principal balance, the interest rate and the 29 repayment period. 30 (3) A brief description of the energy efficiency project 31 for which the loan was made. 32 (4) Any recommendation to the General Assembly for 33 improvements in the program. 34 (5) Any other information deemed by the department to be 35 relevant or necessary to complete a comprehensive review of 36 the program, provided that personal information of individual 37 loan recipients shall be considered confidential and not 38 subject to disclosure under the act of June 21, 1957 39 (P.L.390, No.212), referred to as the Right-to-Know Law. 40 (6) A description of the energy savings resulting from 41 the project. 42 (b) Publication.--The department shall post and maintain the 43 report on the department's Internet website. 44 Section 709. Department guidelines. 45 The department shall promulgate guidelines necessary for the 46 administration and enforcement of this chapter, which shall be 47 published by the department in the Pennsylvania Bulletin within 48 90 days of the effective date of this section. 49 CHAPTER 9 50 LOW-INCOME HOME ENERGY WEATHERIZATION IMPROVEMENT PLAN 51 Section 901. Definitions. 52 The following words and phrases when used in this chapter 53 shall have the meanings given to them in this section unless the 54 context clearly indicates otherwise: 55 "Commission." The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. 56 "Department." The Department of Community and Economic 57 Development of the Commonwealth. 58 "Eligible household." The term includes a household with 59 income at or below 200% of the Federal poverty level. HB0001A05836 - 8 -
1 "Low-Income Weatherization Assistance Program" or "program." 2 The program established by Title XXVI of The Omnibus Budget 3 Reconciliation Act of 1981 (Public Law 97-35, 42 U.S.C. § 8621 4 et seq.) and administered by the Department of Community and 5 Economic Development with funds received through the Department 6 of Public Welfare and the Department of Energy. 7 Section 902. Administration of Low-Income Weatherization 8 Assistance Program. 9 (a) Revisions to current program guidelines.--The department 10 shall develop revisions to the current program guidelines so 11 that the program is positioned to take advantage of the greatest 12 possible savings in terms of energy and energy costs and shall 13 expand the list of eligible energy conservation measures to 14 include new measures that are shown to be cost effective. 15 (b) Independent evaluation.--The department shall undertake 16 an independent evaluation of the program for the purpose of 17 improving the quality and effectiveness of the program. The 18 evaluation shall, at a minimum, include: 19 (1) A determination of the overall effectiveness in 20 terms of the cost versus the benefits of the program. 21 (2) A determination of the level of energy savings 22 achieved by each grantee or subgrantee and on a per-home 23 basis by each grantee or subgrantee. 24 (3) The effectiveness of the energy conservation 25 measures being installed. 26 (4) Other improvements, including, but not limited to: 27 (i) Jobs created. 28 (ii) Peak load reductions. 29 (iii) Any recommendations to improve the program's 30 effectiveness, especially in service delivery and in 31 increasing the types of energy conservation measures to 32 be installed. 33 (c) Increased program promotion.--The department shall 34 develop methods to increase awareness of the program and shall 35 work with local program providers to ensure that the broadest 36 possible form of public awareness campaign is implemented to 37 provide information about the availability and purpose of the 38 program to eligible residents. 39 (d) Final inspections.-- 40 (1) The department shall adopt procedures to ensure that 41 local program providers verify and inspect that the 42 weatherization work is performed according to appropriate 43 standards on all homes receiving weatherization services. 44 (2) The department shall ensure that all local program 45 providers are sufficiently trained on proper inspection and 46 verification procedures and shall conduct a program of 47 continuing education as necessary to ensure compliance with 48 this subsection. 49 (e) Schedule for ongoing evaluations.--The department shall 50 develop a schedule for conducting ongoing evaluations of the 51 program. The department shall submit copies of the evaluation 52 report to the Public Health and Welfare Committee of the Senate, 53 the Environmental Resources and Energy Committee of the Senate, 54 the Health and Human Services Committee of the House of 55 Representatives and the Environmental Resources and Energy 56 Committee of the House of Representatives. 57 (f) Joint study.--The department and the commission shall 58 jointly conduct an annual review of the program and the 59 universal service and energy conservation policies, protections HB0001A05836 - 9 -
1 and services defined in 66 Pa.C.S. § 2803 (relating to 2 definitions), specifically low-income usage reduction programs 3 conducted by public utilities. The review shall include, but not 4 be limited to: 5 (1) Methods to improve the coordination and 6 effectiveness between the program and those programs. 7 (2) Opportunities to increase the energy savings 8 resulting from activities of the program and those programs. 9 Any written report or evaluation of the review shall be a 10 public record open to public inspection under the act of June 11 21, 1957 (P.L.390, No.212), referred to as the Right-to-Know 12 Law. 13 Section 903. Allocation. 14 The Governor shall allocate $9,000,000 annually from the fund 15 and transfer that amount to the Emergency Energy Assistance Fund 16 administered by the Department of Public Welfare and used 17 exclusively for providing supplemental funding to the Low-Income 18 Weatherization Assistance Program administered by the 19 department. 20 Section 904. Report to General Assembly. 21 On or before June 30, 2009, the department and the Department 22 of Public Welfare shall jointly submit a report to the 23 Appropriations Committee of the Senate, the Public Health and 24 Welfare Committee of the Senate, the Environmental Resources and 25 Energy Committee of the Senate, the Appropriations Committee of 26 the House of Representatives, the Health and Human Services 27 Committee of the House of Representatives and the Environmental 28 Resources and Energy Committee of the House of Representatives 29 providing an overall evaluation of the program to date. 30 CHAPTER 11 31 IMPROVING ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS 32 Section 1101. General authority. 33 The conservation districts shall work in close cooperation 34 with the agricultural community to deliver a system of technical 35 assistance designed to assist with conservation planning 36 requirements and in the production of biofuels, feedstocks and 37 appropriate energy efficiency applications. 38 Section 1102. Energy Efficiency and Energy Resources Program. 39 The conservation districts shall engage in the development of 40 energy efficiency and energy resources which shall include, but 41 may not be limited to, delivering technical assistance to 42 producers to improve the energy efficiency of farming operations 43 and to provide technical assistance in the development and 44 implementation of best management practices related to cropping 45 systems to be used as feedstock for the production of biofuels. 46 Section 1103. Conservation planning. 47 The conservation districts shall develop and implement an 48 electronic-based system of providing technical assistance to the 49 agricultural sector in meeting Federal and State natural 50 resources planning requirements, including the development of 51 appropriate training programs and materials. 52 Section 1104. Allocation. 53 The Governor shall allocate $2,000,000 annually from the fund 54 and shall transfer that amount to the Conservation District 55 Fund. The amount shall be distributed to the conservation 56 districts to carry out the activities identified in sections 57 1102 and 1103. 58 CHAPTER 13 59 MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS HB0001A05836 - 10 -
1 Section 1301. Effective date. 2 This act shall take effect in 60 days. B11L90DMS/HB0001A05836 - 11 -