US Groups Call for Federal Support for Farm Bill Energy Title Programs

In the USA, a call for the adoption of a new Farm Bill with robust mandatory funding for renewable energy and energy efficiency programs was made through a letter sent to the leaders of the House and Senate Agriculture Committees by a consortium representing more than 100 state, national and regional organizations.

Organized by the Agriculture Energy Coalition (AgEc) and 25x'25 Alliance, Environmental Law & Policy Center, and the National Farmers Union, the groups expressed the need for continued federal funding to sustain the growth in new agriculture, manufacturing and high tech jobs generated by the Farm Bill's Energy Title programs. The groups wrote that since 2009, thousands of direct and indirect jobs have been created or saved in rural areas by the Farm Bill's Energy Title programs that benefited almost 12,000 rural small businesses, agricultural producers, and advanced biofuel refineries across the country.

The Farm Bill Energy Title programs, first enacted in the 2002 Farm Bill and renewed in 2008, seek to advance a more energy efficient agricultural sector that produces diverse forms and types of renewable energy. The US Congress is set to begin the drafting of a new five-year Farm Bill.