42 U.S.C. § 8817

Current through P.L. 118-106 (published on www.congress.gov on 10/04/2024)

Section 8817 - General requirements regarding financial assistance

(a) Priorities, terms, availability, etc.

(1) Priority for financial assistance under this subchapter, and the most favorable financial terms available, shall be provided to a person for any biomass energy project that-

(A) uses a primary fuel other than petroleum or natural gas in the production of biomass fuel, such as geothermal energy resources, solar energy resources, or waste heat; or

(B) applies new technologies which expand the possible feedstocks, produces new forms of biomass energy, or produces biomass fuel using improved or new technologies.

Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to exclude financial assistance for any project which does not use such a fuel or apply such a technology.

(2)

(A) Financial assistance under this subchapter shall be available for a biomass energy project only if the Secretary concerned finds that the Btu content of the motor fuels to be used in the facility involved to produce the biomass fuel will not exceed the Btu content of the biomass fuel produced in the facility.

(B) In making the determination under subparagraph (A), the Secretary concerned shall take into account any displacement of motor fuel or other petroleum products which the applicant has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Secretary would result from the use of the biomass fuel produced in the facility involved.

(3) No financial assistance may be provided under this subchapter to any person for any biomass energy project if the Secretary concerned finds that the process to be used by the project will not extract the protein content of the feedstock for utilization as food or feed for readily available markets in any case in which to do so would be technically and economically practicable.

(4) Financial assistance may not be provided under this subchapter to any person unless the Secretary concerned-

(A) finds that necessary feedstocks are available and it is reasonable to expect they will continue to be available in the future, and, for biomass energy projects using wood or wood wastes or residues from the National Forest System, there shall be taken into account current levels of use by then existing facilities;

(B) has obtained assurance that the person receiving such financial assistance will bear a reasonable degree of risk in the construction and operation of the project; and

(C) has determined that the amount of financial assistance provided for the project is not greater than is necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter.

(5) In providing financial assistance under this subchapter, the Secretary concerned shall give due consideration to promoting competition.

(6) In determining the amount of financial assistance for any biomass energy project which will yield byproducts in addition to biomass energy, the Secretary shall consider the potential value of such byproducts and the costs attributable to their production.

(b) Terms, conditions, maturity, etc., for insured loans, and loan guarantees

An insured loan may not be made, and a loan guarantee may not be issued, under this subchapter unless the Secretary concerned determines that the terms, conditions, maturity, security, and schedule and amounts of repayments with respect to such loan are reasonable and meet such standards as the Secretary determines are sufficient to protect the financial interests of the United States.

(c) Application requirements

(1) No financial assistance may be provided to any person under this subchapter unless an application therefor-

(A) has been submitted to the Secretary concerned by that person in such form and under such procedures as the Secretary shall prescribe, consistent with the requirements of this subchapter, and

(B) has been approved by the Secretary in accordance with such procedures.

(2) Each such application shall include information regarding the construction costs of the biomass energy project involved, and estimates of operating costs and income relating to that project (including the sale of any byproducts from that project). In addition, each applicant shall provide-

(A) access at reasonable times to such other information, and

(B) such assurances,

as the Secretary concerned may require.

(d) Reports and recordkeeping

(1) Every recipient of financial assistance under this subchapter shall, as a condition precedent thereto, consent to such examinations and reports regarding the biomass energy project involved as the Secretary concerned may require.

(2) With respect to each biomass energy project for which financial assistance is provided under this subchapter, the Secretary shall-

(A) require from the recipient of financial assistance such reports and records relating to that project as the Secretary deems necessary;

(B) prescribe the manner in which such recipient shall keep such records; and

(C) have access to such records at reasonable times for the purpose of ensuring compliance with the terms and conditions upon which financial assistance is provided.

(e) Contracts and instruments of Secretary concerned backed by full faith and credit of United States

All contracts and instruments of the Secretary concerned to provide, or providing, for financial assistance shall be general obligations of the United States backed by its full faith and credit.

(f) Contestability of contracts

Subject to the conditions of any contract for financial assistance, such contract shall be incontestable in the hands of the holder, except as to fraud or material misrepresentation on the part of the holder.

(g) Fees for loan guarantees, etc.

(1) A fee or fees may be charged and collected by the Secretary concerned for any loan guarantee, price guarantee, or purchase agreement provided under this subchapter.

(2) The amount of such fee shall be based on the estimated administrative costs and risk of loss, except that such fee may not exceed 1 per centum of the amount of the financial assistance provided.

(h) Deposit of amounts received by Secretary concerned

All amounts received by the Secretary of Agriculture or the Secretary of Energy as fees, interest, repayment of principal, and any other moneys received by either Secretary from activities under this subchapter shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts. The preceding sentence shall not apply to insured loans made under section 8813 of this title.

42 U.S.C. § 8817

Pub. L. 96-294, title II, §217, June 30, 1980, 94 Stat. 693.

EDITORIAL NOTES

REFERENCES IN TEXTThis chapter, referred to in subsec. (a)(4)(C), was in the original "this title", meaning title II of Pub. L. 96-294, June 30, 1980, 94 Stat. 683, known as the Biomass Energy and Alcohol Fuels Act of 1980, which is classified principally to this chapter. For complete classification of title II to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 8801 of this title and Tables.

Btu: The term "Btu" means British thermal unit.
Secretary: The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.1See References in Text note below.
alcohol: The term "alcohol" means alcohol (including methanol and ethanol) which is produced from biomass and which is suitable for use by itself or in combination with other substances as a fuel or as a substitute for petroleum or petrochemical feedstocks.
biomass energy project: The term "biomass energy project" means any facility (or portion of a facility) located in the United States which is primarily for-(A) the production of biomass fuel (and byproducts); or(B) the combustion of biomass for the purpose of generating industrial process heat, mechanical power, or electricity (including cogeneration).
biomass energy: The term "biomass energy" means-(A) biomass fuel; or(B) energy or steam derived from the direct combustion of biomass for the generation of electricity, mechanical power, or industrial process heat.
biomass fuel: The term "biomass fuel" means any gaseous, liquid, or solid fuel produced by conversion of biomass.
construction: The term "construction" means-(i) the construction or acquisition of any biomass energy project;(ii) the conversion of any facility to a biomass energy project; or(iii) the expansion or improvement of any biomass energy project which increases the capacity or efficiency of that facility to produce biomass energy.
financial assistance: The term "financial assistance" means any of the following forms of financial assistance provided under this chapter, or any combination of such forms:(i) loans,(ii) loan guarantees,(iii) price guarantees, and(iv) purchase agreements.
motor fuel: The term "motor fuel" means gasoline, kerosene, and middle distillates (including diesel fuel).
person: The term "person" means any individual, company, cooperative, partnership, corporation, association, consortium, unincorporated organization, trust, estate, or any entity organized for a common business purpose, any State or local government (including any special purpose district or similar governmental unit) or any agency or instrumentality thereof, or any Indian tribe or tribal organization.
project: The terms "federally assisted housing" and "project" mean-(A) a public housing project (as such term is defined in section 3(b) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437a(b)] );(B) housing for which project-based assistance is provided under section 8 of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437f] ;(C) housing that is assisted under section 1701q of title 12;(D) housing that is assisted under section 1701q of title 12, as such section existed before November 28, 1990;(E) housing financed by a loan or mortgage insured under section 1715l(d)(3) of title 12 that bears interest at a rate determined under the proviso of section 1715l(d)(5) of title 12;(F) housing insured, assisted, or held by the Secretary or a State or State agency under section 1715z-1 of title 12;(G) housing constructed or substantially rehabilitated pursuant to assistance provided under section 8(b)(2) of the United States Housing Act of 1937 [42 U.S.C. 1437f(b)(2)], as in effect before October 1, 1983, that is assisted under a contract for assistance under such section; and(H) housing that is assisted under section 80131 of this title.