Skip Navigation to main content 2002 Farm Bill USDA Farm Bill Section 9006 2002 Farm Bill Initiative: The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program USDA Farm Bill Section 9006 United States Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development

Current Solicitation
What is the Section 9006 Program?
Why Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency?
Who is Eligible?
What Projects are Eligible?
Additional Requirements
Federal Regulation
How do I Apply?
Tools and Resources
Other Information

Why Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency?

Please take a moment to review the President's National Energy Policy. Chapter 4 Using Energy Wisely and Chapter 6 Nature's Power are of particular interest to visitors to this web site.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency represent a new and enormous opportunity for rural America. Rural America occupies a large portion of the nation's landmass and population. Much of rural America's economy is based on agricultural producers and rural small businesses. Most of the Nation's renewable energy resources are in rural areas. New crops, energy in the form of electricity, bio-diesel, hydrogen and ethanol will create new and almost boundless opportunities for rural America. Renewable energy technologies such as anaerobic digesters will assist dairies in handling their manure issues and create a source of revenue from a cost. Wind energy can be used for on site and can be sold to create a source of cash income year after year. Solar energy can provide energy in areas where it is costly to connect to the grid and help reduce demand charges for rural small business. Energy efficiency will reduce costs of operation conserving cash previously needed to pay for energy.

While this program is intended to directly help farmers, ranchers and small rural businesses the benefits to the Nation as a whole are well known. Reduced demand on imports of energy, reduced production of green house gases, freeing up central station electric generation and accompanying transmission resources. Rural areas will also benefit through the creation of high quality jobs, overall economic development, the retention of capital and the creation of new sources of income.

While this program is still small in comparison to the above issues it represents the first steps in creating opportunity for rural communities to develop their own renewable energy resources for their own benefit. The program provided needed access to low cost capital needed to make farmers, ranchers and small rural businesses competitive with large renewable energy develops and in the overall energy markets.

Not all will be easy. Federal dollars unfortunately bring with them certain requirements in addition to good business and engineering practices. Energy projects have significant environmental requirements as determined by existing Federal laws and regulations. Successful applicants are pioneers in the business, technical and environmental issues that must be addressed in developing the smaller scale projects supported by this program. As such, successful projects are needed to pave the way for those who follow.

Good luck.