Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley today announced that USDA is clarifying the definition of the terms “biorefinery” and “eligible technology” in the Biorefinery Assistance Program.
The updated definitions define a biorefinery as “a facility, including equipment and processes, that converts renewable biomass or an intermediate ingredient or feedstock of renewable biomass into any one or more or a combination of biofuels, renewable chemicals or biobased products.”
The term eligible technology means “(1) a technology that is being adopted in a viable commercial-scale operation of a biorefinery that produces any one or more or a combination of advanced biofuel; a renewable chemical; or a biobased product; or (2) a technology not described in paragraph (1) of this definition that has been demonstrated to have technical and economic potential for commercial application in a biorefinery that produces any one or more or a combination of advanced biofuel, a renewable chemical or a biobased product.”
These definitions implement provisions of the Agricultural Act of 2018 (Farm Bill) and go into effect immediately. The definitions apply to all future applications as well as current applications for which a loan guarantee has yet to be issued. The formal name of the program is the Biorefinery Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program.
Rural Development has complete details of this change in this administrative notice.
If you have questions, please email Energy Programs staff at EnergyPrograms@rd.usda.gov.