§16254 Regional bioeconomy development grants

Summary

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture must run a competition to give grants that help grow the bioeconomy in a local region. The grants pay for work like coordinating projects, teaching and outreach, and other efforts to build the regional bioeconomy. The Secretary will set the application rules and other administrative requirements. Groups that can apply are regional bioeconomy development associations, agricultural or energy trade associations, or Land Grant institutions that plan to use the money for those regional activities and that have not already received one of these grants. Each grant recipient must provide non‑Federal matching funds equal to the grant amount, and those matching funds must be spent before the grant money is advanced so each dollar of reimbursement is backed by a dollar already paid. No grant can be more than $500,000. Congress set $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2006 and allowed whatever amounts are needed for each fiscal year 2007 through 2015.