Energy

Biomass Crop Assistance Program

The Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) was intended to spur development of advanced biofuels derived from non-food and feed crops. The goal was to pay individuals and companies to plant perennial grasses, harvest agricultural residues, collect wood waste, store biomass and transport these materials to bioenergy facilities. Instead of achieving these goals, the program provided […]

Biomass Research and Development

The Biomass Research and Development Initiative (BRDI) is a joint program between the U.S. Departments of Energy and Agriculture that provides grants to companies, universities and government research centers to research, develop and demonstrate new ways to refine various feedstocks into biofuels or biobased chemicals and products. The program, originally created in the Biomass Research […]

Biorefinery Assistance Program

This program, formerly the Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program, provides loan guarantees of up to $250 million for the construction of commercial-scale biorefineries, the retrofitting of existing facilities to produce biofuels, or construction of renewable chemical and biobased manufacturing. To be eligible, fuels or products must be derived from renewable biomass […]

Price-Anderson Act

Price-Anderson provides for the process of resolving liability claims in response to an accident at a commercial nuclear power plant. The act creates two tiers of liability coverage. The first tier requires commercial nuclear power plant owners to obtain enough private insurance to cover liability claims up to $375 million. If claims exceed the tier […]

Stand-by Support for Nuclear Plant Delays

This program allows the Department of Energy (DOE) to cover up to $2 billion in costs caused by delays imposed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s process or litigation. The Secretary of Energy is authorized to provide contracted standby support for up to six nuclear power plants, providing full coverage (up to $500 million) to the […]

Rural Energy for America Program

The Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)—most recently reauthorized by the 2018 Farm Bill—provides loan guarantees and grants for rural small business and agricultural producers to purchase renewable energy systems, energy efficiency improvements, energy audits and feasibility studies. Renewable energy systems include wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, biomass, hydrogen and ocean power. Even though REAP was […]

Incentives for Biodiesel and Renewable Biodiesel

The incentives for biodiesel and renewable biodiesel include: a $1 credit against income tax for every gallon of biodiesel or renewable biodiesel produced; a $1 credit against fuel excise taxes for every gallon of biodiesel or renewable diesel used in producing a biodiesel mixture; and, a 10-cent credit for every gallon produced by a small […]

Credit for Production of Advanced Nuclear Power Facilities

The credit for production of advanced nuclear power applies to facilities with designs approved after 1993 and that are placed in service before 2021. It provides a 1.8 cent per kilowatt hour tax credit that can be claimed during the first eight years after a facility has been placed in service, subject to certain limitations […]