To require the Secretary of Agriculture to provide information and education tools to farmers on the cost savings, energy savings, water conservation, and carbon emissions reductions that can be realized through the use of energy-efficient pumping systems, and for other purposes.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · January 11, 2024
Referred to the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, and Rural Development.
The LEAPS Act directs the U.S. Department of Agriculture to educate farmers about the benefits of energy-efficient pumping systems through publicly available information and tools. The bill requires the USDA to develop a user-friendly online assessment tool within 180 days that helps farmers evaluate their current pumping systems and estimate potential savings in energy costs, water usage, and carbon emissions, as well as provide information about existing USDA grant and incentive programs that support efficiency upgrades. The legislation also directs the USDA to establish educational programs for energy auditors and expands the Conservation Stewardship Program to include energy-efficient pumping systems as an eligible activity. The bill targets over 600,000 agricultural irrigation systems currently in use, with potential annual energy savings of 22 billion kilowatt-hours and more than $1.8 billion in cost reductions for farmers and ranchers if efficiency improvements are widely adopted. No specific federal funding amounts are allocated in the bill, which primarily focuses on information dissemination and technical assistance.
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