Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009

Summary

Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009 - Requires the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct resources assessments that collect and synthesize interagency and state data to quantify: (1) invasive plant species and excess biomass (plant matter targeted for removal from public land to promote ecosystem health) in the form of dangerous fuel loads on public land that can be used for feedstock (plant matter or materials that serve as the raw material for the production of biochar and bioenergy); (2) estimated carbon content in that feedstock; (3) estimated potential biochar (charcoal or black carbon derived from organic matter through pyrolysis) and bioenergy (hydrocarbons derived from organic matter through pyrolysis) producible from that feedstock; and (4) potential water savings resulting from removal of invasive plant species and excess biomass on public land, by watershed. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to each: (1) establish a program to provide guarantees of loans by private institutions to develop and optimize commercially and technologically viable biochar production units, to produce, respectively, four and two units for deployment to remote landscapes, and for the construction or acquisition of biochar production facilities, provided the loan applicants will be dedicated primarily to contract restoration work with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, or Forest Service using pinyon pine and juniper feedstock in the Great Basin, tamarisk feedstock in the Mojave Desert, or excess biomass feedstock, such as trees killed by bark beetle infestations in the Intermountain West; and (2) initiate three-year programs to employ such biochar production units in pilot applications in various U.S. climates and ecosystems. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide competitive grants to conduct research and analysis: (1) to identify attributes and composition profiles of biochar and bioenergy for various uses; (2) to identify potential uses and markets for biochar and bioenergy; (3) relating to environmental benefits and impacts of biochar and bioenergy use; and (4) regarding potential uses of biochar in landscape restoration.

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Timeline

1. 24 September 2009

   Introduced

   Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. (text of measure as introduced: CR S9848-9850)

   Source: IntroReferral

2. 24 September 2009

   Introduced

   Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S9843-9844)

   Source: IntroReferral

3. 24 September 2009

   Introduced

   Introduced in Senate

   Source: IntroReferral

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

• Introduced in Senate · 24 September 2009 · Download file

Documents

3 official files

• Introduced in Senate (text)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 24 September 2009

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• Introduced in Senate (PDF)

  Introduced in Senate · EN · 24 September 2009

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

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• Introduced in Senate

  summary · EN · 24 September 2009

  Open at official source

  Leesvertaling

  Vertaal dit document naar jouw taal. PoliticalRepo bewaart geen aparte kopie per EU-taal.

  Vertaal naarNL · DutchDE · GermanFR · FrenchES · SpanishIT · ItalianPL · PolishPT · PortugueseSV · SwedishDA · DanishFI · FinnishEL · GreekCS · CzechHU · HungarianRO · RomanianBG · BulgarianHR · CroatianSK · SlovakSL · SlovenianLT · LithuanianLV · LatvianET · EstonianGA · IrishMT · Maltese

  Vertaal document

  Documentvertaling op verzoek met downloadbare PDF (logo + link naar de officiële bron). Het bronbestand blijft leidend.

Sponsors

• Sen. Reid, Harry [D-NV] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Baucus, Max [D-MT] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Hatch, Orrin G. [R-UT] · R · Sponsor
• Sen. Tester, Jon [D-MT] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Udall, Tom [D-NM] · D · Sponsor
• Sen. Feinstein, Dianne [D-CA] · D · Cosponsor
• · sseg00 · Standing

Related records

• related to → Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009