Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/1192

 12 2 STA T . 11 69PUBLIC LA W 11 0– 2 34—M A Y 22, 200 8‘ ‘ (1)DEFIN I T I O NOFN A TIONA L NON PR OFIT A G RI CU LTURAL A S SISTANCE INSTITUTION .—Inthis s ub s ec ti o n , the te rm ‘n a tiona l non p ro f ita g ricultural assistance institution ’ means an organi z ation that— ‘‘( A )is d escribed in section 50 1(c)( 3 ) of the Internal R e v enue C odeof1 986 and e x empt from taxation under 501(a) of that Code ‘‘( B ) has staff and offices in multiple regions of the U nited S tates; ‘‘(C) has experience and expertise in operating national agriculture technical assistance programs; ‘‘(D) expands mar k ets for the agricultural commodities produced b y producers through the use of practices that enhance the environment, natural resource base, and q uality of life; and ‘‘( E ) improves the economic viability of agricultural operations. ‘‘( 2 ) ESTA B LIS HM ENT.— T he Secretary shall establish a national appropriate technology transfer for rural areas pro - gram to assist agricultural producers that are seeking informa- tion to— ‘‘(A) reduce input costs; ‘‘(B) conserve energy resources; ‘‘(C) diversify operations through ne w energy crops and energy generation facilities; and ‘‘(D) expand markets for agricultural commodities pro- duced by the producers by using practices that enhance the environment, natural resource base, and quality of life. ‘‘(3) IMPLEMENTATION.— ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall carry out the program under this subsection by making a grant to, or offering to enter into a cooperative agreement with, a national nonprofit agricultural assistance institution. ‘‘(B) G RANT AMOUNT.—A grant made, or cooperative agreement entered into, under subparagraph (A) shall pro- vide 100 percent of the cost of providing information described in paragraph (2). ‘‘( 4 ) AUTHORI Z ATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $ 5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.’’. SEC.6017 . RU R AL EC ON O MI C AREA P AR T NERS H IP Z ONES. Section 310B of the Consolidated F arm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 1932) (as amended by section 6016) is amended by adding at the end the following

‘‘( j ) RURAL ECONOMIC AREA P ARTNERSHIP Z ONES.—Effective beginning on the date of enactment of this subsection through September 30, 2012, the Secretary shall carry out those rural eco- nomic area partnership zones administratively in effect on the date of enactment of this subsection in accordance with the terms and conditions contained in the memorandums of agreement entered into by the Secretary for the rural economic area partnership zones, except as otherwise provided in this subsection.’’. Ef f ectiv e da te .T e rm i n ati o n date.

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