USDA Releases 2016 Budget Request, Continues To Support Rural Renewable Energy

The U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its fiscal year 2016 budget
request on February 2, 2015. The proposed budget is $156 billion
total, with $6 billion going directly to loans that will encourage cleaner
fossil fuel use and support renewable energy in rural America. The $6 billion
allocation is an increase of $1 billion that would be allocated towards loans
from the 2015 fiscal year. Agriculture
Secretary Tom Vilsack stated that the proposed budget “fosters
innovation and advances technologies that address climate change vulnerability,
improve pollinator health, combat antimicrobial resistance, encourage the
development of renewable energy, and support the efficiency, sustainability and
profitability of America’s farmers and ranchers, particularly those just
starting out.”