Renewable Energy Employment Act - Title I: Jobs Training in Renewable Energy - Requires the Secretary of Labor to review all Federal job training or placement programs and to implement policies, procedures, and programs to develop a labor force skilled in energy conservation, weatherization of homes, and the use of renewable energy technology.
Amends the Job Training Partnership Act to require the Secretary of Labor to administer employment and training programs for Native Americans to meet the specific energy conservation and renewable energy training needs peculiar to their situation.
Requires that employment and training programs for veterans under such Act include renewable energy and energy conservation job training for veterans.
Title II: Housing and Community Development Programs - Amends the Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings Act of 1976 to require the Secretary of Energy to maintain information on: (1) the areas to be served under the weatherization assistance program; (2) methods for providing priority assistance to elderly and severely handicapped low-income persons; (3) outreach activities with respect to such program; (4) labor plans; (5) policies to ensure that owners and renters are treated equitably; and (6) plans to ensure participation by Native Americans under such program. Requires the Secretary and the Director of the Community Services Administration to include in the annual report to the President and Congress on the weatherization program an evaluation of the effect of such program on energy conservation and employment.
Authorizes appropriations for the weatherization program for FY 1984 and succeeding fiscal years.
Amends the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974 to include the potential for local energy development, including energy conservation and renewable energy use, among the factors which must be taken into account by the standards issued by the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development for determining the eligibility of cities and urban counties for urban development action grants.
Includes among the activities of Community Development Programs which are eligible for assistance under such Act those amounts spent for energy needs.
Amends the Housing Act of 1949 to authorize the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make loans for energy conservation and renewable energy development or retrofit for housing in rural areas.
Requires Federal agencies administering financial assistance programs for economic development or job creation to consider the development of energy conservation and renewable energy as significant criteria for the provision of such assistance.
Title III: Promotion of Sustainable Agriculture - Amends the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act to include as non-fossil energy systems windmills, anaerobic digesters, alcohol distilleries, microhydroelectric generators, gasifiers, and solar heating systems.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in making loans to farmers and ranchers, to promote sustainable agriculture (a set of agricultural production practices which are designed to produce long term, sustainable yields of agricultural products, involve the use of renewable resources, and avoid the use of chemical products).
Amends the Rural Development Act of 1972 to require that small farm extension programs assist small farm families in carrying out sustainable agriculture. Provides that sustainable agriculture extension programs shall consist of extension programs to provide farmers with assistance and current information with respect to sustainable agriculture.
Permits all other persons in a State, in addition to universities and colleges in such State, to participate in agricultural research and extension programs. (Under current law, only universities and colleges in a State may participate in such programs.)
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture, in carrying out the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977, to ensure that adequate national support of extension, teaching, and agricultural research is provided to establish integrated multidisciplinary organic farming research projects.
Requires the Secretary of Agriculture to report annually to Congress on sustainable agriculture in the United States.
Introduced in Senate
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture.
Committee on Agriculture requested executive comment from Agriculture Department.
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