AgSTAR program

(a) In general The Secretary shall maintain the program known as the AgSTAR program within the Department of Agriculture, under which the Secretary shall— (1) support the use of anaerobic digestion in the agricultural sector to reduce methane emissions from livestock waste; (2) conduct outreach, education, and training relating to anaerobic digestion of livestock waste; (3) provide technical and regulatory assistance relating to anaerobic digestion of livestock waste to stakeholders, including farmers and ranchers, with respect to issues including— (A) permitting; (B) codigestion of multiple organic wastes in one digester; and (C) interconnection to physically link a digester to the electrical power grid; (4) promote centralized, multifarm digesters that use livestock waste from more than 1 farm or ranch; (5) collect and report data relating to anaerobic digestion of livestock waste; and (6) maintain a database of on-farm anaerobic digester projects in the United States. (b) Transition from EPA (1) In general The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall take such steps as are necessary to provide for an orderly transition of the activities carried out under the AgSTAR program by the Environmental Protection Agency to be carried out by the Secretary, in accordance with subsection (c). (2) Deadline The Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency shall finish carrying out paragraph (1) by not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, such that the Secretary has sole jurisdiction of the AgSTAR program by that date. (c) Administration The Secretary shall carry out the AgSTAR program through the Chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service— (1) in coordination with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and other Federal agencies as necessary; and (2) in partnership with the Climate Hubs, cooperative extension services, and agencies of the Department of Agriculture. (d) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the AgSTAR program not more than $5,000,000 for each fiscal year.