WASHINGTON, D.C.  –  Florida agriculture will benefit from new legislation passed this week, said Congressman Adam H. Putnam (R-Fla.), who worked to include the provisions.
 
“This session of Congress was very hectic at the end, and it was very touch and go for awhile, but it turned out to be a pretty good year for Florida agricultural research”, said Putnam.  The benefits are in two bills Congress passed this week, the omnibus spending bill and energy legislation.  *The spending bill* includes the following provisions:
 
*Citrus Health Response Plan:*  The $35 million program will provide means for enhanced, control, detection, and survey, in addition to identifying minimum production standards to enhance the industry’s ability to produce fruit suitable for trade, protect the integrity of the citrus nursery certification program, and provide a mechanism by which citrus pests and diseases do not spread to other citrus-producing States.
 
*Citrus Canker/Greening Research:*  $1.3 million will go toward the critical continuation and expansion of vital Citrus Canker and Greening research by the University of Florida (UF) Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (IFAS), through the Cooperative State Research Extension and Education Service (CSREES), to improve technologies for treatment and detection, methods of movement and containment, and means to control and eliminate these devastating diseases. 
 
*Citrus Waste Utilization:* A research program to develop bioenergy from renewable sources such as citrus waste received $393,000.
 
*Florida Renewable Energy Program:*  the University of Florida’s Florida Center for Renewable Chemicals and Fuel received $750,000 to advance the development of new alternative energy technologies.
 
In addition, the *energy bill*, which was signed into law earlier this week, includes a *Renewable Fuel Standard* that requires the annual use of a certain volume of renewables in transportation fuel.  By 2022, 16 billion gallons would come from *cellulosic biofuels*, including those made from Florida-based feed-stock.