Title 9: Energy
Title IX reauthorizes most 2018 farm bill energy programs, extends the Biobased Markets Program, and rescinds Biorefinery Assistance Program funding.
What Title IX actually covers
Title IX is the energy title. It funds USDA’s renewable energy and biobased product programs, REAP (which lives in Title VI), the Biobased Markets Program (BioPreferred), the Biorefinery Assistance Program, and the Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels.
This is one of the smaller titles. Total Title IX authorizations are $715 million over FY2027–FY2031.
The two structural moves
1. Biobased Markets Program extended
The BioPreferred Program, which promotes federal procurement of biobased products and runs the BioPreferred consumer label, gets extended funding. The program’s mandatory funding is increased by approximately $18 million over FY2026–FY2036.
This funding is offset by a rescission to the Biorefinery Assistance Program.
2. Biorefinery Assistance Program rescinded
The Biorefinery, Renewable Chemical, and Biobased Product Manufacturing Assistance Program has $18 million in funding rescinded over the 10-year window. The program isn’t eliminated, but its funding floor is cut.
Other Title IX provisions
- Bioenergy Program for Advanced Biofuels: reauthorized
- Repowering Assistance Program: reauthorized
- Rural Energy Savings Program: reauthorized
- Carbon utilization R&D: included
- Solar energy projects on farmland: restrictions added (most projects ineligible for Title IX funding except under specific circumstances)
That last item, restrictions on solar on farmland, is the most controversial provision in Title IX. It reflects growing political backlash against utility-scale solar siting on prime farmland.
What’s NOT in Title IX: E15
The biggest fight over Title IX wasn’t actually about Title IX. Year-round E15 ethanol fuel sales, the priority issue for corn and ethanol producers, was not included in the farm bill. Speaker Mike Johnson promised a separate stand-alone vote on E15 in May 2026 to clear the farm bill for floor consideration. As of the bill’s House passage, that stand-alone E15 vote was pending.
The National Corn Growers Association and biofuels industry groups voted to support the farm bill on the condition that E15 gets a separate vote. If that promise is broken, expect aggressive lobbying to reopen Title IX.
Programs covered under Title IX
Who Title IX matters for
- Biobased product manufacturers: BioPreferred extension is meaningful
- Biorefinery operators: funding floor is cut
- Farmland owners considering solar: restrictions on Title IX funding apply
- Corn and ethanol producers: watching the standalone E15 vote
What’s next
The Senate is likely to add E15 provisions back into the farm bill if the standalone vote fails. Senate Republicans from corn states (Grassley, Ernst, Fischer) will not let E15 die.
Watch for: solar siting restrictions becoming a litigation target if they survive into final law.
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