(a) (1) The Agricultural Biomass Utilization Account is hereby created in the Department of Food and Agriculture Fund.

(2) The sum of two million dollars ($2,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the Agricultural Biomass Utilization Account for expenditure for the purposes identified in subdivision (b).

(b) The account shall be administered by the department, in consultation with the State Air Resources Board and the California Integrated Waste Management Board, for the purpose of providing grants to persons that utilize agricultural biomass as a means of avoiding landfill use, preventing air pollution, and enhancing environmental quality.

(c) Moneys in the account shall include moneys transferred from the General Fund pursuant to subdivision (a) and any moneys solicited by the secretary from other sources.

(d) The secretary shall actively solicit funds from other federal, state, and private sources with the goal of initially supplementing and eventually supplanting the appropriation from the General Fund made pursuant to subdivision (a).

(e) The department may implement similar grant programs for other commodity groups that are used for the purposes set forth in paragraphs (1) to (6), inclusive, of subdivision (e) of Section 39763.

(f) The department shall not utilize more than 7 percent of the funds described in subdivision (a) for the administration of the account.

(Added by Stats. 2000, Ch. 1017, Sec. 1. Appropriation in subdivision (a) reduced by Governor's item-veto message. Effective January 1, 2001. Note: Subd. (a) of this text reflects the Governor's reduction from $10,000,000 to $2,000,000.)