On February 14, 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the long-awaited interim final rule governing its Biorefinery Assistance Loan Guarantee Program (the 9003 Program). Previous concerns raised by private-sector lenders and project developers when the proposed rule was issued in April 2010 are addressed in the interim final rule, which allows for greater participation by private-sector lenders and relaxes certain eligibility requirements. The interim final rule therefore should make Section 9003 loan guarantees more accessible to biorefinery developers.

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