republic-os/legal/us/code/title-07/chapter-31/section-902.md

type, title, description, jurisdiction, corpus, kind, title_number, title_name, chapter_number, chapter_name, section, citation, status, release_point, release_date, source, source_url, source_identifier, source_file, source_hash, raw_snapshot_hash, text_hash, retrieved_at, confidence, tags

type	title	description	jurisdiction	corpus	kind	title_number	title_name	chapter_number	chapter_name	section	citation	status	release_point	release_date	source	source_url	source_identifier	source_file	source_hash	raw_snapshot_hash	text_hash	retrieved_at	confidence	tags
LegalText	7 U.S.C. § 902	General authority of Secretary of Agriculture	us	united_states_code	code_section	7	AGRICULTURE	31	RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND TELEPHONE SERVICE	902	7 U.S.C. § 902	current	119-100	2026-06-26	official	https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc07@119-100.zip	/us/usc/t7/s902	data/legal/raw/us/code/title-07/usc07.xml	1ea7be2d903eb9d57475820552f98ba758df42ab82f35c6b759298afd602cfbb	50edab1679a711653797362c0aeb8f2273303fe473fb7fa16df1ee76bdd6e984	9276a257a68746d9fd5804b5b753bf0a6d53c078554dbcaa074ec4a3397e9b15	2026-07-04	official	legal us-code

7 U.S.C. § 902 - General authority of Secretary of Agriculture

Text

(a) Loans The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this chapter as the “Secretary”) is authorized and empowered to make loans, or refinance loans made or guaranteed by the Secretary under this chapter, in the several States and Territories of the United States for rural electrification and for the purpose of furnishing and improving electric and telephone service in rural areas, as provided in this chapter, and for the purpose of assisting electric borrowers to implement demand side management, energy efficiency and conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems.

(b) Investigations and reports The Secretary may make, or cause to be made, studies, investigations, and reports regarding matters, including financial, technological, and regulatory matters, affecting the condition and progress of electric, telecommunications, and economic development in rural areas, and publish and disseminate information with respect to the matters.

(c) Technical assistance Not later than 180 days after December 20, 2018, the Secretary shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Energy under which the Secretary of Energy shall provide technical assistance to the Rural Utilities Service on loans to be made under subsection (a) of this section and section 904(a) of this title.

(May 20, 1936, ch. 432, title I, § 2, 49 Stat. 1363; Oct. 28, 1949, ch. 776, §§ 2, 3, 63 Stat. 948; Pub. L. 103–129, § 2(c)(1), Nov. 1, 1993, 107 Stat. 1363; Pub. L. 103–354, title II, § 235(a)(2), (13), Oct. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 3220, 3221; Pub. L. 104–127, title VII, § 771, Apr. 4, 1996, 110 Stat. 1149; Pub. L. 110–234, title VI, § 6101, May 22, 2008, 122 Stat. 1195; Pub. L. 110–246, § 4(a), title VI, § 6101, June 18, 2008, 122 Stat. 1664, 1956; Pub. L. 115–334, title VI, § 6501, Dec. 20, 2018, 132 Stat. 4771; Pub. L. 116–94, div. B, title VII, § 765, Dec. 20, 2019, 133 Stat. 2655.)

Notes

Editorial Notes

Codification Pub. L. 110–234 and Pub. L. 110–246 made identical amendments to this section. The amendments by Pub. L. 110–234 were repealed by section 4(a) of Pub. L. 110–246.

Amendments2019—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–94 substituted “made or guaranteed by the Secretary” for “made by the Secretary”. 2018—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 115–334, § 6501(a), substituted “loans, or refinance loans made by the Secretary under this chapter, in” for “loans in”. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 115–334, § 6501(b), added subsec. (c). 2008—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 110–246, § 6101, inserted “efficiency and” before “conservation”. 1996—Pub. L. 104–127, § 771(1), inserted section catchline. Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 104–127, § 771(1), (2), inserted heading, substituted “The Secretary of Agriculture (referred to in this chapter as the ‘Secretary’) is” for “The Secretary of Agriculture is”, struck out “and the furnishing of electric energy to persons in rural areas who are not receiving central station service” after “rural electrification”, and substituted “systems.” for “systems; to make, or cause to be made, studies, investigations, and reports concerning the condition and progress of the electrification of and the furnishing of adequate telephone service in rural areas in the several States and Territories; and to publish and disseminate information with respect thereto.” Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 104–127, § 771(3), added subsec. (b) and struck out former subsec. (b) which read as follows: “By January 1, 1994, the Secretary shall issue interim regulations to implement the authority contained in subsection (a) of this section to make loans for the purpose of assisting electric borrowers to implement demand side management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems. If the regulations are not issued by January 1, 1994, the Secretary shall consider any demand side management, energy conservation, or renewable energy program, system, or activity that is approved by a State agency to be eligible for the loans.” 1994—Pub. L. 103–354 substituted “Secretary of Agriculture” for “Administrator” in subsec. (a) and “Secretary” for “Administrator” in two places in subsec. (b). 1993—Pub. L. 103–129 designated existing provisions as subsec. (a), substituted “electric and telephone service in rural areas, as provided in this chapter, and for the purpose of assisting electric borrowers to implement demand side management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid renewable energy systems;” for “telephone service in rural areas, as hereinafter provided;”, and added subsec. (b). 1949—Act Oct. 28, 1949, authorized loans to furnish and improve rural telephone service; and inserted “title I,” in credit of act May 20, 1936.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date of 2008 AmendmentAmendment of this section and repeal of Pub. L. 110–234 by Pub. L. 110–246 effective May 22, 2008, the date of enactment of Pub. L. 110–234, see section 4 of Pub. L. 110–246, set out as an Effective Date note under section 8701 of this title.