Consortia-Led Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Networks Act

Summary: Consortia-Led Energy and Advanced Manufacturing Networks Act - Directs the Secretary of Commerce to establish a program of clean technology consortia by leveraging the expertise and resources of private research communities, higher education institutions, industry, venture capital, National Laboratories, and other participants in technology innovation. Describes such technology as a technology, production process, or methodology that, among other things, produces energy from renewable sources, produces an advanced or sustainable material with energy or energy efficiency applications, improves energy efficiency or water conservation and management, or addresses challenges in advanced manufacturing and supply chain integration. Sets forth eligibility criteria for support under this Act, including regarding technology expertise, membership agreement policies, funding sources, and operation as a nonprofit organization or a public-private partnership under the leadership of a nonprofit organization. Requires a consortium, in order to receive a grant, to establish an external advisory committee to review plans, programs, and projects and ensure that projects comply with the consortium's conflict of interest policy. Provides the terms of grants, which shall not exceed five years initially. Limits grant amounts to $30 million per fiscal year or the collective contributions of non-federal entities. Requires grants to be used for support of translational research, technology development, manufacturing innovation, and commercialization activities relating to clean technology. Sets forth audit and reporting requirements.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Consortia-Led Energy and Advanced 
Manufacturing Networks Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Clean technology.--The term ``clean technology'' means 
        a technology, production process, or methodology that--
                    (A) produces energy from solar, wind, geothermal, 
                biomass, tidal, wave, ocean, and other renewable energy 
                sources (as defined in section 609 of the Public 
                Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (7 U.S.C. 
                918c));
                    (B) more efficiently transmits, distributes, or 
                stores energy;
                    (C) enhances energy efficiency for buildings and 
                industry, including combined heat and power;
                    (D) enables the development of a Smart Grid (as 
                described in section 1301 of the Energy Independence 
                and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17381)), including 
                integration of renewable energy sources and distributed 
                generation, demand response, demand side management, 
                and systems analysis;
                    (E) produces an advanced or sustainable material 
                with energy or energy efficiency applications;
                    (F) improves energy efficiency for transportation, 
                including electric vehicles;
                    (G) enhances water security through improved water 
                management, conservation, distribution, and end use 
                applications; or
                    (H) addresses challenges in advanced manufacturing 
                and supply chain integration.
            (2) Cluster.--The term ``cluster'' means a network of 
        entities directly involved in the research, development, 
        finance, and commercial application of clean technologies whose 
        geographic proximity facilitates the use and sharing of skilled 
        human resources, infrastructure, research facilities, 
        educational and training institutions, venture capital, and 
        input suppliers.
            (3) Consortium.--The term ``consortium'' means a clean 
        technology consortium established in accordance with this Act.
            (4) Project.--The term ``project'' means an activity with 
        respect to which a consortium provides support under this Act.
            (5) Qualifying entity.--The term ``qualifying entity'' 
        means--
                    (A) a research university;
                    (B) a Federal or State institution with a focus on 
                developing clean technologies or clusters; and
                    (C) a nongovernmental organization with expertise 
                in translational research, clean technology, or cluster 
                development.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Commerce.
            (7) Translational research.--The term ``translational 
        research'' means the coordination of basic or applied research 
        with technical applications to enable promising discoveries or 
        inventions to achieve commercial application.

SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OF CLEAN TECHNOLOGY CONSORTIA PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out a 
program to establish clean technology consortia to enhance the 
economic, environmental, and energy security of the United States by 
promoting domestic development, manufacture, and deployment of clean, 
state-of-the-art technologies.
    (b) Program.--The Secretary shall carry out the program described 
in subsection (a) by leveraging the expertise and resources of private 
research communities, institutions of higher education, industry, 
venture capital, National Laboratories (as defined in section 2 of the 
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), and other participants in 
technology innovation--
            (1) to support collaborative, cross-disciplinary research 
        and development in areas not being served by the private 
        sector; and
            (2) to develop and accelerate the commercial application of 
        innovative clean technologies.
    (c) Role of the Secretary.--The Secretary shall--
            (1) carry out and oversee all aspects of the program 
        described in subsection (a);
            (2) select recipients of grants for the establishment and 
        operation of consortia through a competitive selection process; 
        and
            (3) coordinate the innovation activities of consortia with 
        activities carried out by the Secretary of Energy, the 
        Secretary of Defense, other Federal agency heads, private 
        industry, and academia, including by annually--
                    (A) issuing guidance regarding national clean 
                technology and development priorities and strategic 
                objectives; and
                    (B) convening a conference relating to clean 
                technology, which shall bring together representatives 
                of Federal agencies, private industry, academia, and 
                other entities to share research and commercialization 
                results, program plans, and opportunities for 
                collaboration.

SEC. 4. APPLICATIONS.

    (a) In General.--To receive support under this Act, a consortium 
shall submit to the Secretary an application in such manner, at such 
time, and containing such information as the Secretary determines to be 
necessary.
    (b) Eligibility.--A consortium shall be eligible to receive support 
under this Act if--
            (1) the consortium consists of--
                    (A) 1 or more research universities that can 
                demonstrate a significant annual clean technology 
                research budget, entrepreneurial support programs, and 
                technology licensing expertise; and
                    (B) a total of 5 or more qualifying entities that 
                can demonstrate expertise in translational research, 
                clean technology, and cluster development;
            (2) the members of the consortium have established a 
        binding agreement that documents--
                    (A) the structure of the partnership agreement;
                    (B) a governance and management structure that 
                enables cost-effective implementation of the program;
                    (C) a conflicts of interest policy;
                    (D) an accounting structure that meets the 
                requirements of the Secretary and that may be audited 
                under this Act; and
                    (E) the existence of an external advisory 
                committee;
            (3) the consortium receives funding from non-Federal 
        sources, such as a State and participants of the consortium, 
        that may be used to support projects;
            (4) the consortium is part of an existing cluster or 
        demonstrates high potential to develop a new cluster; and
            (5) the consortium operates as a nonprofit organization or 
        as a public-private partnership under an operating agreement 
        led by a nonprofit organization.
    (c) Selection.--The Secretary may disqualify an application from a 
consortium under this Act if the Secretary determines that the 
conflicts of interest policy of the consortium is inadequate.
    (d) External Advisory Committees.--
            (1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under 
        this Act, a consortium shall establish an external advisory 
        committee, the members of which shall have extensive and 
        relevant scientific, technical, industry, financial, or 
        research management expertise.
            (2) Duties.--An external advisory committee shall--
                    (A) review the proposed plans, programs, project 
                selection criteria, and projects of the consortium; and
                    (B) ensure that projects selected by the consortium 
                meet the applicable conflicts of interest policy of the 
                consortium.
            (3) Members.--An external advisory committee shall consist 
        of--
                    (A) the Secretary;
                    (B) representatives of the members of the 
                consortium; and
                    (C) such representatives of private industry, 
                including entrepreneurs and venture capitalists, as the 
                Secretary and members of the consortium determine to be 
                necessary.

SEC. 5. GRANTS.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall award grants, on a competitive 
basis, to 6 or more consortia.
    (b) Terms.--
            (1) In general.--The initial term of a grant awarded under 
        this Act shall not exceed 5 years.
            (2) Extension.--The Secretary may extend the term of a 
        grant awarded under this Act for a period of not more than 5 
        additional years.
    (c) Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--A grant awarded to a consortium under this 
        Act shall not exceed--
                    (A) $30,000,000 per fiscal year; or
                    (B) the collective contributions of non-Federal 
                entities to the consortium, as described in section 
                4(b)(3).
            (2) Flexibility.--In determining the amount of a grant 
        under this section, the Secretary shall consider--
                    (A) the translational research capacity of the 
                consortium;
                    (B) the financial, human, and facility resources of 
                the qualifying entities; and
                    (C) the cluster of which the consortium is a part.
            (3) Increases in amounts.--Subject to paragraph (1), a 
        consortium may request an increase in the amount of a grant 
        awarded under this Act at the time the consortium requests an 
        extension of an initial grant.
    (d) Use of Amounts.--
            (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (3), a consortium 
        awarded a grant under this Act shall use the amounts to support 
        translational research, technology development, manufacturing 
        innovation, and commercialization activities relating to clean 
        technology.
            (2) Project selection.--As a condition of receiving a grant 
        under this Act, a consortium shall--
                    (A) develop and make available to the public on the 
                website of the Department of Commerce proposed plans, 
                programs, project selection criteria, and terms for 
                individual project awards;
                    (B) establish conflicts of interest procedures, 
                consistent with those of the Department of Commerce, to 
                ensure that employees and designees for consortium 
                activities who are in decisionmaking capacities 
                disclose all material conflicts of interest, including 
                financial, organizational, and personal conflicts of 
                interest;
                    (C) establish policies--
                            (i) to prevent resources provided to the 
                        consortium from being used to displace private 
                        sector investment otherwise likely to occur, 
                        including investment from private sector 
                        entities that are members of the consortium;
                            (ii) to facilitate the participation of 
                        private entities that invest in clean 
                        technologies to perform due diligence on award 
                        proposals, to participate in the award review 
                        process, and to provide guidance to projects 
                        supported by the consortium; and
                            (iii) to facilitate the participation of 
                        parties with a demonstrated history of 
                        commercial application of clean technologies in 
                        the development of consortium projects;
                    (D) oversee project solicitations, review proposed 
                projects, and select projects for awards; and
                    (E) monitor project implementation.
            (3) Limitations.--
                    (A) Administrative expenses.--A consortium may use 
                not more than 10 percent of the amounts awarded to the 
                consortium for administrative expenses.
                    (B) Prohibition on use.--A consortium shall not use 
                any amounts awarded to the consortium under this Act to 
                construct a new building or facility.
    (e) Audits.--
            (1) In general.--A consortium that receives a grant under 
        this Act shall carry out, in accordance with such requirements 
        as the Secretary may prescribe, an annual audit to determine 
        whether the grant has been used in accordance with this Act.
            (2) Report.--The consortium shall submit a copy of each 
        audit under paragraph (1) to the Secretary and the Comptroller 
        General of the United States.
            (3) GAO review.--As a condition of receiving a grant under 
        this Act, a consortium shall allow the Comptroller General of 
        the United States, on the request of the Comptroller General, 
        full access to the books, records, and personnel of consortium.
            (4) Reports to congress.--The Secretary shall submit to 
        Congress annually a report that includes--
                    (A) a copy of the audit described in paragraph (1); 
                and
                    (B) any recommendations of the Secretary relating 
                to the clean technology consortia program.
    (f) Revocation of Awards.--The Secretary shall have the authority--
            (1) to review grants awarded under this Act; and
            (2) to revoke a grant awarded under this Act if the 
        Secretary determines that a consortium has used the grant in a 
        manner that is not consistent with this Act.
    (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--
            (1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to 
        the Secretary to carry out this section $100,000,000.
            (2) Rescission.--There is hereby rescinded, from 
        appropriated discretionary funds that remain available to the 
        Secretary for obligation as of the date of enactment of this 
        Act, $100,000,000.