Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2015

Summary: Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2015 This bill authorizes military departments to carry out pilot programs to enter into energy savings performance contracts through FY2041, for the purpose of achieving direct energy savings and secondary savings in: (1) certain mobile assets of the Armed Forces that consume energy for the purpose of transportation or maintaining a controlled environment within the vehicle, device, or equipment; and (2) any federally owned equipment used to generate electricity or transport water. Under an energy savings performance contract, a private party agrees to fund energy-efficient upgrades in the federal government and the federal agency agrees to pay the private party from reductions in the agency's energy costs. The U.S. Army must report on research since October 1, 2010, on energy efficiency of tactical vehicles. The Department of Defense (DOD) may carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to increase combat vehicle fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption. DOD shall establish an online, centralized repository for all DOD operational energy-related research and development efforts. The bill establishes a Department of Defense Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Fund for installing and operating alternative fuel dispensing stations for DOD's alternative fueled vehicles and other related infrastructure. DOD must establish a program to develop and support projects designed to foster secure and reliable sources of energy for military installations, including incorporation of advanced energy metering, resilient energy, energy storage, and redundant power systems. DOD must report on: (1) the costs and benefits associated with requiring 25% of National Guard and Reserve facilities to have at least a 21-day on-site power storage capacity to assist civil authorities in case of man-made or natural disasters; (2) energy efficiency language in the most recent aerial refueling tanker contract and the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program contract; and (3) DOD's strategy and initiatives to mitigate the impact of expected increased water shortages, instances of wildfire, increased drought, flooding due to sea level rise, and coastal erosion from storm surges to ensure optimal military readiness.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.

    (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Department of 
Defense Energy Security Act of 2015''.
    (b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is as 
follows:

Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Pilot program on military use of energy savings performance 
                            contracts for mobile and other nonbuilding 
                            applications.
Sec. 3. Report of effectiveness of tactical vehicle research regarding 
                            energy efficiency.
Sec. 4. Additional research to improve military vehicle technology to 
                            increase fuel economy or reduce fuel 
                            consumption of military vehicles used in 
                            combat.
Sec. 5. Establishment of repository for operational energy-related 
                            research and development efforts of 
                            Department of Defense.
Sec. 6. Study on power storage capacity requirement.
Sec. 7. Establishment of Department of Defense alternative fueled 
                            vehicle infrastructure fund.
Sec. 8. Secure energy innovation program.
Sec. 9. Authority to use Energy Savings Investment Fund for energy 
                            management initiatives.
Sec. 10. Report on energy performance initiatives.
Sec. 11. Report on military readiness to deal with expected increased 
                            water shortages, instances of wildfire, 
                            increased drought, flooding due to sea 
                            level rise, and coastal erosion from storm 
                            surges.

SEC. 2. PILOT PROGRAM ON MILITARY USE OF ENERGY SAVINGS PERFORMANCE 
              CONTRACTS FOR MOBILE AND OTHER NONBUILDING APPLICATIONS.

    (a) Program Authorized.--The Secretary of a military department may 
carry out a pilot program under which the Secretary will enter into 
energy savings performance contracts under the authority of section 801 
of the National Energy Conservation Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 8287) for the 
purpose of achieving direct energy savings and secondary savings in 
mobile assets of the Armed Forces under the jurisdiction of the 
Secretary and other nonbuilding applications of the military 
department.
    (b) Implementation Report.--Not later than two years after entering 
into the first energy savings performance contract under the pilot 
program, the Secretary of the military department concerned shall 
submit to Congress a report describing the implementation of the pilot 
program, including the number of energy savings performance contracts 
executed, the types of mobile assets and other nonbuilding applications 
covered, and the direct energy savings and secondary savings achieved.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Mobile asset and nonbuilding application.--The terms 
        ``mobile asset'' and ``nonbuilding application'' mean--
                    (A) any class of vehicles, devices, or equipment 
                that--
                            (i) is transportable under the power of the 
                        applicable vehicle, device, or equipment by 
                        land, sea, or air; and
                            (ii) consumes energy from any fuel source 
                        for the purpose of--
                                    (I) that transportation; or
                                    (II) maintaining a controlled 
                                environment within the vehicle, device, 
                                or equipment; and
                    (B) any federally owned equipment used to generate 
                electricity or transport water.
            (2) Secondary savings.--The term ``secondary savings'' 
        means additional energy or cost savings that are a direct 
        consequence of the energy savings that result from the energy 
        efficiency improvements that were financed and implemented 
        pursuant to an energy savings performance contract. The term 
        includes--
                    (A) energy and cost savings that result from a 
                reduction in the need for fuel delivery and logistical 
                support;
                    (B) personnel cost savings and environmental 
                benefits; and
                    (C) in the case of electric generation equipment, 
                the benefits of increased efficiency in the production 
                of electricity, including revenues received by the 
                Federal Government from the sale of electricity from 
                the production.
    (d) Termination.--The authority to enter into an energy savings 
performance contract under the pilot program terminates September 30, 
2041.

SEC. 3. REPORT OF EFFECTIVENESS OF TACTICAL VEHICLE RESEARCH REGARDING 
              ENERGY EFFICIENCY.

    Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
Act, the Secretary of the Army shall submit to Congress a report 
describing all Army research since October 1, 2010--
            (1) on technologies that may improve the range and 
        endurance of tactical vehicles, without increasing fuel demand, 
        thereby also reducing the vulnerability of tactical supply 
        lines to attacks; and
            (2) on auxiliary power units, batteries, and other engine 
        technologies for running ``hotel'' loads and surveillance 
        systems during silent watch, including plans for incorporating 
        these technologies into programs of record or new acquisitions.

SEC. 4. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH TO IMPROVE MILITARY VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY TO 
              INCREASE FUEL ECONOMY OR REDUCE FUEL CONSUMPTION OF 
              MILITARY VEHICLES USED IN COMBAT.

    (a) Research Authorized.--The Secretary of Defense, acting through 
the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and in 
collaboration with the Secretary of the Army and the Secretary of the 
Navy, may carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to 
increase fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption of military vehicles 
used in combat.
    (b) Previous Successes.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that 
research carried out under subsection (a) takes into account the 
successes of, and lessons learned during, the development of the Fuel 
Efficient Ground Vehicle Alpha and Bravo programs to identify, assess, 
develop, demonstrate, and prototype technologies that support 
increasing fuel economy and decreasing fuel consumption of light 
tactical vehicles, while balancing survivability.

SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF REPOSITORY FOR OPERATIONAL ENERGY-RELATED 
              RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF 
              DEFENSE.

    (a) Repository Required.--Not later than December 31, 2016, the 
Secretary of Defense, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Defense 
for Research and Engineering and in collaboration with the Assistant 
Secretary of Defense for Operational Energy Plans and Programs and the 
Secretaries of the military departments, shall establish a centralized 
repository for all operational energy-related research and development 
efforts of the Department of Defense, including with respect to the 
inception, operational, and complete phases of such efforts.
    (b) Internet Access.--The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that 
the repository required by subsection (a) is accessible through an 
Internet website of the Department of Defense and by all employees of 
the Department and members of the Armed Forces whom the Secretary 
determines appropriate, including all program managers involved in such 
research and development efforts, to enable improved collaboration 
between military departments on research and development efforts 
described in subsection (a), sharing of best practices and lessons 
learned relating to such efforts, and reduce redundancy in such 
efforts.

SEC. 6. STUDY ON POWER STORAGE CAPACITY REQUIREMENT.

    Not later than September 30, 2016, the Secretary of Defense shall 
submit to the congressional defense committees a report on the costs 
and benefits associated with requiring 25 percent of National Guard and 
Reserve facilities to have at least a 21-day on-site power storage 
capacity to assist with providing support to civil authorities in case 
of manmade or natural disasters.

SEC. 7. ESTABLISHMENT OF DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ALTERNATIVE FUELED 
              VEHICLE INFRASTRUCTURE FUND.

    (a) Establishment of Fund.--There is established in the Treasury a 
fund to be known as the ``Department of Defense Alternative Fuel 
Vehicle Infrastructure Fund''.
    (b) Deposits.--The Fund shall consist of the following:
            (1) Amounts appropriated to the Fund.
            (2) Amounts earned through investment under subsection (c).
            (3) Any other amounts made available to the Fund by law.
    (c) Investments.--The Secretary shall invest any part of the Fund 
that the Secretary decides is not required to meet current expenses. 
Each investment shall be made in an interest-bearing obligation of the 
United States Government, or an obligation that has its principal and 
interest guaranteed by the Government, that the Secretary decides has a 
maturity suitable for the Fund.
    (d) Use of Funds.--Amounts in the Fund shall be available to the 
Secretary, acting through the Under Secretary of Defense for 
Acquisition, Training, and Logistics, to install, operate, and maintain 
alternative fuel dispensing stations for use by alternative fueled 
vehicles of the Department of Defense and other infrastructure 
necessary to fuel alternative fueled vehicles of the Department.
    (e) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Alternative fuel.--The term ``alternative fuel'' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 32901 of title 49, 
        United States Code.
            (2) Alternative fueled vehicle.--The term ``alternative 
        fueled vehicle'' means a vehicle that operates on alternative 
        fuel.
            (3) Fund.--The term ``Fund'' means the fund established 
        under subsection (a).

SEC. 8. SECURE ENERGY INNOVATION PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary of Defense shall establish a 
program to develop and support projects designed to foster secure and 
reliable sources of energy for military installations, including 
incorporation of advanced energy metering, resilient energy, energy 
storage, and redundant power systems.
    (b) Metrics.--The Secretary of Defense shall develop metrics for 
assessing the costs and benefits associated with secure energy projects 
proposed or implemented as part of the program established under 
subsection (a). The metrics shall take into account financial and 
operational costs associated with sustained losses of power resulting 
from natural disasters or attacks that damage electrical grids serving 
military installations.
    (c) Assessment.--As part of the program established under 
subsection (a), the Secretary of each military department shall conduct 
an assessment of each military installation under the jurisdiction of 
the Secretary--
            (1) to identify all critical electrical loads for military 
        missions performed at the installation;
            (2) to determine the security of these electrical supplies 
        and the sufficiency and readiness of backup power and 
        continuity of operations plans; and
            (3) to investigate alternative and renewable energy 
        supplies and efficiency measures that would increase resilience 
        of supplies to critical loads, which may include, but is not 
        limited to, solar thermal, geothermal, waste heat, and 
        renewable combined heat and power processes, combined heat and 
        power, small modular nuclear reactor technologies, and fuel 
        cell energy systems.
    (d) Implementation Methods.--The Secretary of Defense and the 
Secretaries of the military departments may use Energy Savings 
Performance Contracts, Power Purchase Agreements, and Enhanced Use 
Leasing agreements to carry out the program established under 
subsection (a) to meet energy intensity or renewable energy goals if 
energy security and resilience of supply also improves as a result of 
entering into such a contract or agreement.

SEC. 9. AUTHORITY TO USE ENERGY SAVINGS INVESTMENT FUND FOR ENERGY 
              MANAGEMENT INITIATIVES.

    Section 2919(b)(2) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by 
striking ``, to the extent provided for in an appropriations Act,''.

SEC. 10. REPORT ON ENERGY PERFORMANCE INITIATIVES.

    Not later than March 1, 2016, the Secretary of Defense shall 
provide a briefing or submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report--
            (1) describing the energy efficiency language included in 
        the most recent aerial refueling tanker contract and in the 
        Logistics Civil Augmentation Program contract; and
            (2) evaluating the feasibility of including such energy 
        efficiency provisions in other contracts for platforms and 
        equipment that are high energy users, including the extent to 
        which such provisions have been included in other contracts.

SEC. 11. REPORT ON MILITARY READINESS TO DEAL WITH EXPECTED INCREASED 
              WATER SHORTAGES, INSTANCES OF WILDFIRE, INCREASED 
              DROUGHT, FLOODING DUE TO SEA LEVEL RISE, AND COASTAL 
              EROSION FROM STORM SURGES.

    Not later than March 1, 2016, the Secretary of Defense shall 
provide a briefing or submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the 
Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the strategy of the 
Department of Defense and initiatives to mitigate the impact of 
expected increased water shortages, instances of wildfire, increased 
drought, flooding due to sea level rise, and coastal erosion from storm 
surges to ensure optimal military readiness. At minimum, the briefing 
or report shall address the following issues:
            (1) How are changing conditions affecting operations and 
        military readiness at military installations?
            (2) What has the Secretary determined to be most effective 
        in preparing for future conditions?
            (3) How are best practices being disseminated and 
        implemented throughout installations?
            (4) Is the Department facing any challenges in carrying out 
        preparedness and resilience initiatives? If so, what are these 
        obstacles and do they require congressional action to increase 
        security on installations?
            (5) What opportunities exist for effective public private 
        partnerships or contracts with industry to address and mitigate 
        the effects of these conditions?