National Telecommuting and Air Quality Act

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Telecommuting and Air 
Quality Act''.

SEC. 2. GRANT PROGRAM FOR DESIGN OF PILOT PROGRAM REGARDING 
              TELECOMMUTING AS MEANS OF IMPROVING AIR QUALITY.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Grant for design of pilot program.--The Secretary of 
        Transportation (in this section referred to as the 
        ``Secretary'') shall make a grant to a nonprofit private entity 
        that is knowledgeable on matters relating to air quality for 
        the purpose of developing a design for the proposed pilot 
        program described in subsection (b). The grant shall be made to 
        the National Environmental Policy Institute (a nonprofit 
        private entity incorporated under the laws of and located in 
        the District of Columbia), if such Institute submits an 
        application for the grant.
            (2) Administration of program.--The Secretary shall carry 
        out this section (including subsection (c)(1)(C)) in 
        collaboration with the Administrator of the Environmental 
        Protection Agency and the Secretary of Energy.
    (b) Proposed Ozone Precursor Credit-Trading Pilot Program.--
            (1) Definitions.--For purposes of this section:
                    (A) The term ``participating employers'' means 
                employers that voluntarily authorize and engage in 
                telecommuting.
                    (B) The term ``telecommuting'' means the use of 
                telecommunications to perform work functions under 
                circumstances in which the use of telecommunications 
                reduces or eliminates the need to commute.
                    (C) The term ``regulated entities'' means entities 
                that are regulated under the Clean Air Act with respect 
                to emissions of one or more ozone precursors.
                    (D) The term ``ozone precursors'' means air 
                pollutants that are precursors of ground level ozone.
                    (E) The term ``VMTs'' means vehicle-miles-traveled.
            (2) Description of program.--For purposes of subsection 
        (a)(1) and other provisions of this section, the proposed pilot 
        program described in this subsection is a pilot program under 
        which the following would occur:
                    (A) Methods would be evaluated and developed for 
                calculating reductions in emissions of ozone precursors 
                that can be achieved as a result of reduced VMTs by 
                telecommuting employees of participating employers.
                    (B) The estimated reductions in such emissions for 
                the periods of time involved would be deemed to be 
                items that may be transferred by such employers to 
                other persons, and for such purpose the employers would 
                be issued certificates indicating the amount of the 
                reductions achieved for the periods (referred to in 
                this section as ``emission credits'') .
                    (C) A commercial trading and exchange forum would 
                be made available to the public for trading and 
                exchanging emission credits.
                    (D) Through the commercial trading and exchange 
                forum, or through direct trades and exchanges with 
                persons who hold the credits, regulated entities would 
                obtain emission credits.
                    (E) Regulated entities would present emission 
                credits to the Federal Government or to the State 
                involved (as applicable under the Clean Air Act) and 
                the amounts of reductions in emissions of ozone 
                precursors represented by the credits would for 
                purposes of the Clean Air Act be deemed to assist in 
                achieving compliance.
                    (F) The Federal Government would explore means to 
                facilitate the transfer of emission credits between 
                participating employers and regulated and other 
                entities.
    (c) Sites for Operation of Pilot Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall ensure that the design 
        developed under subsection (a) includes recommendations for 
        carrying out the proposed pilot program described in subsection 
        (b) in each of the following geographic areas:
                    (A) The greater metropolitan region of the District 
                of Columbia (including areas in the States of Maryland 
                and Virginia).
                    (B) The greater metropolitan region of Los Angeles, 
                in the State of California.
                    (C) Three additional areas to be selected by the 
                Secretary, after consultation with the grantee under 
                subsection (a).
            (2) Consultation.--The Secretary shall require that, in 
        carrying out paragraph (1) with respect to a geographic area, 
        the grantee under subsection (a) consult with local governments 
        and business organizations in the geographic area.
    (d) Study and Report.--The Secretary shall require that, in 
developing the design under subsection (a), the grantee under such 
subsection study and report to the Congress and to the Secretary the 
potential significance of the proposed pilot program described in 
subsection (b) as an incentive for expanding telecommuting and reducing 
VMTs in the geographic areas for which the design is developed, and the 
extent to which the program would have positive effects on--
            (1) national, State, and local transportation and 
        infrastructure policies;
            (2) energy conservation and consumption;
            (3) national, State, and local air quality; and
            (4) individual, family, and community quality of life.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--For the purpose of making the 
grant under subsection (a), there is authorized to be appropriated 
$250,000 for fiscal year 2000. Amounts appropriated under the preceding 
sentence are available until expended.

Summary: National Telecommuting and Air Quality Act - Directs the Secretary of Transportation to make a grant to a nonprofit private entity for the purpose of developing a design for a proposed ozone precursor credit-trading pilot program in which: (1) methods would be evaluated and developed for calculating reductions in emissions of ozone precursors that can be achieved as a result of reduced vehicle-miles-traveled (VMTs) by telecommuting employees. (2) regulated entities would present emission credits to the Federal Government or to the State and the amounts of reductions in emissions of air pollutants represented by such credits would be for purposes of compliance with the Clean Air Act. And (3) the Federal Government would explore means to facilitate the transfer of emission credits between participating employers and regulated and other entities. Sets forth recommended sites for the operation of such pilot program, including: (1) the greater metropolitan region of the District of Columbia, (2) the greater metropolitan region of Los Angeles, California. And (3) three additional areas to be selected by the Secretary. Directs the Secretary to require the grantee to study and report to Congress and to the Secretary on the potential significance of the proposed pilot program as an incentive for expanding telecommuting and reducing VMTs in the geographic areas, and the extent to which it would have positive effects on national, State, and local air quality and energy conservation and consumption. Authorizes appropriations.