I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 10174 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a program to support 

the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of zero-emission vessels and retrofit or replacement of existing vessels with zeroemission technologies and charging or fueling infrastructure, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

NOVEMBER 20, 2024 

Ms. BARRAGA ́N (for herself, Mr. MULLIN, Mr. MAGAZINER, Ms. NORTON, Ms. 

BONAMICI, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. CARTER of Louisiana, and Mr. ROBERT

GARCIA of California) introduced the following bill; which was referred to 

the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, and in addition to the 

Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of 

such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

A BILL 

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to establish a 

program to support the research, development, demonstration, and deployment of zero-emission vessels and 

retrofit or replacement of existing vessels with zero-emission technologies and charging or fueling infrastructure, 

and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Zero-Emission Vessel 

3 Innovation Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. ZERO-EMISSION VESSEL INNOVATION FUND. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Transportation 

6 shall establish a program to be known as the ‘‘Zero-Emis7 sion Vessel Innovation Program’’ (in this section referred 

8 to as the ‘‘Program’’) to support the research, design, de9 velopment, demonstration, and deployment of zero-emis10 sion vessels and retrofit or replacement of existing vessels 

11 with zero-emission technologies and charging or fueling in12 frastructure. 

13 (b) MECHANISMS.—In carrying out the Program, the 

14 Secretary may provide eligible entities with finance mecha15 nisms to support eligible projects, including grants, low16 interest loans, and loan guarantees. 

17 (c) PRIORITIZATION.—In carrying out the Program, 

18 the Secretary shall prioritize eligible projects that— 

19 (1) advance the efficiency and reliability, and 

20 reduce the costs, of zero-emission vessel develop21 ment; 

22 (2) improve the components, controls, manufac23 turing, materials, and infrastructure that support 

24 zero-emission vessels; 

25 (3) reduce underwater noise emissions from ves26 sels; 


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1 (4) emphasize technologies with environmental 

2 co-benefits such as biofouling reduction; 

3 (5) advance synergies between offshore renew4 able energy development and maritime 

5 decarbonization and ocean noise, such as through 

6 the deployment of zero-emission and quiet offshore 

7 wind support vessels; 

8 (6) utilizes a project labor agreement or com9 munity benefits agreement; 

10 (7) advance environmental justice and engage 

11 communities affected by maritime transport in all 

12 phases of the project including the development, 

13 planning, and execution of the project; and 

14 (8) support workforce training and development 

15 for the research, development, demonstration, de16 ployment, and maintenance of zero-emission and 

17 clean alternative fuel vessels and charging or fueling 

18 infrastructure. 

19 (d) TRANSPARENCY.—In carrying out the Program, 

20 the Secretary shall make publicly available each year on 

21 the website of the Department of Transportation applica22 tions submitted for funding mechanisms under this sec23 tion, including applications selected and not selected for 

24 funding. 


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1 (e) COORDINATION AND LEVERAGING OF RE2 SOURCES.—In carrying out the Program, the Secretary 

3 shall, to the maximum extent practicable— 

4 (1) coordinate with each relevant office in the 

5 Department and any other Federal agency; 

6 (2) leverage existing resources and programs of 

7 the Department and other relevant Federal agencies; 

8 (3) leverage public-private partnerships; and 

9 (4) engage and solicit input from environmental 

10 justice communities and environmental organizations 

11 on project impacts and benefits. 

12 (f) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.—The Secretary may use 

13 up to 10 percent of the amounts made available to carry 

14 out this section for administrative costs for carrying out 

15 the program under this section. 

16 (g) WAGES.—All laborers and mechanics employed by 

17 a subgrantee of an eligible entity, and any subgrantee 

18 thereof at any tier, to perform construction, alteration, in19 stallation, or repair work that is assisted, in whole or in 

20 part, by funding awarded under this section shall be paid 

21 wages at rates not less than those prevailing on similar 

22 construction, alteration, installation, or repair work in the 

23 locality as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accord24 ance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United 

25 States Code. 


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1 (h) FUNDING.—There is authorized to carry out the 

2 program under this section $1,000,000,000 for each of fis3 cal years 2025 through 2034. 

4 (i) PROHIBITION.—No funds made available to carry 

5 out this section shall be spent for the study, design, imple6 mentation, or installation of automated vessels, automated 

7 vessel operating systems, automated cargo handling sys8 tems on a vessel, or automated cargo handling systems 

9 for loading or unloading vessels. 

10 (j) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

11 (1) AUTOMATED.—The term ‘‘automated’’ 

12 means any vessel or cargo handling system that per13 forms any or all core functions without human oper14 ation. 

15 (2) CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

16 ‘‘charging infrastructure’’— 

17 (A) means the physical systems, equip18 ment, and facilities necessary to supply elec19 trical power to vessels for the purpose of re20 charging the batteries or energy storage sys21 tems of such vessels; and 

22 (B) includes, with respect to zero emission 

23 vessel technology, shore power facilities, onshore 

24 charging stations, and any associated equipVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:37 Jan 13, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10174.IH H10174

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1 ment required to support the electrification of 

2 maritime transportation. 

3 (3) COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT.—The 

4 term ‘‘community benefits agreement’’ means an 

5 agreement signed by community groups and an eligi6 ble entity, identifying the community or labor bene7 fits the entity agrees to deliver in return for commu8 nity support or workforce availability for a project. 

9 (4) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti10 ty’’ means— 

11 (A) an owner or operator of a United 

12 States-flagged vessel; 

13 (B) a United States based manufacturer of 

14 vessels; 

15 (C) manufacturers of components, tech16 nologies, or materials that support zero-emis17 sion and clean alternative fuel vessels; 

18 (D) a port authority; 

19 (E) a terminal operator at a port; and 

20 (F) academic institutions or nonprofit enti21 ties in a joint application with an entity listed 

22 in subparagraphs (A) through (E). 

23 (5) ELIGIBLE PROJECT.—The term ‘‘eligible 

24 project’’ means a project to support the research, 


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1 design, demonstration, development, and deployment 

2 of— 

3 (A) zero-emission vessels; 

4 (B) clean alternative fuel vessels; 

5 (C) vessel energy efficiency technology 

6 (such as wind assistance and systems that mini7 mize underwater noise emissions); 

8 (D) shore power and corresponding vessel 

9 technology; and 

10 (E) zero-emission and clean alternative 

11 fuel infrastructure, including bunkering and 

12 storage, for vessels. 

13 (6) ENVIRONMENTAL CO-BENEFITS.—The term 

14 ‘‘environmental co-benefits’’ means the additional 

15 positive environmental impacts or advantages that 

16 arise as a result of implementing a particular policy, 

17 technology, or initiative. 

18 (7) FUELING INFRASTRUCTURE.—The term 

19 ‘‘fueling infrastructure’’ means the infrastructure 

20 and facilities essential for supplying, storing, han21 dling, and distributing alternative fuels or energy 

22 sources used for powering vessels. 

23 (8) MARITIME DECARBONIZATION.—The term 

24 ‘‘maritime decarbonization’’ means the process of re25 ducing or eliminating carbon dioxide emissions assoVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:37 Jan 13, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10174.IH H10174

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1 ciated with maritime transportation activities and in2 volves implementing a range of strategies, tech3 nologies, and policies aimed at mitigating the envi4 ronmental impact of shipping operations, including 

5 the adoption of alternative fuels, energy efficiency 

6 measures, operational improvements, and regulatory 

7 measures designed to promote the transition to zero 

8 emission vessel technologies. 

9 (9) PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT.—The 

10 ‘‘project labor agreement’’ means a pre-hire collec11 tive bargaining agreement with 1 or more labor or12 ganization that establishes the terms and conditions 

13 of employment for a specific construction project 

14 and is described in section 8(f) of the National 

15 Labor Relations Act (29 U.S.C. 158(f)). 

16 (10) CLEAN ALTERNATIVE FUEL.—The term 

17 ‘‘clean alternative fuel’’ means a fuel or energy 

18 source that results in at least 90 percent fewer 

19 greenhouse gas emissions than a baseline of conven20 tional marine fossil fuel on a life-cycle (‘‘well-to21 wake’’) basis, measured in grams of carbon dioxide 

22 equivalent emissions per unit of energy, that is prov23 en to be safe for people, communities, and the ma24 rine environment. 


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1 (11) ZERO-EMISSION VESSEL.—The term ‘‘zero2 emission vessel’’ means a vessel that produces zero 

3 emissions of any criteria pollutant, precursor pollut4 ant, or greenhouse gas, other than water vapor dur5 ing its operation, typically by utilizing renewable en6 ergy sources such as wind, clean alternative fuels, 

7 and efficiency technologies. 

8 SEC. 3. ZERO-EMISSION VESSEL INNOVATION ADVISORY 

9 COMMITTEE. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Trans12 portation, in coordination with the Executive Director of 

13 the Maritime Administration, shall establish an advisory 

14 committee, to be known as the ‘‘Zero-Emission Vessel In15 novation Advisory Committee’’ (in this section referred to 

16 as the ‘‘Committee’’. 

17 (b) MEMBERSHIP.— 

18 (1) APPOINTMENT.—The Committee shall be 

19 composed of not fewer than 15 members, who shall 

20 be appointed by the Secretary, in coordination with 

21 the Executive Director. 

22 (2) REPRESENTATION.—Members appointed 

23 pursuant to paragraph (1) shall include— 


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1 (A) not less than 1 representative of each 

2 relevant Federal agency, as determined by the 

3 Secretary; 

4 (B) not less than 2 representatives of labor 

5 groups; 

6 (C) not less than 3 representatives of the 

7 research community, which shall include aca8 demia and National Laboratories; 

9 (D) not less than 2 representatives of non10 governmental environmental justice organiza11 tions; 

12 (E) not less than 2 representatives of non13 governmental environmental organizations; 

14 (F) not less than 2 representatives of the 

15 maritime industry; 

16 (G) not less than 2 representatives of the 

17 zero-emissions fuels industry; 

18 (H) not less than 1 representative of a 

19 State government; 

20 (I) not less than 2 representatives from 

21 United States ports; and 

22 (J) any other individual whom the Sec23 retary, in coordination with the Director, deter24 mines to be necessary to ensure that the Com25 mittee is composed of a diverse group of repVerDate Sep 11 2014 20:37 Jan 13, 2025 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H10174.IH H10174

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1 resentatives of industry, academia, independent 

2 researchers, and public and private entities. 

3 (3) CHAIR.—The Secretary shall designate a 

4 member of the Committee to serve as Chair. 

5 (c) DUTIES.—The Committee shall advise the Sec6 retary and the Executive Director with respect to the 

7 Zero-Emissions Vessel Innovation Fund by— 

8 (1) identifying and evaluating any zero-emission 

9 shipping technologies being developed by the private 

10 sector or other Federal agencies; 

11 (2) identifying technology gaps in the private 

12 sector in zero-emissions shipping, and making rec13 ommendations to address those gaps through the im14 plementation of the Fund; 

15 (3) surveying and analyzing factors that pre16 vent the adoption of zero-emission emissions ship17 ping technologies by the private sector; 

18 (4) recommending technology screening criteria 

19 for technology supported under the fund; and 

20 (5) specifying near-term and long-term quali21 tative and quantitative objectives relating to the de22 velopment of zero-emissions shipping technologies. 

23 (d) MEETINGS.— 


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1 (1) FREQUENCY.—The Committee shall meet 

2 not less frequently than 2 times per year, at the call 

3 of the Chair. 

4 (2) INITIAL MEETING.—Not later than 30 days 

5 after the date on which the members are appointed 

6 under subsection (b), the Committee shall hold a 

7 first meeting. 

8 (e) COMMITTEE REPORT.— 

9 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 2 years after 

10 the date of enactment of this Act, and not less fre11 quently than once every 3 years thereafter, the Com12 mittee shall submit to the Secretary a report on the 

13 progress of achieving the purposes of the program 

14 described in section 2(a). 

15 (2) CONTENTS.—The report under paragraph 

16 (1) shall include— 

17 (A) a description of any technology innova18 tion opportunities identified by the Committee; 

19 (B) a description of any technology gaps 

20 identified by the Committee; 

21 (C) an evaluation of the progress of the 

22 program and the research, development, and 

23 demonstration activities funded; 

24 (D) an assessment of the extent to which 

25 progress has been made under the program in 


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1 developing commercial, cost-competitive zero2 emission shipping technologies; and 

3 (E) an assessment of the effectiveness of 

4 the program in coordinating efforts within the 

5 Department and with other Federal agencies to 

6 achieve the purposes of the program. 

7 (f) REPORT TO CONGRESS.—Not later than 60 days 

8 after receiving a report from the Committee under sub9 section (e), the Secretary shall submit a copy of such re10 port to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastruc11 ture of the House of Representatives and the Committee 

12 on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate. 

Æ 


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