I 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 1985 

To amend the National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 to reauthorize 

and improve that Act, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 15, 2013 

Mr. LANCE (for himself, Mr. DENT, Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina, Mr. 

FRELINGHUYSEN, Mr. GRIMM, Mr. HANNA, Mr. HARRIS, Mr. JONES, Mr. 

RUNYAN, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. WELCH, Mr. WILSON of South 

Carolina, and Mr. KING of New York) introduced the following bill; which 

was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 

A BILL 

To amend the National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 

2000 to reauthorize and improve that Act, 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, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Oilheat Efficiency, Re5 newable Fuel Research and Jobs Training Act of 2013’’. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•HR 1985 IH

1 SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 

2 Section 702 of the National Oilheat Research Alli3 ance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

4 469) is amended— 

5 (1) in paragraph (4), by striking ‘‘and’’ after 

6 the semicolon at the end; 

7 (2) by striking the period at the end and insert8 ing a semicolon; and 

9 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

10 ‘‘(6) consumers of oilheat fuel are provided 

11 service by thousands of small businesses that are un12 able to individually develop training programs to fa13 cilitate the entry of new and qualified workers into 

14 the oilheat fuel industry; 

15 ‘‘(7) small businesses and trained employees are 

16 in an ideal position— 

17 ‘‘(A) to provide information to consumers 

18 about the benefits of improved efficiency; and 

19 ‘‘(B) to encourage consumers to value effi20 ciency in energy choices and assist individuals 

21 in conserving energy; 

22 ‘‘(8) additional research is necessary— 

23 ‘‘(A) to improve oilheat fuel equipment; 

24 and 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(B) to develop domestic renewable re2 sources that can be used to safely and 

3 affordably heat homes; 

4 ‘‘(9) since there are no Federal resources avail5 able to assist the oilheat fuel industry, it is nec6 essary and appropriate to develop a self-funded pro7 gram dedicated— 

8 ‘‘(A) to improving efficiency in customer 

9 homes; 

10 ‘‘(B) to assist individuals to gain employ11 ment in the oilheat fuel industry; and 

12 ‘‘(C) to develop domestic renewable re13 sources; 

14 ‘‘(10) both consumers of oilheat fuel and retail15 ers would benefit from the self-funded program; and 

16 ‘‘(11) the oilheat fuel industry is committed to 

17 providing appropriate funding necessary to carry out 

18 the purposes of this title without passing additional 

19 costs on to residential consumers.’’. 

20 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 703 of the National 

22 Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 

23 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended— 

24 (1) by redesignating paragraphs (3) through 

25 (15) as paragraphs (4) through (16), respectively; 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•HR 1985 IH

1 (2) by inserting after paragraph (2) the fol2 lowing: 

3 ‘‘(3) COST-EFFECTIVE.—The term ‘cost-effec4 tive’, with respect to a program or activity carried 

5 out under section 707(f)(4), means that the program 

6 or activity meets a total resource cost test under 

7 which— 

8 ‘‘(A) the net present value of economic 

9 benefits over the life of the program or activity, 

10 including avoided supply and delivery costs and 

11 deferred or avoided investments; is greater than 

12 ‘‘(B) the net present value of the economic 

13 costs over the life of the program or activity, in14 cluding program costs and incremental costs 

15 borne by the energy consumer.’’; and 

16 (3) by striking paragraph (8) (as redesignated 

17 in paragraph (1)) and inserting the following: 

18 ‘‘(8) OILHEAT FUEL.—The term ‘oilheat fuel’ 

19 means fuel that— 

20 ‘‘(A) is— 

21 ‘‘(i) No. 1 distillate; 

22 ‘‘(ii) No. 2 dyed distillate; 

23 ‘‘(iii) a liquid blended with No. 1 dis24 tillate or No. 2 dyed distillate; or 

25 ‘‘(iv) a biobased liquid; and 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(B) is used as a fuel for nonindustrial 

2 commercial or residential space or hot water 

3 heating.’’. 

4 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

5 (1) The National Oilheat Research Alliance Act 

6 of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

7 469) is amended by striking ‘‘oilheat’’ each place it 

8 appears and inserting ‘‘oilheat fuel’’. 

9 (2) Section 704(d) of the National Oilheat Re10 search Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; 

11 Public Law 106–469) is amended in the subsection 

12 heading by striking ‘‘OILHEAT’’ and inserting 

13 ‘‘OILHEAT FUEL’’. 

14 (3) Section 706(c)(2) of the National Oilheat 

15 Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 

16 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended in the para17 graph heading by striking ‘‘OILHEAT’’ and inserting 

18 ‘‘OILHEAT FUEL’’. 

19 (4) Section 707(c) of the National Oilheat Re20 search Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; 

21 Public Law 106–469) is amended in the subsection 

22 heading by striking ‘‘OILHEAT’’ and inserting 

23 ‘‘OILHEAT FUEL’’. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•HR 1985 IH

1 SEC. 4. MEMBERSHIP. 

2 (a) SELECTION.—Section 705 of the National Oilheat 

3 Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Pub4 lic Law 106–469) is amended by striking subsection (a) 

5 and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(a) SELECTION.— 

7 ‘‘(1) LIST.— 

8 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall 

9 provide to the Secretary a list of qualified nomi10 nees for membership in the Alliance. 

11 ‘‘(B) REQUIREMENT.—Except as provided 

12 in subsection (c)(1)(C), members of the Alliance 

13 shall be representatives of the oilheat fuel in14 dustry in a State, selected from a list of nomi15 nees submitted by the qualified State associa16 tion in the State. 

17 ‘‘(2) VACANCIES.—A vacancy in the Alliance 

18 shall be filled in the same manner as the original se19 lection. 

20 ‘‘(3) SECRETARIAL ACTION.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall 

22 have 60 days to review nominees provided 

23 under paragraph (1). 

24 ‘‘(B) FAILURE TO ACT.—If the Secretary 

25 takes no action during the 60-day period deVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:01 May 18, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1985.IH H1985

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
7 

•HR 1985 IH

1 scribed in subparagraph (A), the nominees shall 

2 be considered to be members of the Alliance.’’. 

3 (b) REPRESENTATION.—Section 705(b) of the Na4 tional Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

5 6201 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended in the matter 

6 preceding paragraph (1) by striking ‘‘qualified industry 

7 organization’’ and inserting ‘‘Alliance’’. 

8 (c) NUMBER OF MEMBERS.—Section 705(c) of the 

9 National Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 

10 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended— 

11 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

12 following: 

13 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall be com14 posed of the following members: 

15 ‘‘(A) 1 member representing each State 

16 participating in the Alliance. 

17 ‘‘(B) 5 representatives of retail marketers, 

18 of whom 1 shall be selected by each of the 

19 qualified State associations of the 5 States with 

20 the highest volume of annual oilheat fuel sales. 

21 ‘‘(C) 5 additional representatives of retail 

22 marketers. 

23 ‘‘(D) 21 representatives of wholesale dis24 tributors. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
8 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(E) 6 public members, who shall be rep2 resentatives of significant users of oilheat fuel, 

3 the oilheat fuel research community, State en4 ergy officials, or other groups with expertise in 

5 oilheat fuel, including consumer and low-income 

6 advocacy groups.’’; and 

7 (2) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘the qualified 

8 industry organization or’’. 

9 SEC. 5. FUNCTIONS. 

10 (a) RENEWABLE FUEL RESEARCH.—Section 

11 706(a)(3)(B)(i)(I) of the National Oilheat Research Alli12 ance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

13 469) is amended by inserting before the semicolon at the 

14 end the following: ‘‘, including research to develop renew15 able fuels and to examine the compatibility of different 

16 renewable fuels with oilheat fuel utilization equipment, 

17 with priority given to research on the development and use 

18 of advanced biofuels’’. 

19 (b) BIENNIAL BUDGETS.—Section 706(e) of the Na20 tional Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 

21 6201 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended— 

22 (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the 

23 following: 

24 ‘‘(1) PUBLICATION OF PROPOSED BUDGET.— 

25 Not later than August 1, 2013, and every 2 years 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
9 

•HR 1985 IH

1 thereafter, the Alliance shall, in consultation with 

2 the Secretary, develop and publish for public review 

3 and comment a proposed biennial budget for the 

4 next 2 calendar years, including the probable oper5 ating and planning costs of all programs, projects, 

6 and contracts and other agreements.’’; and 

7 (2) by striking paragraph (4) and inserting the 

8 following: 

9 ‘‘(4) IMPLEMENTATION.— 

10 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall not 

11 implement a proposed budget until the expira12 tion of 60 days after submitting the proposed 

13 budget to the Secretary. 

14 ‘‘(B) RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES

15 BY SECRETARY.— 

16 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary 

17 may recommend to the Alliance changes to 

18 the budget programs and activities of the 

19 Alliance that the Secretary considers ap20 propriate. 

21 ‘‘(ii) RESPONSE BY ALLIANCE.—Not 

22 later than 30 days after the receipt of any 

23 recommendations made under clause (i), 

24 the Alliance shall submit to the Secretary 

25 a final budget for the next 2 calendar 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
10 

•HR 1985 IH

1 years that incorporates or includes a de2 scription of the response of the Alliance to 

3 any changes recommended under clause 

4 (i).’’. 

5 SEC. 6. ASSESSMENTS. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 707 of the National 

7 Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 

8 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended— 

9 (1) by striking subsection (a) and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(a) RATE.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The assessment rate for 

calendar years 2013 and 2014 shall be equal to 2 13 ⁄10

14 of 1 cent per gallon of oilheat fuel. 

15 ‘‘(2) SUBSEQUENT ASSESSMENTS.—Subject to 

16 paragraph (3), effective beginning with calendar 

17 year 2015, the annual assessment rate shall be suffi18 cient to cover the costs of the plans and programs 

19 developed by the Alliance. 

20 ‘‘(3) LIMITATIONS ON INCREASE.— 

21 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The annual assessment shall not exceed 1 22 ⁄2 of 1 cent per gallon 

23 of oilheat fuel. 

24 ‘‘(B) LIMITATION.—The annual assessment may not change by more than 1 25 ⁄10 of 1 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
11 

•HR 1985 IH

1 cent per gallon of oilheat fuel in any 12 month2 period. 

3 ‘‘(C) APPROVAL.—No increase in the as4 sessment may occur unless— 

‘‘(i) the increase is approved by 3 5 ⁄4 of 

6 the members voting at a regularly sched7 uled meeting of the Alliance; and 

8 ‘‘(ii) at least 90 days before the date 

9 of the meeting of the Alliance, the Alliance 

10 provides notice of the proposed increase to 

11 the Committee on Energy and Natural Re12 sources of the Senate and the Committee 

13 on Energy and Commerce of the House of 

14 Representatives.’’; and 

15 (2) in subsection (b), by adding at the end the 

16 following: 

17 ‘‘(8) PROHIBITION ON PASS THROUGH.—None 

18 of the assessments collected under this title may be 

19 passed through or otherwise required to be paid by 

20 residential consumers of oilheat fuel.’’. 

21 (b) FUNDS MADE AVAILABLE TO QUALIFIED STATE

22 ASSOCIATIONS.—Section 707(e)(2) of the National 

23 Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 

24 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended by adding at the 

25 end the following: 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
12 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(B) SEPARATE ACCOUNTS.—As a condi2 tion of receipt of funds made available to a 

3 qualified State association under this title, the 

4 qualified State association shall deposit the 

5 funds in an account that is separate from other 

6 funds of the qualified State association.’’. 

7 (c) ADMINISTRATION.—Section 707 of the National 

8 Oilheat Research Alliance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 

9 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended by adding at the 

10 end the following: 

11 ‘‘(f) USE OF ASSESSMENTS.— 

12 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Notwithstanding any other 

13 provision of this title, the Secretary and the Alliance 

14 shall ensure that assessments collected for each cal15 endar year under this title are allocated and used in 

16 accordance with this subsection. 

17 ‘‘(2) RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEM18 ONSTRATION.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall en20 sure that not less than 30 percent of the assess21 ments collected for each calendar year under 

22 this title are used by qualified State associa23 tions or the Alliance to conduct research, devel24 opment, and demonstration activities relating to 

25 oilheat fuel, including the development of enVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:01 May 18, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1985.IH H1985

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
13 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ergy-efficient heating and the transition and fa2 cilitation of the entry of energy efficient heating 

3 systems into the marketplace. 

4 ‘‘(B) COORDINATION.—The Alliance shall 

5 coordinate with the Secretary to develop prior6 ities for the use of assessments under this para7 graph. 

8 ‘‘(C) PLAN.—The Alliance shall develop a 

9 coordinated research plan to carry out research 

10 programs and activities under this section. 

11 ‘‘(D) REPORT.— 

12 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—No later than 1 

13 year after date of enactment of this sub14 section, the Alliance shall prepare a report 

15 on the use of biofuels in oilheat fuel utili16 zation equipment. 

17 ‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—The report required 

18 under clause (i) shall— 

19 ‘‘(I) provide information on the 

20 environmental benefits, economic ben21 efits, and any technical limitations on 

22 the use of biofuels in oilheat fuel utili23 zation equipment; and 

24 ‘‘(II) describe market acceptance 

25 of the fuel, and information on State 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
14 

•HR 1985 IH

1 and local governments that are en2 couraging the use of biofuels in 

3 oilheat fuel utilization equipment. 

4 ‘‘(iii) COPIES.—The Alliance shall 

5 submit a copy of the report required under 

6 clause (i) to— 

7 ‘‘(I) Congress; 

8 ‘‘(II) the Governor of each State, 

9 and other appropriate State leaders, 

10 in which the Alliance is operating; and 

11 ‘‘(III) the Administrator of the 

12 Environmental Protection Agency. 

13 ‘‘(E) CONSUMER EDUCATION MATE14 RIALS.—The Alliance, in conjunction with an 

15 institution or organization engaged in biofuels 

16 research, shall develop consumer education ma17 terials describing the benefits of using biofuels 

18 as or in oilheat fuel based on the technical in19 formation developed in the report required 

20 under subparagraph (D) and other information 

21 generally available. 

22 ‘‘(3) COST SHARING.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out a re24 search, development, demonstration, or com25 mercial application program or activity that is 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
15 

•HR 1985 IH

1 commenced after the date of enactment of this 

2 subsection, the Alliance shall require cost-shar3 ing in accordance with this section. 

4 ‘‘(B) RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Except as pro6 vided in clauses (ii) and (iii), the Alliance 

7 shall require that not less than 20 percent 

8 of the cost of a research or development 

9 program or activity described in subpara10 graph (A) to be provided by a source other 

11 than the Alliance. 

12 ‘‘(ii) EXCLUSION.—Clause (i) shall 

13 not apply to a research or development 

14 program or activity described in subpara15 graph (A) that is of a basic or funda16 mental nature, as determined by the Alli17 ance. 

18 ‘‘(iii) REDUCTION.—The Alliance may 

19 reduce or eliminate the requirement of 

20 clause (i) for a research and development 

21 program or activity of an applied nature if 

22 the Alliance determines that the reduction 

23 is necessary and appropriate. 

24 ‘‘(C) DEMONSTRATION AND COMMERCIAL

25 APPLICATION.—The Alliance shall require that 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
16 

•HR 1985 IH

1 not less than 50 percent of the cost of a dem2 onstration or commercial application program 

3 or activity described in subparagraph (A) to be 

4 provided by a source other than the Alliance. 

5 ‘‘(4) HEATING OIL EFFICIENCY AND UPGRADE

6 PROGRAM.— 

7 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall en8 sure that not less than 15 percent of the assess9 ments collected for each calendar year under 

10 this title are used by qualified State associa11 tions or the Alliance to carry out programs to 

12 assist consumers— 

13 ‘‘(i) to make cost-effective upgrades to 

14 more fuel efficient heating oil systems or 

15 otherwise make cost-effective modifications 

16 to an existing heating system to improve 

17 the efficiency of the system; 

18 ‘‘(ii) to improve energy efficiency or 

19 reduce energy consumption through cost20 effective energy efficiency programs for 

21 consumers; or 

22 ‘‘(iii) to improve the safe operation of 

23 a heating system. 

24 ‘‘(B) PLAN.—The Alliance shall, to the 

25 maximum extent practicable, coordinate, deVerDate Mar 15 2010 05:01 May 18, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00016 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H1985.IH H1985

tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
17 

•HR 1985 IH

1 velop, and implement the programs and activi2 ties of the Alliance in conjunction with existing 

3 State energy efficiency program administrators. 

4 ‘‘(C) ADMINISTRATION.— 

5 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out 

6 this paragraph, the Alliance shall, to the 

7 maximum extent practicable, ensure that 

8 heating system conversion assistance is co9 ordinated with, and developed after con10 sultation with, persons or organizations re11 sponsible for administering— 

12 ‘‘(I) the low-income home energy 

13 assistance program established under 

14 the Low-Income Home Energy Assist15 ance Act of 1981 (42 U.S.C. 8621 et 

16 seq.); 

17 ‘‘(II) the Weatherization Assist18 ance Program for Low-Income Per19 sons established under part A of title 

20 IV of the Energy Conservation and 

21 Production Act (42 U.S.C. 6861 et 

22 seq.); or 

23 ‘‘(III) other energy efficiency 

24 programs administered by the State 

25 or other parties in the State. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
18 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(ii) DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS.—The 

2 Alliance shall ensure that funds distributed 

3 to carry out this paragraph are— 

4 ‘‘(I) distributed equitably to 

5 States based on the proportional con6 tributions of the States through col7 lected assessments; 

8 ‘‘(II) used to supplement (and 

9 not supplant) State or alternative 

10 sources of funding for energy effi11 ciency programs; and 

12 ‘‘(III) used only to carry out this 

13 paragraph. 

14 ‘‘(5) CONSUMER EDUCATION, SAFETY, AND

15 TRAINING.—The Alliance shall ensure that not more 

16 than 30 percent of the assessments collected for 

17 each calendar year under this title are used— 

18 ‘‘(A) to conduct consumer education activi19 ties relating to oilheat fuel, including providing 

20 information to consumers on— 

21 ‘‘(i) energy conservation strategies; 

22 ‘‘(ii) safety; 

23 ‘‘(iii) new technologies that reduce 

24 consumption or improve safety and com25 fort; 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
19 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(iv) the use of biofuels blends; and 

2 ‘‘(v) Federal, State, and local pro3 grams designed to assist oilheat fuel con4 sumers; 

5 ‘‘(B) to conduct worker safety and training 

6 activities relating to oilheat fuel, including en7 ergy efficiency training (including classes to ob8 tain Building Performance Institute or Residen9 tial Energy Services Network certification); 

10 ‘‘(C) to carry out other activities rec11 ommended by the Secretary; or 

12 ‘‘(D) to the maximum extent practicable, a 

13 data collection process established, in collabora14 tion with the Secretary or other appropriate 

15 Federal agencies, to track equipment, service, 

16 and related safety issues and to develop meas17 ures to improve safety. 

18 ‘‘(6) ADMINISTRATIVE COSTS.— 

19 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance shall en20 sure that not more than 5 percent of the as21 sessments collected for each calendar year 

22 under this title are used for— 

23 ‘‘(i) administrative costs; or 

24 ‘‘(ii) indirect costs incurred in car25 rying out paragraphs (1) through (5). 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
20 

•HR 1985 IH

1 ‘‘(B) ADMINISTRATION.—Activities under 

2 this section shall be documented pursuant to a 

3 transparent process and procedures developed 

4 in coordination with the Secretary. 

5 ‘‘(7) REPORTS.— 

6 ‘‘(A) ANNUAL REPORTS.— 

7 ‘‘(i) IN GENERAL.—Each qualified 

8 State association or the Alliance shall pre9 pare an annual report describing he devel10 opment and administration of this section, 

11 and yearly expenditures under this section. 

12 ‘‘(ii) CONTENTS.—Each report re13 quired under clause (i) shall include a de14 scription of the use of proceeds under this 

15 section, including a description of— 

16 ‘‘(I) advancements made in en17 ergy-efficient heating systems and 

18 biofuel heating oil blends; and 

19 ‘‘(II) heating system upgrades 

20 and modifications and energy effi21 ciency programs funded under this 

22 section. 

23 ‘‘(iii) VERIFICATION.— 

24 ‘‘(I) IN GENERAL.—The Alliance 

25 shall ensure that an independent 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
21 

•HR 1985 IH

1 third-party reviews each report de2 scribed in clause (i) and verifies the 

3 accuracy of the report. 

4 ‘‘(II) COUNCILS.—If a State has 

5 a stakeholder efficiency oversight 

6 council, the council shall be the entity 

7 that reviews and verifies the report of 

8 the State association or Alliance for 

9 the State under clause (i). 

10 ‘‘(B) REPORTS ON HEATING OIL EFFI11 CIENCY AND UPGRADE PROGRAM.—At least 

12 once every 3 years, the Alliance shall prepare a 

13 detailed report describing the consumer savings, 

14 cost-effectiveness of, and the lifetime and an15 nual energy savings achieved by heating system 

16 upgrades and modifications and energy effi17 ciency programs funded under paragraph (4). 

18 ‘‘(C) AVAILABILITY.—Each report, and 

19 any subsequent changes to the report, described 

20 in this paragraph shall be made publically avail21 able, with notice of availability provided to the 

22 Secretary, and posted on the website of the Alli23 ance.’’. 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
22 

•HR 1985 IH

1 SEC. 7. MARKET SURVEY AND CONSUMER PROTECTION. 

2 Section 708 of the National Oilheat Research Alli3 ance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

4 469) is repealed. 

5 SEC. 8. LOBBYING RESTRICTIONS. 

6 Section 710 of the National Oilheat Research Alli7 ance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

8 469) is amended— 

9 (1) by striking ‘‘No funds’’ and inserting the 

10 following: 

11 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—No funds’’; 

12 (2) by inserting ‘‘or to lobby’’ after ‘‘elections’’; 

13 and 

14 (3) by adding at the end the following: 

15 ‘‘(b) ASSESSMENTS.— 

16 ‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Subject to paragraph (2), 

17 no funds derived from assessments collected by the 

18 Alliance under section 707 shall be used, directly or 

19 indirectly, to influence Federal, State, or local legis20 lation or elections, or the manner of administering 

21 of a law. 

22 ‘‘(2) INFORMATION.—The Alliance may use 

23 funds described in paragraph (1) to provide informa24 tion requested by a Member of Congress, or an offi25 cial of any Federal, State, or local agency, in the 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS
23 

•HR 1985 IH

1 course of the official business of the Member or offi2 cial.’’. 

3 SEC. 9. NONCOMPLIANCE. 

4 Section 712 of the National Oilheat Research Alli5 ance Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 6201 note; Public Law 106– 

6 469) is amended by adding at the end the following: 

7 ‘‘(g) NONCOMPLIANCE.—If the Alliance, a qualified 

8 State association, or any other entity or person violates 

9 this title, the Secretary shall— 

10 ‘‘(1) notify Congress of the noncompliance; and 

11 ‘‘(2) provide notice of the noncompliance on the 

12 Alliance website.’’. 

13 SEC. 10. SUNSET. 

14 Section 713 of the National Oilheat Research, Con15 sumer Education, and Efficiency Act of 2011 (42 U.S.C. 

16 6201 note; Public Law 106–469) is amended by striking 

17 ‘‘9 years’’ and inserting ‘‘19 years’’. 

Æ 


tjames on DSK6SPTVN1PROD with BILLS