I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 8961 

To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a study 

on Federal agency use of renewable energy certificates. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JULY 9, 2024 

Ms. BROWNLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 

Committee on Oversight and Accountability 

A BILL 

To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to 

conduct a study on Federal agency use of renewable 

energy certificates. 

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 ‘‘Renewable Energy 

5 Certificate Study Act of 2024’’. 

6 SEC. 2. RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES STUDY. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Comptroller General of the 

8 United States shall conduct a study of the use of renew9 able energy certificates by Federal agencies. 


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1 (b) CONSIDERATION.—In conducting the study under 

2 subsection (a), the Comptroller General shall evaluate— 

3 (1) the extent to which the aggregate market 

4 demand for each type of renewable energy certifi5 cate, or other energy attribute certificate, leads to 

6 new investments in renewable energy generation ca7 pacity relative to scenarios in which such demand is 

8 absent; 

9 (2) the progress Federal agencies have made to10 wards complying with Executive Order 14057 (85 

11 Fed. Reg 70935; relating to catalyzing clean energy 

12 industries and jobs through Federal sustainability), 

13 regarding the directives of such Executive Order for 

14 energy procurement and compliance with existing 

15 statutory requirements, by using— 

16 (A) renewable energy certificates, including 

17 the progress made by using each type of renew18 able energy certificate; and 

19 (B) approaches other than renewable en20 ergy certificates; 

21 (3) whether renewable energy certificates, 

22 power purchase agreements, or onsite renewables, 

23 could be used by Federal agencies to meet the re24 quirements of Executive Order 14057 and section 

25 203 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 


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1 15852), and the trade-offs of using one such form 

2 of compliance over the others, including— 

3 (A) the difference in the average cost of 

4 each form of compliance to Federal agencies; 

5 and 

6 (B) the risk to Federal agencies of becom7 ing noncompliant with Executive Order 14057 

8 and section 203 of the Energy Policy Act for 

9 each form of compliance; 

10 (4) the average cost Federal agencies have in11 curred by using renewable energy certificates to 

12 fund— 

13 (A) existing renewable energy projects; and 

14 (B) new renewable energy projects that 

15 otherwise would not have been implemented 

16 without the sale of renewable energy certifi17 cates; and 

18 (5) the average cost Federal agencies would 

19 incur by only using renewable energy certificates, 

20 power purchase agreements, or onsite renewables to 

21 fund new renewable energy projects. 

22 (c) REPORT.—The Comptroller General shall submit 

23 to Congress a report— 

24 (1) detailing the findings of the study con25 ducted under subsection (a); and 


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1 (2) providing recommendations for legislation 

2 and administrative action, the Comptroller General 

3 considers appropriate, to improve the impact the re4 newable energy certificates market has on Federal 

5 Government investments in renewable energy gen6 eration. 

Æ 


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