II 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1263 

To provide for the establishment of a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to assist United States businesses 

with exporting clean energy technology products and services. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 7, 2015 

Ms. HIRONO introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To provide for the establishment of a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to 

assist United States businesses with exporting clean energy technology products and services. 

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 ‘‘Clean Energy Tech5 nology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 

6 2015’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY MANUFACTURING 

2 AND EXPORT ASSISTANCE FUND. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) CLEAN ENERGY TECHNOLOGY.—The term 

5 ‘‘clean energy technology’’ means a technology re6 lated to the production, use, transmission, storage, 

7 control, or conservation of energy that will con8 tribute to a stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse 

9 gas concentrations through reduction, avoidance, or 

10 sequestration of energy-related emissions and— 

11 (A) reduce the need for additional energy 

12 supplies by using existing energy supplies with 

13 greater efficiency or by transmitting, distrib14 uting, or transporting energy with greater effec15 tiveness through the infrastructure of the 

16 United States; or 

17 (B) diversify the sources of energy supply 

18 of the United States to strengthen energy secu19 rity and to increase supplies with a favorable 

20 balance of environmental effects if the entire 

21 technology system is considered. 

22 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

23 the Secretary of Commerce. 

24 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.— 

25 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall establish 

26 a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and ExVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 May 14, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1263.IS S1263

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1 port Assistance Fund (in this section referred to as 

2 the ‘‘Fund’’), to be administered through the Inter3 national Trade Administration. 

4 (2) USE OF FUND.—The Secretary shall admin5 ister the Fund— 

6 (A) to promote policies that will reduce 

7 production costs and encourage innovation, in8 vestment, and productivity in the clean energy 

9 technology sector; and 

10 (B) to implement a national clean energy 

11 technology export strategy. 

12 (3) PURPOSE.—The purpose of the Fund is to 

13 ensure that United States clean energy technology 

14 firms, including clean energy technology parts sup15 pliers and engineering and design firms, have the in16 formation and assistance they need to be competitive 

17 and create clean energy technology sector jobs in the 

18 United States. 

19 (c) ASSISTANCE.—The Secretary, consistent with the 

20 National Export Initiative (established by Executive Order 

21 13534 (75 Fed. Reg. 12,433)), shall use amounts in the 

22 Fund to provide information, tools, and other assistance 

23 to United States businesses to promote clean energy tech24 nology manufacturing and facilitate the export of clean enVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 May 14, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1263.IS S1263

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1 ergy technology products and services. Such assistance 

2 shall include— 

3 (1) developing critical analysis of policies to re4 duce production costs and promote innovation, in5 vestment, and productivity in the clean energy tech6 nology sector; 

7 (2) helping educate companies about how to tai8 lor their activities to specific markets with respect to 

9 their product slate, financing, marketing, assembly, 

10 and logistics; 

11 (3) helping United States companies learn 

12 about the export process and export opportunities in 

13 foreign markets; 

14 (4) helping United States companies to navi15 gate foreign markets; and 

16 (5) helping United States companies provide 

17 input regarding clean energy technology manufac18 turing and trade policy developments and trade pro19 motion. 

20 (d) REPORTS TO CONGRESS.— 

21 (1) INITIAL REPORT.—Not later than 180 days 

22 after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Sec23 retary shall submit to Congress a report indicating 

24 how funds made available to carry out this section 

25 will be used to— 


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1 (A) focus on small- and medium-sized 

2 United States businesses; 

3 (B) encourage the creation and mainte4 nance of the greatest number of clean energy 

5 technology jobs in the United States; and 

6 (C) encourage the domestic production of 

7 clean energy technology products and services, 

8 including materials, components, equipment, 

9 parts, and supplies related in any way to the 

10 product or service. 

11 (2) REPORT ON EFFECTIVENESS OF PRO12 GRAM.—Not later than January 1, 2019, the Sec13 retary shall submit to Congress a report assessing 

14 the extent to which assistance provided under this 

15 section— 

16 (A) has been successful in— 

17 (i) developing critical analysis of poli18 cies to reduce production costs and pro19 mote innovation, investment, and produc20 tivity in the clean energy technology sector; 

21 (ii) increasing the competitiveness of 

22 United States clean energy technology 

23 firms in emerging markets; 

24 (iii) assisting United States busi25 nesses, specifically small- and mediumVerDate Sep 11 2014 00:21 May 14, 2015 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S1263.IS S1263

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1 sized firms, with exporting clean energy 

2 technology products and services; 

3 (iv) creating jobs directly related to 

4 the clean energy technology sector in the 

5 United States, including specific informa6 tion as to the nature, location, and dura7 tion of those jobs and the methodology 

8 used by the Secretary to compile such in9 formation; and 

10 (v) helping United States companies 

11 provide input regarding clean energy tech12 nology manufacturing and trade policy de13 velopments and trade promotion; and 

14 (B) should be continued. 

15 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.— 

16 (1) IN GENERAL.—There are authorized to be 

17 appropriated to the Secretary $15,000,000 for each 

18 of fiscal years 2015 through 2019 to carry out this 

19 section. 

20 (2) LIMITATION.—No assistance provided using 

21 funds appropriated pursuant to this section shall be 

22 provided in the form of a monetary grant. 

Æ 


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