II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 841 

To provide cost-sharing assistance to improve access to the markets of foreign 

countries for energy efficiency products and renewable energy products 

exported by small- and medium-sized businesses in the United States, 

and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

APRIL 14, 2011 

Mr. UDALL of Colorado (for himself, Ms. STABENOW, and Mr. MERKLEY) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

A BILL 

To provide cost-sharing assistance to improve access to the 

markets of foreign countries for energy efficiency products and renewable energy products exported by smalland medium-sized businesses in the United States, 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 ‘‘Renewable Energy 

5 Market Access Program Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 


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•S 841 IS

1 (1) ENERGY EFFICIENCY PRODUCT.—The term 

2 ‘‘energy efficiency product’’ means any product, 

3 technology, or component of a product that— 

4 (A) as compared with products, tech5 nologies, or components of products being de6 ployed at the time for widespread commercial 

7 use in the country in which the product, tech8 nology, or component will be used— 

9 (i) substantially increases the energy 

10 efficiency of buildings, industrial or agri11 cultural processes, or electricity trans12 mission, distribution, or end-use consump13 tion; or 

14 (ii) substantially increases the energy 

15 efficiency of the transportation system; and 

16 (B) results in no significant incremental 

17 adverse effects on public health or the environ18 ment. 

19 (2) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renew20 able energy’’ means energy generated by a renewable 

21 energy resource. 

22 (3) RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCT.—The term 

23 ‘‘renewable energy product’’ means any product, 

24 technology, or component of a product used in the 

25 development or production of renewable energy. 


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1 (4) RENEWABLE ENERGY RESOURCE.—The 

2 term ‘‘renewable energy resource’’ means solar, 

3 wind, ocean, tidal, or geothermal energy, biofuel, 

4 biomass, hydropower, or hydrokinetic energy. 

5 (5) SMALL- AND MEDIUM-SIZED BUSINESSES.— 

6 The term ‘‘small- and medium-sized businesses’’ 

7 means— 

8 (A) small business concerns (as that term 

9 used in section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 

10 U.S.C. 632)); and 

11 (B) businesses the Secretary of Commerce 

12 determines to be small- or medium-sized, based 

13 on factors that include the structure of the in14 dustry, the amount of competition in the indus15 try, the average size of businesses in the indus16 try, and costs and barriers associated with en17 tering the industry. 

18 SEC. 3. COST-SHARING ASSISTANCE WITH RESPECT TO THE 

19 EXPORTATION OF ENERGY EFFICIENCY 

20 PRODUCTS AND RENEWABLE ENERGY PROD21 UCTS. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary for Inter23 national Trade of the Department of Commerce (in this 

24 section referred to as the ‘‘Under Secretary’’) shall estabVerDate Mar 15 2010 01:32 Apr 16, 2011 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\S841.IS S841

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1 lish and carry out a program to provide cost-sharing as2 sistance to eligible organizations— 

3 (1) to improve access to the markets of foreign 

4 countries for energy efficiency products and renew5 able energy products exported by small- and me6 dium-sized businesses in the United States; and 

7 (2) to assist small- and medium-sized busi8 nesses in the United States in obtaining services and 

9 other assistance with respect to exporting energy ef10 ficiency products and renewable energy products, in11 cluding services and assistance available from the 

12 Department of Commerce and other Federal agen13 cies. 

14 (b) ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS.—An eligible organi15 zation is a nonprofit trade association in the United States 

16 or a State or regional organization that promotes the ex17 portation and sale of energy efficiency products or renew18 able energy products. 

19 (c) APPLICATION PROCESS.—An eligible organization 

20 shall submit an application for cost-sharing assistance 

21 under subsection (a)— 

22 (1) at such time and in such manner as the 

23 Under Secretary may require; and 

24 (2) that contains a plan that describes the ac25 tivities the organization plans to carry out using the 


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1 cost-sharing assistance provided under subsection 

2 (a). 

3 (d) AWARDING COST-SHARING ASSISTANCE.— 

4 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Under Secretary shall 

5 establish a process for granting applications for cost6 sharing assistance under subsection (a) that includes 

7 a competitive review process. 

8 (2) PRIORITY FOR INNOVATIVE IDEAS.—In 

9 awarding cost-sharing assistance under subsection 

10 (a), the Under Secretary shall give priority to an eli11 gible organization that includes in the plan of the or12 ganization submitted under subsection (c)(2) innova13 tive ideas for improving access to the markets of for14 eign countries for energy efficiency products and re15 newable energy products exported by small- and me16 dium-sized businesses in the United States. 

17 (e) LEVEL OF COST-SHARING ASSISTANCE.— 

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

19 the Under Secretary shall determine an appropriate 

20 percentage of the cost of carrying out a plan sub21 mitted by an eligible organization under subsection 

22 (c)(2) to be provided in the form of assistance under 

23 this section. 


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1 (2) LIMITATION.—Assistance provided under 

2 this section may not exceed 50 percent of the cost 

3 of carrying out the plan of an eligible organization. 

4 SEC. 4. REPORT. 

5 Not later than 180 days after the date of the enact6 ment of this Act, the Secretary of Commerce, in consulta7 tion with the Secretary of Energy, shall submit to Con8 gress a report on the export promotion needs of businesses 

9 in the United States that export energy efficiency products 

10 or renewable energy products. 

11 SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 

12 There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec13 retary of Commerce to carry out this Act— 

14 (1) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2012; 

15 (2) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2013; 

16 (3) $17,000,000 for fiscal year 2014; 

17 (4) $18,000,000 for fiscal year 2015; and 

18 (5) $19,000,000 for fiscal year 2016. 

Æ 


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