II 

113TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. 2986 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of technical, 

policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of the insular 

areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States through 

the development of energy action plans aimed at promoting access to 

affordable, reliable energy, including increasing use of indigenous cleanenergy resources, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

DECEMBER 4, 2014 

Mr. SCHATZ introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team 

of technical, policy, and financial experts to address the 

energy needs of the insular areas of the United States 

and the Freely Associated States through the development of energy action plans aimed at promoting access 

to affordable, reliable energy, including increasing use 

of indigenous clean-energy resources, 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. STUDY OF ELECTRIC RATES IN THE INSULAR 

2 AREAS. 

3 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

4 (1) COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY PLAN.—The term 

5 ‘‘comprehensive energy plan’’ means a comprehen6 sive energy plan prepared and updated under sub7 sections (c) and (e) of section 604 of the Act entitled 

8 ‘‘An Act to authorize appropriations for certain in9 sular areas of the United States, and for other pur10 poses’’, approved December 24, 1980 (48 U.S.C. 

11 1492). 

12 (2) ENERGY ACTION PLAN.—The term ‘‘energy 

13 action plan’’ means the plan required by subsection 

14 (d). 

15 (3) FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.—The term 

16 ‘‘Freely Associated States’’ means the Federated 

17 States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall 

18 Islands, and the Republic of Palau. 

19 (4) INSULAR AREAS.—The term ‘‘insular areas’’ 

20 means American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the 

21 Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and 

22 the Virgin Islands. 

23 (5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

24 the Secretary of the Interior. 

25 (6) TEAM.—The term ‘‘team’’ means the team 

26 established by the Secretary under subsection (b). 


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1 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

2 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, 

3 within the Empowering Insular Communities activity, es4 tablish a team of technical, policy, and financial experts— 

5 (1) to develop an energy action plan addressing 

6 the energy needs of each of the insular areas and 

7 Freely Associated States; and 

8 (2) to assist each of the insular areas and Free9 ly Associated States in implementing such plan. 

10 (c) PARTICIPATION OF REGIONAL UTILITY ORGANI11 ZATIONS.—In establishing the team, the Secretary shall 

12 consider including regional utility organizations. 

13 (d) ENERGY ACTION PLAN.—In accordance with sub14 section (b), the energy action plan shall include— 

15 (1) recommendations, based on the comprehen16 sive energy plan where applicable, to— 

17 (A) reduce reliance and expenditures on 

18 fuel shipped to the insular areas and Freely As19 sociated States from ports outside the United 

20 States; 

21 (B) develop and utilize domestic fuel en22 ergy sources; and 

23 (C) improve performance of energy infra24 structure and overall energy efficiency; 


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1 (2) a schedule for implementation of such rec2 ommendations and identification and prioritization 

3 of specific projects; 

4 (3) a financial and engineering plan for imple5 menting and sustaining projects; and 

6 (4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward 

7 implementation. 

8 (e) REPORTS TO SECRETARY.—Not later than 1 year 

9 after the date on which the Secretary establishes the team 

10 and annually thereafter, the team shall submit to the Sec11 retary a report detailing progress made in fulfilling its 

12 charge and in implementing the energy action plan. 

13 (f) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Not later 

14 than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary re15 ceives a report submitted by the team under subsection 

16 (e), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate commit17 tees of Congress a summary of the report of the team. 

18 (g) APPROVAL OF SECRETARY REQUIRED.—The en19 ergy action plan shall not be implemented until the Sec20 retary approves the energy action plan. 

21 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSOLIDATED NATURAL 

22 RESOURCES ACT. 

23 Section 6 of Public Law 94–241 (90 Stat. 263; 122 

24 Stat. 854) is amended— 


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1 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking ‘‘December 

2 31, 2014, except as provided in subsections (b) and 

3 (d)’’ and inserting ‘‘December 31, 2019’’; and 

4 (2) in subsection (d)— 

5 (A) in the third sentence of paragraph (2), 

6 by striking ‘‘not to extend beyond December 31, 

7 2014, unless extended pursuant to paragraph 5 

8 of this subsection’’ and inserting ‘‘ending on 

9 December 31, 2019’’; 

10 (B) by striking paragraph (5); and 

11 (C) by redesignating paragraph (6) as 

12 paragraph (5). 

Æ 


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