IB 

Union Calendar No. 503 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2780 

[Report No. 117–686, Part I] 

To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience 

in the United States Territories and Freely Associated States, and for 

other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 22, 2021 

Mr. GRIJALVA (for himself, Mr. SABLAN, Mr. SAN NICOLAS, Ms. PLASKETT, 

Mr. SOTO, and Ms. VELA ́ZQUEZ) introduced the following bill; which was 

referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the 

Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently 

determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 

DECEMBER 30, 2022 

Additional sponsors: Ms. TLAIB, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Mr. COHEN, Mr. 

MCEACHIN, Ms. BROWNLEY, Mr. TORRES of New York, Ms. STANSBURY, 

and Mr. NEGUSE


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DECEMBER 30, 2022 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with an amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

DECEMBER 30, 2022 

Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, 

and Science, Space, and Technology discharged; committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be 

printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 22, 2021] 

A BILL 

To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience in the United States Territories and 

Freely Associated States, and for other purposes. 


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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 ‘‘Insular Area Climate 

5 Change Act’’. 

6 SEC. 2. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 

7 The table of contents for this Act is as follows: 

Sec. 1. Short title. 

Sec. 2. Table of contents. 

Sec. 3. Definitions. 

Sec. 4. Findings. 

TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Sec. 101. Insular Area Climate Change Interagency Task Force. 

Sec. 102. Non-Federal cost-share waiver. 

Sec. 103. Coral reefs prize competitions. 

TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Sec. 201. Office of Insular Affairs Technical Assistance Program. 

Sec. 202. Runit Dome report and monitoring activities. 

TITLE III—NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC 

ADMINISTRATION 

Sec. 301. Climate Change Insular Research Grant Program. 

Sec. 302. Coastal management technical assistance and report. 

Sec. 303. National Weather Service technical assistance and grants. 

Sec. 304. Ocean and Coastal Mapping Integration Act. 

TITLE IV—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Sec. 401. Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs. 

Sec. 402. Comprehensive energy plans. 

Sec. 403. Energy Efficient Product Rebate Program. 

Sec. 404. Renewable Energy Grant Program. 

Sec. 405. Offshore wind for the territories. 

Sec. 406. State Energy Program non-Federal cost-share waiver. 

TITLE V—ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY 

Sec. 501. Definitions. 

Sec. 502. Insular Area National Program Office. 

Sec. 503. Insular Area Sustainable Infrastructure Grant Program. 

Sec. 504. Insular Area Renewable Energy Grant Program. 

Sec. 505. Insular Area Technical Assistance Program. 


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TITLE VI—EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 

Sec. 601. Community disaster loans repayment cancellation. 

Sec. 602. Disaster relief non-Federal cost-share waiver. 

1 SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS. 

2 In this Act, the following definitions apply: 

3 (1) ADAPTATION.—The term ‘‘Adaptation’’ 

4 means the capacity of natural and human systems to 

5 adjust to climate change or its impacts in a matter 

6 that will reduce damage or take advantage of any 

7 beneficial aspects. 

8 (2) FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES.—The term 

9 ‘‘Freely Associated States’’ means the Republic of the 

10 Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, 

11 and the Republic of Palau. 

12 (3) INSULAR AREAS.—The term ‘‘Insular Areas’’ 

13 means the territories and Freely Associated States. 

14 (4) MITIGATION.—The term ‘‘Mitigation’’ means 

15 measures and initiatives that would limit or reduce 

16 greenhouse gas emissions. 

17 (5) RESILIENCE.—The term ‘‘Resilience’’ means 

18 the capacity of natural and human systems to resist, 

19 assimilate, and recover from the effects of climate 

20 change in an efficient and timely manner, maintain21 ing or restoring basic structures and essential func22 tions. 


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1 (6) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renewable 

2 energy’’ means energy that has been derived from 

3 Earth’s natural resources that are not finite or ex4 haustible, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geo5 thermal, and ocean (thermal and mechanics). 

6 (7) RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEM.—The term 

7 ‘‘renewable energy system’’ includes off-grid or stand8 alone systems, microgrids, nano grids, and virtual 

9 power plants systems based on renewable energy 

10 sources, including storage and other related ancillary 

11 equipment. These may also be referred to as ‘‘eligible 

12 projects’’. Waste to energy are not considered as eligi13 ble projects. 

14 (8) TERRITORIES.—The term ‘‘territories’’ means 

15 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

16 Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin 

17 Islands of the United States. 

18 (9) TERRITORY.—The term ‘‘territory’’ means 

19 American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 

20 Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin 

21 Islands of the United States. 

22 SEC. 4. FINDINGS. 

23 Congress finds as follows: 


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1 (1) The Insular Areas are topographically and 

2 environmentally diverse and treasured by millions of 

3 individuals who call them home. 

4 (2) The territories in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico 

5 and the Virgin Islands of the United States) and the 

6 territories in the Pacific (American Samoa, the Com7 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 

8 Guam) face many of the same climate change-related 

9 challenges. Freely Associated States face similar cli10 mate change-related vulnerabilities. 

11 (3) Insular Areas are experiencing sea level rise, 

12 coastal erosion, and increasing storm impacts that 

13 threaten lives, critical infrastructure, ecosystems, and 

14 livelihood security. 

15 (4) Temperature increases are likely to further 

16 create and intensify the length of droughts, reduce 

17 water supply, impact public health, and increase de18 mand of freshwater in Insular Areas. In addition, 

19 temperature increases will drive coral reefs to extinc20 tion, eliminating a natural barrier against storm 

21 surge, increasing destruction of infrastructure, and 

22 threatening lives of the inhabitants of the islands. 

23 (5) In 2017, two major storms, Hurricane Irma 

24 and Hurricane Maria, impacted Puerto Rico and the 

25 Virgin Islands of the United States. Hurricane Maria 


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1 caused thousands of deaths in Puerto Rico and the 

2 Virgin Islands of the United States and significant 

3 damage to their infrastructure, including Puerto 

4 Rico’s energy system. Hurricane Maria destroyed 

5 millions of trees in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Is6 lands of the United States, which has significantly 

7 increased erosion and sediment transport. As a result, 

8 reservoirs have lost significant storage capacity and 

9 coral reefs are severely impacted. 

10 (6) In 2018, Typhoon Yutu impacted the Com11 monwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and 

12 Guam, causing catastrophic destruction in those terri13 tories. 

14 TITLE I—GENERAL PROVISIONS 

15 SEC. 101. INSULAR AREA CLIMATE CHANGE INTERAGENCY 

16 TASK FORCE. 

17 (a) ESTABLISHMENT OF TASK FORCE.—Not later than 

18 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the fol19 lowing shall jointly establish the ‘‘Insular Area Climate 

20 Change Interagency Task Force’’ (hereafter in this section 

21 referred to as the ‘‘Task Force’’): 

22 (1) The Secretary of the Interior. 

23 (2) The Secretary of Energy. 

24 (3) The Secretary of State. 


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1 (4) The Secretary of Housing and Urban Devel2 opment. 

3 (5) The Secretary of Agriculture. 

4 (6) The Secretary of Commerce. 

5 (7) The Administrator of the Federal Emergency 

6 Management Agency. 

7 (8) The Administrator of the Environmental 

8 Protection Agency. 

9 (b) CHAIRPERSON.—The Task Force shall be chaired 

10 by the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Manage11 ment Agency. 

12 (c) DUTIES.—The Task Force shall— 

13 (1) evaluate all Federal programs regarding 

14 ways to provide greater access to Federal programs 

15 and equitable baseline funding in relation to States, 

16 to territories for climate change planning, mitigation, 

17 adaptation, and resilience; 

18 (2) identify statutory barriers to providing terri19 tories greater access to Federal programs and equi20 table baseline funding; and 

21 (3) provide recommendations related to climate 

22 change in Insular Areas, in consultation with local 

23 governments and non-governmental organizations in 

24 Insular Areas with expertise on climate change. 


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1 (d) COMPREHENSIVE REPORT.—Not later than 1 year 

2 after the establishment of the Task Force, the Task Force, 

3 in consultation with Insular Areas governments, shall issue 

4 a comprehensive report that— 

5 (1) identifies Federal programs that have an im6 pact on climate change planning, mitigation, adapta7 tion, and resilience, but exclude territories in regard 

8 to eligibility, funding, and assistance, or do not pro9 vide equitable baseline funding in relation to States; 

10 and 

11 (2) provides advice and recommendations related 

12 to climate change in Insular Areas, such as new sug13 gested Federal programs or initiatives. 

14 (e) PUBLICATION; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Ad15 ministrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

16 shall ensure that the report required under subsection (d) 

17 is— 

18 (1) submitted to the Committees on Energy and 

19 Commerce and Natural Resources of the House of 

20 Representatives, and Energy and Natural Resources 

21 of the Senate; 

22 (2) published in the Federal Register for public 

23 comment for a period of at least 60 days; and 


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1 (3) made available on a public website along 

2 with any comments received during the public com3 ment period required under paragraph (2). 

4 SEC. 102. NON-FEDERAL COST-SHARE WAIVER. 

5 Section 501 of the Omnibus Territories Act of 1977 

6 (48 U.S.C. 1469a), is amended by adding at the end the 

7 following: 

8 ‘‘(e) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in 

9 the case of the Insular Areas, any department or agency 

10 shall waive any requirement for non-Federal matching 

11 funds under $750,000 (including in-kind contributions) re12 quired by law to be provided by those jurisdictions.’’. 

13 SEC. 103. CORAL REEFS PRIZE COMPETITIONS. 

14 (a) PRIZE COMPETITIONS.—The Director of the Office 

15 of Science and Technology Policy shall work with the head 

16 of each Federal agency represented on the U.S. Coral Reef 

17 Task Force established under Executive Order 13089 (63 

18 Fed. Reg. 32701) to establish prize competitions, in accord19 ance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology 

20 Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719), that promote 

21 coral reef research and conservation in the Insular Areas. 

22 (b) WAIVER OF MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—Section 

23 204(b) of the Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 

24 U.S.C. 6403(b)) is amended— 


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1 (1) by striking the enumerator and heading for 

2 paragraph (2) and inserting the following: 

3 ‘‘(2) WAIVERS.— 

4 ‘‘(A) NEED AND BENEFIT.—’’; and 

5 (2) by adding at the end of paragraph (2) the 

6 following: 

7 ‘‘(B) SUSTAINING CORAL REEF MANAGE8 MENT AND MONITORING.—The Secretary shall 

9 waive all of the matching requirement under 

10 paragraph (1) for grants to implement State and 

11 territorial coral reef conservation cooperative 

12 agreements to sustain coral reef management 

13 and monitoring in Florida, Hawaii, American 

14 Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mar15 iana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Vir16 gin Islands of the United States.’’. 

17 TITLE II—DEPARTMENT OF THE 

18 INTERIOR 

19 SEC. 201. OFFICE OF INSULAR AFFAIRS TECHNICAL ASSIST20 ANCE PROGRAM. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of the Interior, act22 ing through the Office of Insular Affairs Technical Assist23 ance Program, shall provide technical assistance for climate 

24 change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resilience to 

25 Insular Areas under the jurisdiction of such Program. 


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1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

2 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of the Inte3 rior to carry out this section $5,000,000 for each of the fis4 cal years 2022 through 2026. 

5 SEC. 202. RUNIT DOME REPORT AND MONITORING ACTIVI6 TIES. 

7 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

8 of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior shall 

9 submit to the Committees on Natural Resources and Energy 

10 and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the 

11 Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate, 

12 a report, prepared by independent experts not employed by 

13 the U.S. government, on the impacts of climate change on 

14 the ‘‘Runit Dome’’ nuclear waste disposal site in Enewetak 

15 Atoll, Marshall Islands, and on other environmental haz16 ards in the vicinity thereof. The report shall include the 

17 following: 

18 (1) A detailed scientific analysis of any threats 

19 to the environment, and to the health and safety of 

20 Enewetak Atoll residents, posed by each of the fol21 lowing: 

22 (A) The ‘‘Runit Dome’’ nuclear waste dis23 posal site. 

24 (B) Crypts used to contain nuclear waste 

25 and other toxins on Enewetak Atoll. 


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1 (C) Radionuclides and other toxins present 

2 in the lagoon of Enewetak Atoll, including areas 

3 in the lagoon where nuclear waste was dumped. 

4 (D) Radionuclides and other toxins, includ5 ing beryllium, which may be present on the is6 lands of Enewetak Atoll as a result of nuclear 

7 tests and other activities of the U.S. government, 

8 including tests of chemical and biological war9 fare agents, rocket tests, contaminated aircraft 

10 landing on Enewetak Island, and nuclear clean11 up activities. 

12 (E) Radionuclides and other toxins that 

13 may be present in the drinking water on 

14 Enewetak Island or in the water source for the 

15 desalination plant. 

16 (F) Radionuclides and other toxins that 

17 may be present in the groundwater under and in 

18 the vicinity of the nuclear waste disposal facility 

19 on Runit Island. 

20 (2) A detailed scientific analysis of the extent to 

21 which rising sea levels, severe weather events and 

22 other effects of climate change might exacerbate any 

23 of the threats identified above. 


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1 (3) A detailed plan, including costs, to relocate 

2 all of the nuclear waste and other toxic waste con3 tained in— 

4 (A) the ‘‘Runit Dome’’ nuclear waste dis5 posal site; 

6 (B) all of the crypts on Enewetak Atoll con7 taining such waste; and 

8 (C) the three dumping areas in Enewetak’s 

9 lagoon to a safe, secure facility to be constructed 

10 in an uninhabited, unincorporated territory of 

11 the United States. 

12 (b) MARSHALLESE PARTICIPATION.—The Secretary of 

13 the Interior shall allow scientists or other experts selected 

14 by the Republic of the Marshall Islands to participate in 

15 all aspects of the preparation of the report required by sub16 section (a), including, without limitation, developing the 

17 work plan, identifying questions, conducting research, and 

18 collecting and interpreting data. 

19 (c) PUBLICATION.—The report required in subsection 

20 (a) shall be published in the Federal Register for public 

21 comment for a period of not fewer than 60 days. 

22 (d) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary of the Inte23 rior shall publish the study required under subsection (a) 

24 and results submitted under subsection (b) on a public 

25 website. 


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1 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION FOR RE2 PORT.—It is hereby authorized to be appropriated to the 

3 Department of the Interior, Office of Insular Affairs, for 

4 fiscal year 2022 such sums as may be necessary to produce 

5 the report required in subsection (a). 

6 (f) INDEFINITE AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATION

7 FOR RUNIT DOME MONITORING ACTIVITIES.—It is hereby 

8 authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Energy 

9 such sums as may be necessary to comply with the require10 ments of 48 U.S.C. 1921b(f)(1)(B). 

11 TITLE III—NATIONAL OCEANIC 

12 AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINIS13 TRATION 

14 SEC. 301. CLIMATE CHANGE INSULAR RESEARCH GRANT 

15 PROGRAM. 

16 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the National 

17 Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration shall establish a 

18 Climate Change Insular Research Grant Program to pro19 vide grants to institutions of higher education, as such term 

20 is defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act 

21 of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a)), and nonprofit organizations 

22 in Insular Areas for monitoring, collecting, synthesizing, 

23 analyzing, and publishing local climate change data, in24 cluding ocean temperature, sea level rise, ocean acidifica25 tion, and altered ocean currents data. 


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1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

2 out this section there is authorized to be appropriated to 

3 the Administrator $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

4 2022 through 2026. 

5 SEC. 302. COASTAL MANAGEMENT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE 

6 AND REPORT. 

7 (a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, act10 ing through the Director of the Office for Coastal 

11 Management, shall provide technical assistance to In12 sular Areas to enhance such entities’ coastal manage13 ment and climate change programs. 

14 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

15 carry out this subsection there is authorized to be ap16 propriated to the Administrator of the National Oce17 anic and Atmospheric Administration $5,000,000 for 

18 each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

19 (b) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Administrator of the Na20 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, acting 

21 through the Director of the Office for Coastal Management, 

22 shall submit an annual report to the Committee on Natural 

23 Resources of the House of Representatives and the Com24 mittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 

25 Senate on the status of— 


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1 (1) wetland, mangrove, and estuary conditions 

2 in Insular Areas; and 

3 (2) climate change impacts, including ecological, 

4 economic, and cultural impacts, in Insular Areas. 

5 SEC. 303. NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TECHNICAL AS6 SISTANCE AND GRANTS. 

7 (a) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 

8 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na9 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, act10 ing through the Director of the National Weather 

11 Service, shall provide technical assistance and out12 reach to Insular Areas through the San Juan, Tiyan, 

13 and Pago Pago Weather Forecast Offices of the Na14 tional Weather Service. For the purposes of this sec15 tion, the Administrator may also employ other agency 

16 entities as the Administrator deems necessary, in 

17 order to improve weather data collection and provide 

18 science, data, information, and impact-based decision 

19 support services to reduce hurricane, typhoon, 

20 droughts, tsunamis, tides, and sea level rise impacts 

21 in the Insular Areas. 

22 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

23 carry out this subsection there is authorized to be ap24 propriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 for each 

25 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 


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1 (b) GRANTS.— 

2 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Administrator of the Na3 tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration may 

4 provide grants to academic, nonprofit, and local enti5 ties to conduct climate change research to improve 

6 weather data collection and provide science, data, in7 formation, and impact-based decision support services 

8 to reduce hurricane, typhoon, droughts, tsunamis, 

9 tides, and sea level rise impacts in the Insular Areas. 

10 (2) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To 

11 carry out this subsection there is authorized to be ap12 propriated to the Administrator $5,000,000 for each 

13 of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

14 SEC. 304. OCEAN AND COASTAL MAPPING INTEGRATION 

15 ACT. 

16 Section 12204 of the Ocean and Coastal Mapping Inte17 gration Act (33 U.S.C. 3503) is amended— 

18 (1) in paragraph (12) by striking ‘‘and’’; 

19 (2) in paragraph (13) by striking the period at 

20 the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

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

22 ‘‘(14) The study of Insular Areas and the effects 

23 of climate change.’’. 


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1 TITLE IV—DEPARTMENT OF 

2 ENERGY 

3 SEC. 401. OFFICE OF INSULAR AREA ENERGY POLICY AND 

4 PROGRAMS. 

5 (a) IN GENERAL.—Title II of the Department of En6 ergy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7131 et seq.) is amended 

7 by adding at the end the following: 

8 ‘‘SEC. 218. OFFICE OF INSULAR AREA ENERGY POLICY AND 

9 PROGRAMS. 

10 ‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 

11 the Department an Office of Insular Area Energy Policy 

12 and Programs (referred to in this section as the ‘Office’). 

13 The Office shall be headed by a Director, who shall be ap14 pointed by the Secretary and compensated at a rate equal 

15 to that of level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 

16 5315 of title 5, United States Code. 

17 ‘‘(b) DUTIES.—The Office shall— 

18 ‘‘(1) direct, coordinate, implement, and monitor 

19 energy planning, education, management, conserva20 tion, and delivery programs of the Department to— 

21 ‘‘(A) assist Insular Areas in developing 

22 comprehensive energy plans; 

23 ‘‘(B) expand renewable energy and energy 

24 efficiency in Insular Areas; 


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1 ‘‘(C) reduce or stabilize energy costs in In2 sular Areas; 

3 ‘‘(D) enhance and strengthen energy infra4 structure in Insular Areas to withstand natural 

5 disasters; and 

6 ‘‘(E) work with Insular Areas to develop 

7 improved regulatory and oversight conditions; 

8 and 

9 ‘‘(2) centralize and align all ongoing Depart10 ment of Energy efforts in the Insular Areas. 

11 ‘‘(c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Director shall submit an 

12 annual report to the Committee on Natural Resources and 

13 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 

14 Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

15 Resources of the Senate on the status of all projects under16 taken and grants approved by the Office. 

17 ‘‘(d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out 

19 this section $20,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 

20 through 2026. 

21 ‘‘(e) NON-FEDERAL COST-SHARE WAIVER.—Any 

22 funding made available to Insular Areas by the Office of 

23 Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs under this or 

24 any other Federal law shall not be subject to a non-Federal 

25 share funding requirement.’’. 


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1 (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS.— 

2 (1) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents 

3 of the Department of Energy Organization Act is 

4 amended by inserting after the item relating to sec5 tion 217 the following: 

‘‘Sec. 218. Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs.’’. 

6 (2) POSITIONS AT LEVEL IV.—Section 5315 of 

7 title 5, United States Code, is amended by inserting 

8 after the item relating to the Director, Office of 

9 Science, Department of Energy the following new 

10 item: 

11 ‘‘Director, Office of Insular Area Energy Policy 

12 and Programs, Department of Energy.’’. 

13 SEC. 402. COMPREHENSIVE ENERGY PLANS. 

14 (a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 1 year after the date 

15 of the enactment of this Act, the Office of Insular Area En16 ergy Policy and Programs in the Department of Energy, 

17 in consultation with the Office of Insular Affairs of the De18 partment of the Interior, shall submit to the Committees 

19 on Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources of the 

20 House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 

21 Natural Resources of the Senate a report containing— 

22 (1) the results of a study of the execution of the 

23 comprehensive energy plans required by section 9 of 

24 Public Law 113–235 (48 U.S.C. 1492a), including— 


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1 (A) initial, planned, and current sources of 

2 renewable energy; 

3 (B) initial, planned, and current energy 

4 imports; and 

5 (C) projected and actual energy needs dur6 ing calendar year 2020 for each Insular Area; 

7 (2) the lessons learned from the preparation of 

8 these plans; 

9 (3) the date on which each plan was most re10 cently updated; and 

11 (4) recommendations with respect to each Insu12 lar Area, on the need to update such plans. 

13 (b) PUBLICATION; PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Sec14 retary of Energy shall ensure that— 

15 (1) the report required by subsection (a) is pub16 lished in the Federal Register for public comment for 

17 a period of not fewer than 60 days; and 

18 (2) the report required by subsection (a) and any 

19 comments received under subsection (b) are made 

20 available on a public website. 

21 SEC. 403. ENERGY EFFICIENT PRODUCT REBATE PROGRAM. 

22 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

23 (1) ELIGIBLE TERRITORY.—The term ‘‘eligible 

24 territory’’ means a territory that meets the require25 ments of subsection (c). 


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1 (2) ENERGY STAR PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Energy 

2 Star program’’ means the program established by sec3 tion 324A of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act 

4 (42 U.S.C. 6294a). 

5 (3) RESIDENTIAL ENERGY STAR PRODUCT.—The 

6 term ‘‘residential Energy Star product’’ means a 

7 product for a residence that is rated for energy effi8 ciency under the Energy Star program. 

9 (4) ENERGY OFFICE.—The term ‘‘energy office’’ 

10 means the government agency within the territory re11 sponsible for developing an energy conservation plan 

12 under section 362 of the Energy Policy and Conserva13 tion Act (42 U.S.C. 6322). 

14 (5) REBATE PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘rebate pro15 gram’’ means an energy efficient product rebate pro16 gram described in subsection (c)(1). 

17 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

18 establish a program, to be known as the ‘‘Energy Efficient 

19 Product Rebate Program’’, under which the Director of the 

20 Office of Insular Area Energy Policy Programs shall pro21 vide allocations to eligible territories in accordance with 

22 this section. 

23 (c) ELIGIBLE TERRITORIES.—A territory shall be eli24 gible to receive an allocation under subsection (d) if the ter25 ritory— 


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1 (1) establishes (or has established) an energy effi2 cient product rebate program to provide rebates to 

3 residential consumers for the purchase of residential 

4 Energy Star products to replace used products of the 

5 same type; 

6 (2) establishes clear requirements to prevent ille7 gal dumping of old products and the overflow of land8 fills, and ensure environmental justice; 

9 (3) submits an application for the allocation at 

10 such time, in such form, and containing such infor11 mation as the Director of the Office of Insular Area 

12 Energy Policy and Programs may require; and 

13 (4) provides assurances satisfactory to the Direc14 tor of the Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and 

15 Programs that the territory will use the allocation to 

16 supplement, but not supplant, funds made available 

17 to carry out the rebate program. 

18 (d) AMOUNT OF ALLOCATIONS.— 

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

20 each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, the Director 

21 of the Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Pro22 grams shall allocate to the energy office of each eligi23 ble territory to carry out subsection (e) an amount 

24 equal to the product obtained by multiplying the 

25 amount made available under subsection (g) for the 


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1 fiscal year by the ratio that the population of the ter2 ritory in the most recent calendar year for which 

3 data are available bears to the total population of all 

4 eligible territories in that calendar year. 

5 (2) MINIMUM ALLOCATIONS.—For each fiscal 

6 year, the amounts allocated under this subsection 

7 shall be adjusted proportionately so that no eligible 

8 territory is allocated a sum that is less than an 

9 amount determined by the Director. 

10 (e) USE OF ALLOCATED FUNDS.—An allocation to an 

11 energy office under subsection (d) may be used to pay not 

12 more than 75 percent of the cost of establishing and car13 rying out a rebate program. 

14 (f) ISSUANCE OF REBATES.—The amount of a rebate 

15 provided under a rebate program shall be determined by 

16 the applicable energy office, taking into consideration— 

17 (1) the amount of the allocation to the energy of18 fice under subsection (d); 

19 (2) the amount of any tax incentive available for 

20 the purchase of the residential Energy Star product; 

21 and 

22 (3) the difference between the cost of the residen23 tial Energy Star product and the cost of a product 

24 that is not a residential Energy Star product, but is 

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1 formance, and other relevant characteristics (as deter2 mined by the energy office) to, the residential Energy 

3 Star product. 

4 (g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

5 authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 

6 $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

7 SEC. 404. RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANT PROGRAM. 

8 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

9 (1) COVERED ENTITY.—The term ‘‘covered enti10 ty’’ means a not-for-profit organization determined 

11 eligible by the Secretary for purposes of this section. 

12 (2) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY NATIONAL LABORA13 TORIES.—The term ‘‘Department of Energy national 

14 laboratories’’ has the same meaning as the term ‘‘Na15 tional Laboratory’’ under section 2 of the Energy Pol16 icy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801). 

17 (3) MICROGRID.—The term ‘‘microgrid’’ means 

18 an electric system— 

19 (A) that serves the local community with a 

20 power generation and distribution system; and 

21 (B) that has the ability— 

22 (i) to disconnect from a traditional 

23 electric grid; and 

24 (ii) to operate autonomously when dis25 connected. 


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1 (4) PROGRAM.—The term ‘‘Program’’ means the 

2 Renewable Energy Grant Program established under 

3 subsection (b). 

4 (5) SMART GRID.—The term ‘‘smart grid’’ means 

5 an intelligent electric grid that uses digital commu6 nications technology, information systems, and auto7 mation to, while maintaining high system reli8 ability— 

9 (A) detect and react to local changes in 

10 usage; 

11 (B) improve system operating efficiency; 

12 and 

13 (C) reduce spending costs. 

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

15 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

16 Office of Insular Area Energy Policy and Programs shall 

17 establish a Renewable Energy Grant Program under which 

18 the Director may award grants to covered entities to facili19 tate projects in Insular Areas described in subsection (d). 

20 (c) APPLICATIONS.—To be eligible for a grant under 

21 the Program, a covered entity shall submit to the Director 

22 an application at such time, in such form, and containing 

23 such information as the Secretary may require. 

24 (d) USE OF FUNDS.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—A covered entity receiving a 

2 grant under the Program may use grant funds for a 

3 project, in territories of the United States— 

4 (A) to develop or construct a renewable en5 ergy system; 

6 (B) to carry out an activity to increase en7 ergy efficiency; 

8 (C) to develop or construct an energy stor9 age system or device for— 

10 (i) a system developed or constructed 

11 under subparagraph (A); or 

12 (ii) an activity carried out under sub13 paragraph (B); 

14 (D) to develop or construct— 

15 (i) a smart grid; or 

16 (ii) a microgrid; or 

17 (E) to train residents of territories of the 

18 United States to develop, construct, maintain, or 

19 operate a renewable energy system. 

20 (2) LIMITATION.—A covered entity receiving a 

21 grant under the Program may not use grant funds to 

22 develop or construct a facility that generates elec23 tricity using energy derived from— 

24 (A) fossil fuels; or 

25 (B) nuclear power. 


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1 (e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.—The Director shall en2 sure that Department of Energy national laboratories offer 

3 to provide technical assistance to each covered entity car4 rying out a project assisted with a grant under the Pro5 gram. 

6 (f) REPORT.—Not later than two years after the estab7 lishment of the Program, and on an annual basis thereafter, 

8 the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report con9 taining— 

10 (1) an estimate of the amount of funds disbursed 

11 under the Program; 

12 (2) an estimate of the energy conservation 

13 achieved as a result of the Program; 

14 (3) a description of challenges encountered in 

15 implementing projects described in subsection (d)(1); 

16 and 

17 (4) any recommendations as to additional legis18 lative measures to increase the use of renewable en19 ergy in territories of the United States, as appro20 priate. 

21 (g) GAO STUDY AND REPORT.— 

22 (1) STUDY AND REPORT.—Not later than 180 

23 days after the date of the enactment of this section, 

24 the Comptroller General of the United States shall— 


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1 (A) conduct a study regarding renewable 

2 energy and energy efficiency in territories of the 

3 United States; and 

4 (B) submit to Congress a report con5 taining— 

6 (i) the findings of the study; and 

7 (ii) related recommendations. 

8 (2) COMPONENTS.—The study conducted under 

9 paragraph (1) shall consider, in relation to territories 

10 of the United States, the potential— 

11 (A) to modify existing electric power sys12 tems to use renewable energy sources; 

13 (B) to expand the use of microgrids; and 

14 (C) to improve energy resiliency. 

15 SEC. 405. OFFSHORE WIND FOR THE TERRITORIES. 

16 (a) APPLICATION OF OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF

17 LANDS ACT WITH RESPECT TO TERRITORIES OF THE

18 UNITED STATES.— 

19 (1) IN GENERAL.—Section 2 of the Outer Conti20 nental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331) is amend21 ed— 

22 (A) in subsection (a) by inserting ‘‘or lying 

23 within the exclusive economic zone of the United 

24 States and the Outer Continental Shelf adjacent 

25 to any territory of the United States, except that 


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1 such term shall not include any area conveyed 

2 by Congress to a territorial government for ad3 ministration’’ after ‘‘control’’; 

4 (B) in subsection (p), by striking ‘‘and’’ 

5 after the semicolon at the end; 

6 (C) in subsection (q), by striking the period 

7 at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 

8 (D) by adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(r) The term ‘State’ means the several States, the 

10 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, 

11 the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Common12 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.’’. 

13 (2) EXCLUSIONS.—Section 18 of the Outer Con14 tinental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1344) is amend15 ed by adding at the end the following: 

16 ‘‘(i) This section shall not apply to the scheduling of 

17 lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf adjacent to the 

18 Territories of the United States.’’. 

19 (b) WIND LEASE SALES FOR AREAS OF OUTER CONTI20 NENTAL SHELF.—The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act 

21 (43 U.S.C. 1331 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end 

22 the following: 


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1 ‘‘SEC. 33. WIND LEASE SALES FOR AREAS OF OUTER CONTI2 NENTAL SHELF. 

3 ‘‘(a) AUTHORIZATION.—The Secretary may conduct 

4 wind lease sales on the Outer Continental Shelf. 

5 ‘‘(b) WIND LEASE SALE PROCEDURE.—Any wind 

6 lease sale conducted under this section shall be considered 

7 a lease under section 8(p). 

8 ‘‘(c) WIND LEASE SALES OFF COASTS OF TERRI9 TORIES OF THE UNITED STATES.— 

10 ‘‘(1) STUDY ON FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING

11 WIND LEASE SALES.— 

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

13 conduct a study on the feasibility, including the 

14 technological and long-term economic feasibility, 

15 and the potential environmental effects of, con16 ducting wind lease sales on an area of the Outer 

17 Continental Shelf within the territorial jurisdic18 tion of American Samoa, Guam, the Common19 wealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto 

20 Rico, and the Virgin Islands of the United 

21 States. 

22 ‘‘(B) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the 

23 study required in subparagraph (A), the Sec24 retary shall consult— 


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1 ‘‘(i) the National Laboratories, that 

2 term is defined in section 2 of the Energy 

3 Policy Act of 2005; 

4 ‘‘(ii) the National Oceanic and Atmos5 pheric Administration, including the Office 

6 of National Marine Sanctuaries and Na7 tional Marine Fisheries Service; and 

8 ‘‘(iii) the Governor of each of American 

9 Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Is10 lands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands 

11 of the United States. 

12 ‘‘(C) PUBLICATION.—The study required in 

13 subparagraph (A) shall be published in the Fed14 eral Register for public comment for a period of 

15 not fewer than 60 days. 

16 ‘‘(D) SUBMISSION OF RESULTS.—Not later 

17 than 18 months after the date of the enactment 

18 of this section, the Secretary shall submit the re19 sults of the study conducted under subparagraph 

20 (A) to— 

21 ‘‘(i) the Committee on Energy and 

22 Natural Resources of the Senate; 

23 ‘‘(ii) the Committee on Natural Re24 sources of the House of Representatives; and 


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1 ‘‘(iii) each Delegate or Resident Com2 missioner to the House of Representatives 

3 from American Samoa, Guam, the Northern 

4 Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Vir5 gin Islands of the United States. 

6 ‘‘(E) PUBLIC AVAILABILITY.—The Secretary 

7 shall publish the study required under subpara8 graph (A) and results submitted under subpara9 graph (D) on a public website. 

10 ‘‘(2) CALL FOR INFORMATION AND NOMINA11 TIONS.—The Secretary shall issue a call for informa12 tion and nominations for proposed wind lease sales 

13 for areas determined to be feasible under the study 

14 conducted under paragraph (1). 

15 ‘‘(3) CONDITIONAL WIND LEASE SALES.— 

16 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—For each territory, the 

17 Secretary shall conduct not less than 1 wind 

18 lease sale on an area of the Outer Continental 

19 Shelf within the territorial jurisdiction of such 

20 territory that meets each of the following cri21 teria: 

22 ‘‘(i) The study required under para23 graph (1)(A) concluded that a wind lease 

24 sale on the area is feasible. 


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1 ‘‘(ii) The Secretary has determined 

2 that the call for information has generated 

3 sufficient interest for the area. 

4 ‘‘(iii) The Secretary has consulted with 

5 the Secretary of Defense and other relevant 

6 Federal agencies regarding such a sale. 

7 ‘‘(iv) The Secretary has consulted with 

8 the Governor of the territory regarding the 

9 suitability of the area for wind energy de10 velopment. 

11 ‘‘(B) EXCEPTION.—If no area of the Outer 

12 Continental Shelf within the territorial jurisdic13 tion of a territory meets each of the criteria in 

14 clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (A), the 

15 requirement under subparagraph (A) shall not 

16 apply to such territory.’’. 

17 SEC. 406. STATE ENERGY PROGRAM NON-FEDERAL COST18 SHARE WAIVER. 

19 Funding made available to a territory under the De20 partment of Energy’s State Energy Program (42 U.S.C. 

21 6321 et seq.) shall not be subject to a non-Federal share 

22 funding requirement. 


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1 TITLE V—ENVIRONMENTAL 

2 PROTECTION AGENCY 

3 SEC. 501. DEFINITIONS. 

4 In this title: 

5 (1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis6 trator’’ means the Administrator of the Environ7 mental Protection Agency. 

8 (2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means the 

9 Director of the Insular Area National Program Office. 

10 (3) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti11 ty’’ means each of the following: 

12 (A) A government, municipality, agency, or 

13 instrumentality of a territory. 

14 (B) A private, nonprofit organization or in15 stitution. 

16 (C) An institution of higher education (as 

17 defined in section 101 of the Higher Education 

18 Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001), except that such 

19 term does not include private, nonprofit institu20 tions of higher education). 

21 (D) Any combination of entities described 

22 in subparagraphs (A) through (C), including 

23 partnerships and consortiums of local govern24 ments. 


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1 (4) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Insu2 lar Area National Program Office established by sec3 tion 502. 

4 (5) RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term ‘‘renewable 

5 energy’’ means energy that has been derived from 

6 Earth’s natural resources that are not finite or ex7 haustible, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, geo8 thermal, ocean (thermal and mechanics). 

9 SEC. 502. INSULAR AREA NATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICE. 

10 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within the 

11 Environmental Protection Agency an office, to be known 

12 as the Insular Area National Program Office. The Office 

13 shall be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed by 

14 the Administrator and compensated at a rate equal to that 

15 of level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of 

16 title 5, United States Code. 

17 (b) DUTIES.—The Director shall— 

18 (1) direct, coordinate, implement, and monitor 

19 programs of the Environmental Protection Agency 

20 to— 

21 (A) build, enhance, and strengthen infra22 structure in Insular Areas to withstand natural 

23 disasters; 

24 (B) expand renewable energy and energy ef25 ficiency in Insular Areas; and 


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1 (C) provide technical assistance in Insular 

2 Areas. 

3 (2) centralize and align all ongoing Environ4 mental Protection Agency efforts in the Insular Areas. 

5 (c) ANNUAL REPORT.—The Director shall submit an 

6 annual report to the Committee on Natural Resources and 

7 the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 

8 Representatives, and the Committee on Energy and Natural 

9 Resources of the Senate on the status of all projects under10 taken and grants approved by the Office. 

11 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

12 Insular Area National Program Office, there is authorized 

13 to be appropriated to the Administrator $20,000,000 for 

14 each of the fiscal years 2022 through 2026. 

15 (e) NON-FEDERAL COST-SHARE WAIVER.—Any fund16 ing made available to Insular Areas by the Office shall not 

17 be subject to a non-Federal share funding requirement. 

18 SEC. 503. INSULAR AREA SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE 

19 GRANT PROGRAM. 

20 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

21 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

22 Insular Area National Program Office shall establish and 

23 carry out a program, to be known as the Insular Area Sus24 tainable Infrastructure Grant Program to provide grants 

25 to eligible entities in the Insular Areas to build, enhance, 


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1 and strengthen infrastructure systems in Insular Areas to 

2 withstand natural disasters, including drinking water sys3 tems, septic systems, stormwater systems, and solid waste 

4 systems. 

5 (b) USE OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity that receives 

6 a grant for infrastructure system projects under the Insular 

7 Areas Sustainable Infrastructure Grant Program may use 

8 such funds for— 

9 (1) development-phase activities, including plan10 ning, feasibility analysis (including any related anal11 ysis necessary to carry out an eligible project), rev12 enue forecasting, environmental review, permitting, 

13 preliminary engineering and design work, and other 

14 preconstruction activities; 

15 (2) construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, 

16 and replacement activities; and 

17 (3) the acquisition of real property or an interest 

18 in real property (including land relating to the 

19 project, and improvements to land), environmental 

20 mitigation, construction contingencies, and acquisi21 tion of equipment. 

22 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 

23 (1) INCLUSIONS.—An application under this 

24 subsection shall include— 


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1 (A) a description of the project proposed by 

2 the eligible entity; 

3 (B) an evaluation (using methodology ap4 proved by the Director) of the quantifiable and 

5 unquantifiable benefits of the proposed project; 

6 (C) an estimate of the cost of the proposed 

7 project; and 

8 (D) a description of the age and expected 

9 lifetime of the infrastructure system funded by 

10 the project. 

11 (2) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under this 

12 section, the Director shall give priority to proposed 

13 projects that, as determined by the Director— 

14 (A) maximize public health benefits; 

15 (B) are the most cost effective; 

16 (C) serve areas with environmental justice 

17 communities— 

18 (i) in rural remote areas; or 

19 (ii) that have challenged environmental 

20 conditions. 

21 (3) APPLICATION GUIDANCE AND PROCESSES.— 

22 The Director shall provide Insular Areas— 

23 (A) guidance for use in applying for grant 

24 funds under this section, including information 

25 regarding— 


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1 (i) the process and forms for applica2 tions; 

3 (ii) permissible uses of funds received; 

4 and 

5 (iii) an annual deadline for submis6 sion of the applications; 

7 (B) a process by which the Director shall 

8 approve or disapprove each application; and 

9 (C) a streamlined process by which an In10 sular Area may renew an application described 

11 in subparagraph (A) for subsequent fiscal years. 

12 (d) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

13 (1) OFFICE.—The Director shall use 100 percent 

14 of the funds made available to carry out this section 

15 to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

16 entities in Insular Areas. 

17 (2) GRANT RECIPIENT.—An eligible entity may 

18 use not more than 10 percent of a grant provided 

19 under this section for administrative expenses of an 

20 approved project. 

21 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

22 out this section there is authorized to be appropriated to 

23 the Administrator $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

24 2022 through 2026. 


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1 SEC. 504. INSULAR AREA RENEWABLE ENERGY GRANT PRO2 GRAM. 

3 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

4 the date of the enactment of this Act, the Director of the 

5 Insular Area National Program Office shall establish and 

6 carry out a program, to be known as the Insular Area Re7 newable Energy Grant Program to provide grants to eligi8 ble entities in the Insular Areas to expand renewable energy 

9 and energy efficiency in the Insular Areas. 

10 (b) ELIGIBILITY.— 

11 (1) PROJECTS ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE.—The 

12 following projects may be carried out with amounts 

13 made available under this section: 

14 (A) Construction of a new renewable energy 

15 system. 

16 (B) A project for energy redundancy and 

17 resilience based on renewable energy and for hur18 ricane and storm damage reduction on renewable 

19 energy systems that the Director determines is 

20 technically sound, economically justified, and en21 vironmentally acceptable. 

22 (C) A project for enhanced energy efficiency 

23 in the operation of infrastructure that belongs to 

24 an eligible entity. 

25 (D) A project for repair, rehabilitation, or 

26 replacement of a renewable energy system. 


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1 (E) A project to prevent, reduce, or mitigate 

2 the effects of hurricanes or storms, including 

3 projects that enhance the resilience of renewable 

4 energy systems. 

5 (F) Acquisition of real property or an in6 terest in real property— 

7 (i) if the acquisition is integral to a 

8 project described in subparagraphs (A) 

9 through (D); or 

10 (ii) pursuant to an existing plan that, 

11 in the judgment of the Director, as applica12 ble, would mitigate the environmental im13 pacts of renewable energy system infrastruc14 ture projects. 

15 (G) A combination of projects under sub16 paragraphs (A) through (F). 

17 (2) ACTIVITIES ELIGIBLE FOR ASSISTANCE.—An 

18 eligible entity may use a grant provided under this 

19 section for, with respect to an eligible project— 

20 (A) development-phase activities, including 

21 planning, feasibility analysis (including any re22 lated analysis necessary to carry out an eligible 

23 project), revenue forecasting, environmental re24 view, permitting, preliminary engineering and 

25 design work, and other preconstruction activities; 


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1 (B) construction, reconstruction, rehabilita2 tion, and replacement activities; and 

3 (C) the acquisition of real property or an 

4 interest in real property (including land relating 

5 to the project, and improvements to land), envi6 ronmental mitigation, construction contin7 gencies, and acquisition of equipment. 

8 (c) APPLICATIONS.— 

9 (1) INCLUSIONS.—An application under this 

10 subsection shall include— 

11 (A) a description of the project proposed by 

12 the eligible entity; 

13 (B) an evaluation (using methodology ap14 proved by the Director) of the quantifiable and 

15 unquantifiable benefits of the proposed project; 

16 (C) an estimate of the cost of the proposed 

17 project; and 

18 (D) a description of the age and expected 

19 lifetime of a renewable energy or energy effi20 ciency system funded by the project. 

21 (2) PRIORITY.—In providing grants under this 

22 section, the Director shall give priority to proposed 

23 projects that, as determined by the Director— 

24 (A) maximize public health benefits; 

25 (B) are the most cost effective; 


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1 (C) serve areas with environmental justice 

2 communities— 

3 (i) in rural remote areas; or 

4 (ii) that are poor air quality areas. 

5 (3) APPLICATION GUIDANCE AND PROCESSES.— 

6 The Director shall provide Insular Areas— 

7 (A) guidance for use in applying for grant 

8 funds under this section, including information 

9 regarding— 

10 (i) the process and forms for applica11 tions; 

12 (ii) permissible uses of funds received; 

13 and 

14 (iii) an annual deadline for submis15 sion of the applications; 

16 (B) a process by which the Director shall 

17 approve or disapprove each application; and 

18 (C) a streamlined process by which an In19 sular Area may renew an application described 

20 in subparagraph (A) for subsequent fiscal years. 

21 (d) LIMITATION ON USE OF FUNDS.— 

22 (1) OFFICE.—The Director shall use 100 percent 

23 of the funds made available to carry out this section 

24 to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 

25 entities in Insular Areas. 


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1 (2) GRANT RECIPIENT.—An eligible entity may 

2 use not more than 10 percent of a grant provided 

3 under this section to fund administrative expenses of 

4 an approved project. 

5 (e) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—To carry 

6 out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated to 

7 the Administrator $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

8 2022 through 2026. 

9 SEC. 505. INSULAR AREA TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PRO10 GRAM. 

11 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Insular Area National Pro12 gram Office Director shall establish a program, to be known 

13 as the Insular Area Technical Assistance Program, to pro14 vide technical assistance to Insular Areas relating to cli15 mate change planning, mitigation, adaptation, and resil16 ience. 

17 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

18 authorized to be appropriated to the Administrator to carry 

19 out this section $5,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2022 

20 through 2026. 


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1 TITLE VI—EMERGENCY 

2 MANAGEMENT 

3 SEC. 601. COMMUNITY DISASTER LOANS REPAYMENT CAN4 CELLATION. 

5 Notwithstanding any other provision of law, repay6 ment of a loan made to a local government in an Insular 

7 Area under section 417 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster 

8 Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5184), in9 cluding any interest on such loan, shall be canceled. 

10 SEC. 602. DISASTER RELIEF NON-FEDERAL COST-SHARE 

11 WAIVER. 

12 Funding made available to an Insular Area for dis13 aster relief, long-term recovery, restoration of infrastructure 

14 and housing, economic revitalization, and mitigation pur15 suant to the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emer16 gency Assistance Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) shall not be 

17 subject to a non-Federal share funding requirement. 


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Union Calendar No. 503 

117TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 2780 

[Report No. 117–686, Part I] 

A BILL 

To provide for climate change planning, mitigation, 

other purposes. Territories and Freely Associated States, and for adaptation, and resilience in the United States 

DECEMBER 30, 2022 

Reported from the Committee on Natural Resources with 

an amendment 

DECEMBER 30, 2022 

Committees on Energy and Commerce, Transportation 

to be printed Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered nology discharged; committed to the Committee of the and Infrastructure, and Science, Space, and TechVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:07 Dec 30, 2022 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00048 Fmt 6651 Sfmt 6651 E:\BILLS\H2780.RH H2780

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