I 

117TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 3606 

To establish the National Institutes of Clean Energy. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 28, 2021 

Mr. LEVIN of Michigan (for himself, Mr. HUFFMAN, and Mr. BRENDAN F. 

BOYLE of Pennsylvania) introduced the following bill; which was referred 

to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

A BILL 

To establish the National Institutes of Clean Energy. 

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 ‘‘National Institutes of 

5 Clean Energy Act of 2021’’. 

6 SEC. 2. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF CLEAN ENERGY. 

7 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

8 (1) ADVANCED ENERGY TECHNOLOGY.—The 

9 term ‘‘advanced energy technology’’ means a tech10 nology that— 


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1 (A) reduces greenhouse gas emissions with 

2 high conversion efficiency; 

3 (B) minimizes energy, water, and material 

4 resource use; 

5 (C) was produced by or helps generate a 

6 renewable energy source; and 

7 (D) minimizes environmental harms to or 

8 negative public health impacts on frontline, vul9 nerable, and disadvantaged communities. 

10 (2) FRONTLINE, VULNERABLE, AND DISADVAN11 TAGED COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘frontline, vulner12 able, and disadvantaged community’’ means a com13 munity— 

14 (A) in an area described in section 301(a) 

15 of the Public Works and Economic Develop16 ment Act of 1965 (42 U.S.C. 3161(a)); and 

17 (B) in which climate change, pollution, or 

18 environmental destruction have exacerbated sys19 temic racial, regional, social, environmental, 

20 gender, and economic injustices by dispropor21 tionately affecting Black, Brown, and Indige22 nous peoples, other communities of color, mi23 grant communities, deindustrialized commu24 nities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, 


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1 low-income workers, women, the elderly, the 

2 unhoused, people with disabilities, or youth. 

3 (3) INSTITUTES.—The term ‘‘Institutes’’ means 

4 the National Institutes of Clean Energy established 

5 under subsection (b). 

6 (4) LAND-GRANT COLLEGE OR UNIVERSITY.— 

7 The term ‘‘land-grant college or university’’ means— 

8 (A) an institution that is eligible to receive 

9 funds under the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly 

10 known as the ‘‘First Morrill Act’’) (12 Stat. 

11 503, chapter 130; 7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.), or the 

12 Act of August 30, 1890 (commonly known as 

13 the ‘‘Second Morrill Act’’) (26 Stat. 417, chap14 ter 841; 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), including 

15 Tuskegee University; and 

16 (B) a 1994 Institution (as defined in sec17 tion 532 of the Equity in Educational Land18 Grant Status Act of 1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; 

19 Public Law 103–382)). 

20 (5) MINORITY-SERVING INSTITUTION.—The 

21 term ‘‘minority-serving institution’’ means an insti22 tution of higher education described in section 

23 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 

24 U.S.C. 1067q(a)). 


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1 (6) RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE.—The term 

2 ‘‘renewable energy source’’ means energy generated 

3 from a renewable source, including the following re4 newable energy sources: 

5 (A) Solar, including electricity. 

6 (B) Wind. 

7 (C) Ocean, including tidal, wave, current, 

8 and thermal. 

9 (D) Geothermal, including electricity and 

10 heat pumps. 

11 (E) Hydroelectric generation capacity 

12 achieved from increased efficiency or additions 

13 of new capacity at an existing hydroelectric 

14 project that was placed in service on or after 

15 January 1, 1999. 

16 (F) Hydrogen derived from a renewable 

17 energy source. 

18 (G) Thermal energy generated by any of 

19 the sources described in subparagraphs (A) 

20 through (F). 

21 (b) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than January 1, 

22 2025, there shall be established the National Institutes of 

23 Clean Energy, which shall be an agency of the Department 

24 of Energy. 

25 (c) ACTIVITIES.— 


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1 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Institutes shall— 

2 (A) invest in clean energy science, climate 

3 science, innovation, and research and develop4 ment to reduce emissions and build climate re5 silience; and 

6 (B) support— 

7 (i) clean energy research areas, in8 cluding— 

9 (I) demonstration projects for 

10 clean energy and climate research and 

11 development priorities, including 

12 microgrids, energy storage, electric ve13 hicles, and advanced energy tech14 nologies in hard-to-decarbonize sec15 tors, such as the aviation and ship16 ping sectors; and 

17 (II) clean energy research areas 

18 that are underrepresented in existing 

19 Federal research and development 

20 funding, such as long-duration grid 

21 storage; 

22 (ii) research and development projects 

23 focusing on the impacts of energy produc24 tion in frontline communities, including 

25 communities of color and low-income comVerDate Sep 11 2014 05:35 Jun 24, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3606.IH H3606

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1 munities, that have been disproportionately 

2 impacted by environmental injustices; and 

3 (iii) research and development 

4 projects focused on impacts of clean energy 

5 and energy production on job loss, job cre6 ation, and workforce development, particu7 larly in heavily unionized workforce sec8 tors. 

9 (2) PRIORITY.—In carrying out paragraph (1), 

10 the Institutes shall give priority to— 

11 (A) the development of technologies that 

12 will— 

13 (i) minimize environmental harms to 

14 or negative public health impacts on front15 line, vulnerable, and disadvantaged com16 munities; 

17 (ii) improve the public health of front18 line, vulnerable, and disadvantaged com19 munities; or 

20 (iii) create high-quality jobs with 

21 strong labor standards in frontline, vulner22 able, and disadvantaged communities; 

23 (B) research and development of advanced 

24 energy technologies; 


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1 (C) climate science and innovation and 

2 clean energy technology; 

3 (D) research and development that will be 

4 conducted at— 

5 (i) public universities and colleges; 

6 (ii) land-grant colleges and univer7 sities; 

8 (iii) minority-serving institutions, in9 cluding historically Black colleges and uni10 versities; and 

11 (iv) consortia comprising 1 or more of 

12 the entities described in clauses (i) through 

13 (iii); and 

14 (E) research and development in geo15 graphic areas that have seen the worst job 

16 losses between 2016 and 2021, including rural 

17 areas and areas impacted by 

18 deindustrialization. 

19 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There is 

20 authorized to be appropriated $400,000,000,000 for the 

21 period of fiscal years 2022 through 2031 to establish and 

22 operate the Institutes. 

Æ 


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