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.

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. Study of electric rates in the insular areas (a) Definitions In this section: (1) Comprehensive energy plan The term comprehensive energy plan An Act to authorize appropriations for certain insular areas of the United States, and for other purposes 48 U.S.C. 1492 (2) Energy action plan The term energy action plan (3) Freely associated states The term Freely Associated States (4) Insular areas The term insular areas (5) Secretary The term Secretary (6) Team The term team (b) Establishment Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall, within the Empowering Insular Communities activity, establish a team of technical, policy, and financial experts— (1) to develop an energy action plan addressing the energy needs of each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States; and (2) to assist each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States in implementing such plan. (c) Participation of regional utility organizations In establishing the team, the Secretary shall consider including regional utility organizations. (d) Energy action plan In accordance with subsection (b), the energy action plan shall include— (1) recommendations, based on the comprehensive energy plan where applicable, to— (A) reduce reliance and expenditures on fuel shipped to the insular areas and Freely Associated States from ports outside the United States; (B) develop and utilize domestic fuel energy sources; and (C) improve performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency; (2) a schedule for implementation of such recommendations and identification and prioritization of specific projects; (3) a financial and engineering plan for implementing and sustaining projects; and (4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward implementation. (e) Reports to secretary Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Secretary establishes the team and annually thereafter, the team shall submit to the Secretary a report detailing progress made in fulfilling its charge and in implementing the energy action plan. (f) Annual reports to congress Not later than 30 days after the date on which the Secretary receives a report submitted by the team under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a summary of the report of the team. (g) Approval of secretary required The energy action plan shall not be implemented until the Secretary approves the energy action plan. 2. Amendments to the consolidated natural resources act Section 6 of Public Law 94–241 (1) in subsection (a)(2), by striking December 31, 2014, except as provided in subsections (b) and (d) December 31, 2019 (2) in subsection (d)— (A) in the third sentence of paragraph (2), by striking not to extend beyond December 31, 2014, unless extended pursuant to paragraph 5 of this subsection ending on December 31, 2019 (B) by striking paragraph (5); and (C) by redesignating paragraph (6) as paragraph (5).

Summary: Requires the Department of the Interior to establish within the Empowering Insular Communities activity a team of technical, policy, and financial experts to: (1) develop an energy action plan addressing the energy needs of each of the insular areas (American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin Islands) and Freely Associated States (Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau); and (2) assist each of the insular areas and Freely Associated States in implementing the plan. Requires the plan to include: (1) recommendations to reduce reliance and expenditures on fuel shipped to the insular areas and Freely Associated States from ports outside the United States, to develop and utilize domestic fuel energy sources, and to improve performance of energy infrastructure and overall energy efficiency; (2) a schedule for implementation of the recommendations and identification and prioritization of specific projects; (3) a financial and engineering plan for implementing and sustaining projects; and (4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward implementation. Requires Interior to approve the plan before it is implemented. Extends the federal immigration law transition period for the Northern Mariana Islands through December 31, 2019, including the annual reduction of nonimmigrant workers who may be admitted during such period.