Secretary of the Treasury in accordance with para-
graph (2). 
(e) AGREEMENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS.—The Admin-
istrator may enter into agreements and partnerships with 
other entities to carry out any of the activities listed in 
subsection (b)(1). 
(f) DISPOSITION OF REVENUE.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—With respect to covered 
transmission infrastructure owned and operated by 
the Offshore Power Administration pursuant to this 
section, the Administrator shall use qualified rev-
enue to pay the principal and interest of the loan 
made by Secretary of the Treasury with respect to 
such covered transmission infrastructure. 
(2) QUALIFIED REVENUE.—In this subsection, 
the term ‘‘qualified revenue’’ means— 
(A) all revenue received by the Offshore 
Power Administration from the operation of the 
covered transmission infrastructure; less 
(B) the amount the Administrator deter-
mines necessary to— 
(i) pay the costs of operating and 
maintaining the covered transmission in-
frastructure, including expenses described 
in subsection (g)(2); and 
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(ii) pay for any ancillary services that 
are used by the Offshore Power Adminis-
tration. 
(g) FORGIVENESS OF BALANCES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—If, at the end of the useful 
life of any covered transmission infrastructure ac-
quired, constructed, maintained, or operated by the 
Offshore Power Administration pursuant to this sec-
tion there is a remaining balance owed to the Treas-
ury for a loan made under this section for any such 
purpose, such balance shall be forgiven. 
(2) STUDIES.—A loan made under this section 
for purposes of studying covered transmission infra-
structure that is not constructed shall be forgiven 
upon notification under paragraph (3). 
(3) NOTIFICATION.—The Administrator shall 
notify the Secretary of the Treasury of such 
amounts as are to be forgiven under this subsection. 
(h) ADMINISTRATION.— 
(1) ACCOUNTS AND AUDITS.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall keep complete and accurate accounts of 
the operation of covered transmission infra-
structure owned and operated by the Offshore 
Power Administration, including all funds ex-
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pended and received in connection with trans-
mission of electric energy by the Offshore 
Power Administration. 
(B) AUDITS.—The Administrator shall, 
after the close of each fiscal year, obtain an 
independent commercial-type audit of such ac-
counts. 
(2) EXPENSES.—The Administrator may make 
such expenditures for offices, vehicles, furnishings, 
equipment, supplies, books, travel for attendance at 
meetings, and for such other facilities and services 
as the Administrator determines necessary to carry 
out this section. 
(i) PREVAILING WAGE.—All laborers and mechanics 
employed by contractors and subcontractors in the per-
formance of construction work carried out or funded by 
in whole or in part by the Offshore Power Administration 
shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing 
on projects of a character similar in the locality as deter-
mined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with sub-
chapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code. 
With respect to the labor standards in this subsection, the 
Secretary of Labor shall have the authority and functions 
set forth in Reorganization Plan Number 14 of 1950 (64 
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Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 40, 
United States Code. 
(j) COORDINATION AND CONSULTATION.— 
(1) STATE
AND
LOCAL
GOVERNMENTS.—The 
Administrator shall provide for coordination and 
consultation with the Governor of any State or the 
executive of any local government that may be af-
fected by activities under this section. 
(2) TRIBAL CONSULTATION.— 
(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall conduct meaningful and timely consulta-
tion with Indian Tribes (following the proce-
dures of Executive Order 13175 (25 U.S.C. 
5301 note), the President’s Memorandum of 
Uniform Standards for Tribal Consultation, 
issued on November 30, 2022, or any subse-
quent order) before undertaking any activities 
under this section that may have a direct, indi-
rect, or cumulative impact on— 
(i) the land, including allotted, ceded, 
or traditional land, or interests in such 
land of an Indian Tribe or member of an 
Indian Tribe; 
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(ii) Tribal land, cultural practices, re-
sources, or access to traditional areas of 
cultural or religious importance; 
(iii) any part of any Federal land that 
shares a border with Indian country, as 
such term is defined in section 1151 of 
title 18, United States Code; 
(iv) the protected rights of an Indian 
Tribe, whether or not such rights are enu-
merated in a treaty, including water, hunt-
ing, gathering, and fishing rights; 
(v) the ability of an Indian Tribe to 
govern or provide services to members of 
the Indian Tribe; 
(vi) the relationship between the Fed-
eral Government and an Indian Tribe; or 
(vii) the trust responsibility of the 
Federal Government to an Indian Tribe. 
(B) CONFIDENTIAL AND SENSITIVE INFOR-
MATION.— 
(i) 
CLOSED
MEETING.—Notwith-
standing any other provision of law, at the 
request of the applicable Indian Tribe or 
Tribal government, any Tribal consultation 
process conducted for the purpose of car-
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rying out this subsection shall be closed to 
the public. 
(ii) TREATMENT OF DESIGNATED IN-
FORMATION.—Notwithstanding any other 
provision of law, during a Tribal consulta-
tion process conducted for the purpose of 
carrying out this subsection, if the applica-
ble Indian Tribe or Tribal government des-
ignates any information, such as the loca-
tion of a sacred site or other detail of a 
cultural or religious practice, as sensitive, 
that information shall be protected by law 
as confidential and withheld from any pub-
lic disclosure or publication made as part 
of such Tribal consultation process or in 
any other process of carrying out this sec-
tion. 
(iii) ACCESS TO DESIGNATED INFOR-
MATION.—If information has been des-
ignated as sensitive under clause (ii), the 
Secretary shall determine, in consultation 
with the applicable Indian Tribe or Tribal 
government, who may have access to the 
information for the purposes of carrying 
out this section. 
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(k) ANNUAL REPORT
TO CONGRESS.—Beginning 
January 1, 2027, and each year thereafter, not later than 
180 days after the end of each year, the Administrator 
shall submit to Congress a report for the previous year 
that includes— 
(1) a description of the activities of the Off-
shore Power Administration; 
(2) an accounting of the use of loans made 
under this section; and 
(3) an assessment of the coordination and co-
operation by relevant State and Tribal governments, 
regional transmission organizations, offshore renew-
able energy project developers, and other stake-
holders the Secretary of Energy determines are rel-
evant in each region to develop and use shared cov-
ered transmission infrastructure. 
(l) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
(1) ADMINISTRATOR.—The term ‘‘Adminis-
trator’’ means the Administrator of the Offshore 
Power Administration. 
(2) 
COVERED
TRANSMISSION
INFRASTRUC-
TURE.—The term ‘‘covered transmission infrastruc-
ture’’— 
(A) means electric power transmission in-
frastructure, and any related facilities thereof, 
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that serves at least one offshore renewable en-
ergy project; and 
(B) includes onshore facilities that enable 
the interconnection of offshore renewable en-
ergy projects. 
SEC. 
8. 
OFFSHORE 
TRANSMISSION 
INFRASTRUCTURE 
STUDIES AND RECOMMENDATIONS. 
(a) STUDIES
AND RECOMMENDATIONS.—The Sec-
retary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of the 
Interior, the interagency comprehensive digital mapping 
initiative established under section 388(b) of the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005, and other relevant Federal, State, 
Tribal, and local agencies, shall periodically conduct stud-
ies and make recommendations available to the public on 
the potential siting of offshore transmission infrastructure 
in a manner that— 
(1) achieves sufficient transmission capacity to 
support offshore energy development to meet State, 
Tribal, or Federal renewable or clean electricity 
mandates, targets, or goals; 
(2) promotes safety, national security, Tribal 
sovereignty, and environmental protection while 
minimizing impacts to cultural and living marine re-
sources, including Tribal cultural resources; and 
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(3) leads to efficient development of onshore 
points of interconnection. 
(b) AUTHORIZATION
OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of En-
ergy to carry out this section $10,000,000, to remain 
available until expended. 
SEC. 9. INTEROPERABILITY OF OFFSHORE ELECTRIC 
TRANSMISSION INFRASTRUCTURE. 
(a) STUDY.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall 
complete and publish on the website of the Department 
of Energy a study that assesses the need to, and chal-
lenges of, developing and standardizing interoperable elec-
tric grid components, systems, and technologies in support 
of shared offshore transmission networks. Such study 
shall include recommendations for Congress, State, Tribal, 
and local governments, manufacturers of electric grid com-
ponents, systems, and technologies, regional transmission 
organizations, offshore electricity generation project devel-
opers, and appropriate standards organizations to help en-
sure interoperability of electric grid components, systems, 
and technologies across seams between offshore electricity 
generation projects and shared offshore infrastructure 
connecting to onshore transmission systems. 
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(b) INTEROPERABILITY STANDARD DEVELOPMENT 
PROGRAM.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall establish and implement a program to identify, 
develop, support, document, and encourage the 
adoption of a set of standards necessary to maximize 
the interoperability of electric grid components, sys-
tems, and technologies to accelerate the implementa-
tion and delivery of electricity generated by offshore 
electricity generation projects through shared trans-
mission infrastructure. 
(2) GOALS.—The goals of establishing and im-
plementing the program under paragraph (1) shall 
be— 
(A) to harmonize and standardize func-
tional specifications of electric grid components, 
systems, and technologies to maximize the 
interoperability of electric grid components, sys-
tems, and technologies across technologies and 
manufacturers; 
(B) to hasten adoption of shared trans-
mission infrastructure for offshore electricity 
generation by encouraging cooperation among 
manufacturers of electric grid components, sys-
tems, or technologies in order to— 
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(i) maximize interoperability of such 
manufacturers’ electric grid components, 
systems, and technologies; 
(ii) reduce offshore electricity genera-
tion project delays and cost overruns; 
(iii) manage power grid complexity; 
and 
(iv) enhance electric grid resilience, 
reliability, and cybersecurity; and 
(C) to identify common technical specifica-
tions to effectively and securely measure, mon-
itor, control, and protect offshore electricity 
generation 
and 
transmission 
infrastructure 
from the point of generation to load centers. 
(3) GRANTS.—Under the program established 
and implemented under paragraph (1), the Secretary 
may provide grants to entities to— 
(A) engage equipment manufacturers and 
industry stakeholders in collaborative platforms, 
including workshops and forums; 
(B) identify current challenges and propose 
solutions to improve interoperability of electric 
grid components, systems, and technologies; 
and 
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