127 
(b) ADDITIONAL SOURCES OF ADVICE.—The Direc-
tor may seek advice and review from the National Acad-
emy of Sciences, the National Academy for Engineering, 
and any other professional or scientific organization with 
expertise in specific processes or technologies under devel-
opment by ARPA–E. 
SEC. 4004. ARPA–E EVALUATION. 
After ARPA–E has been in operation for 54 months, 
the President’s Committee on Science and Technology 
shall begin an evaluation (to be completed within 12 
months) of how well ARPA–E is achieving its goals and 
mission. The evaluation shall include the recommendation 
of such Committee on whether ARPA–E should be contin-
ued or terminated, as well as lessons-learned from its oper-
ation. The evaluation shall be made available to Congress 
and to the public upon completion. 
SEC. 4005. SAVINGS CLAUSE. 
The authorities granted by this subtitle are in addi-
tion to existing authorities granted to the Secretary of En-
ergy, and not intended to supersede or modify any existing 
authorities.
128 
Subtitle B—Marine Renewable 
Energy Technologies 
SEC. 4101. SHORT TITLE. 
This subtitle may be cited as the ‘‘Marine Renewable 
Energy Research and Development Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 4102. FINDINGS. 
The Congress finds the following: 
(1) The United States has a critical national in-
terest in developing clean, domestic, renewable 
sources of energy in order to reduce environmental 
impacts of energy production, increase national secu-
rity, improve public health, and bolster economic 
stability. 
(2) Marine renewable energy technologies are a 
nonemitting source of power production. 
(3) Marine renewable energy may serve as an 
alternative to fossil fuels and create thousands of 
new jobs within the United States. 
(4) Europe has already successfully delivered 
electricity to the grid through the deployment of 
wave and tidal energy devices off the coast of Scot-
land. 
(5) Recent studies from the Electric Power Re-
search Institute, in conjunction with the Department 
of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory,
129 
have identified an abundance of viable sites within 
the United States with ample wave and tidal re-
sources to be harnessed by marine power tech-
nologies. 
(6) Sustained and expanded research, develop-
ment, demonstration, and commercial application 
programs are needed to locate and characterize ma-
rine renewable energy resources, and to develop the 
technologies that will enable their widespread com-
mercial development. 
(7) Federal support is critical to reduce the fi-
nancial risk associated with developing new marine 
renewable energy technologies, thereby encouraging 
the private sector investment necessary to make ma-
rine renewable energy resources commercially viable 
as a source of electric power and for other applica-
tions. 
SEC. 4103. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this subtitle— 
(1) MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY.—The term 
‘‘Marine Renewable Energy’’ means energy derived 
from one or more of the following sources: 
(A) Waves. 
(B) Tidal flows. 
(C) Ocean currents.
130 
(D) Ocean thermal energy conversion. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
SEC. 4104. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND 
DEVELOPMENT. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in conjunction 
with other appropriate agencies, shall support programs 
of research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
application to expand marine renewable energy produc-
tion, including programs to— 
(1) study and compare existing marine renew-
able energy extraction technologies; 
(2) research, develop, and demonstrate ad-
vanced marine renewable energy systems and tech-
nologies; 
(3) reduce the manufacturing and operation 
costs of marine renewable energy technologies; 
(4) investigate efficient and reliable integration 
with the utility grid and intermittency issues; 
(5) advance wave forecasting technologies; 
(6) conduct experimental and numerical mod-
eling for optimization of marine energy conversion 
devices and arrays;
131 
(7) increase the reliability and survivability of 
marine renewable energy technologies, including de-
velopment of corrosive-resistant materials; 
(8) study, in conjunction with the Assistant Ad-
ministrator for Research and Development of the 
Environmental Protection Agency, the Undersecre-
tary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and 
other Federal agencies as appropriate, the environ-
mental impacts of marine renewable energy tech-
nologies and ways to address adverse impacts, and 
provide public information concerning technologies 
and other means available for monitoring and deter-
mining environmental impacts; 
(9) establish protocols, in conjunction with the 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
for how the ocean community may best interact with 
marine renewable energy devices; 
(10) develop power measurement standards for 
marine renewable energy; 
(11) develop identification standards for marine 
renewable energy devices; 
(12) address standards development, dem-
onstration, and technology transfer for advanced 
systems engineering and system integration methods 
to identify critical interfaces; and
132 
(13) utilize marine resources in the Gulf of 
Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean. 
(b) SITING CRITERIA.—The Secretary, in conjunction 
with other appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop, 
prior to installation of any technologies under this section, 
siting criteria for marine renewable energy generation 
demonstration and commercial application projects funded 
under this subtitle. 
SEC. 4105. NATIONAL MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RE-
SEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND DEMONSTRA-
TION CENTERS. 
(a) CENTERS.—The Secretary, acting through the 
National Renewable Energy Laboratory, shall award 
grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia 
thereof) for the establishment of 1 or more National Ma-
rine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Dem-
onstration Centers. In selecting locations for Centers, the 
Secretary shall consider sites that meet one of the fol-
lowing criteria: 
(1) Hosts an existing marine renewable energy 
research and development program in coordination 
with a public university engineering program. 
(2) Has proven expertise to support environ-
mental and policy-related issues associated with har-
nessing of energy in the marine environment.
133 
(3) Has access to and utilizes the marine re-
sources in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, 
or the Pacific Ocean. 
The Secretary may give special consideration to histori-
cally black colleges and universities and land grant univer-
sities that also meet one of these criteria. In establishing 
criteria for the selection of Centers, the Secretary shall 
coordinate with the Undersecretary of Commerce for 
Oceans and Atmosphere on the criteria related to advanc-
ing wave forecasting technologies, studying the compat-
ibility with the environment of marine renewable energy 
technologies and systems, and establishing protocols for 
how the ocean community best interacts with marine re-
newable energy devices and parks. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The Centers shall advance research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application 
of marine renewable energy through a number of initia-
tives including for the purposes described in section 
4104(1) through (13), and shall serve as an information 
clearinghouse for the marine renewable energy industry, 
collecting and disseminating information on best practices 
in all areas related to developing and managing enhanced 
marine renewable energy systems resources. 
(c) DEMONSTRATION OF NEED.—When applying for 
a grant under this section, an applicant shall include a