(2) and in a manner that is consistent with the pur-
poses of this subsection. 
‘‘(6) DEGRESSION RATES.—For new facilities 
commencing construction in each year after the first 
year for which tariffs under this section applied to 
any facility, the tariffs rates paid under this stand-
ard under this section may be reduced relative to the 
previous year in accordance with annual tariff de-
gression rates. Such degression rate shall be specific 
to each technology. 
‘‘(7) PRIORITY.—The rules under the standard 
under this subsection shall require each public utility 
to purchase and each transmitting utility to transmit 
renewable energy from renewable energy facilities on 
a priority basis. Such requirement shall not apply if 
the public utility or transmitting utility is already 
committed through long-term contracts to full capac-
ity of its load and such utility has no ability to 
transmit any new generation from renewable energy 
facilities to a neighboring utility. 
‘‘(d) RELIABILITY.—The rules under this section 
shall include provisions respecting minimum reliability of 
renewable energy facilities (including reliability of such fa-
cilities during emergencies) and rules respecting reliability 
of electric energy service to be available to such facilities 
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from public utilities during emergencies. The rules shall 
also insure that such purchases do not affect the reliability 
of the purchasing public utility. 
‘‘(e) STANDARD CONTRACTS.—The Commission shall 
approve a standard contract to be used in all power pur-
chase agreements under this section that are subject to 
the jurisdiction of the Commission under this part. The 
contract shall include the prices paid for each kilowatt 
hour generated, the duration of the contract. The Commis-
sion shall provide public utilities subject to the jurisdiction 
of the Commission with standard contracts within 18 
months of the date of enactment of this subsection. 
‘‘(f) RELATIONSHIP TO OTHER FEDERAL AND STATE 
STANDARDS, REQUIREMENTS, TAXES, AND BENEFITS.— 
Except for accelerated tax depreciation, no person who 
elects to sell power under a contract under this section 
shall be entitled to any tax credits or deductions associated 
with renewable energy production under Federal tax laws 
or to any other incentives or benefits under any Federal 
law associated with renewable energy. Any State or utility 
may provide additional incentives to promote the deploy-
ment of renewable energy facilities and, except as provided 
in subsection (g) with respect to net metering, any renew-
able energy facility may utilize such benefits. No public 
utility making purchases of electric energy under a con-
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tract under this section shall be exempt from any State 
law requiring minimum purchase percentages of renewable 
energy. No renewable energy facility making sales of re-
newable energy to a public utility under this section shall 
be entitled to any credit or allowance for renewable energy 
generation under any such State or Federal law. Any cred-
it or allowance for renewable energy generation needed to 
meet any State or Federal law requiring minimum pur-
chases of renewable energy shall belong to the public util-
ity that purchases electric energy under a contract under 
this section unless otherwise specified in State or Federal 
law. 
‘‘(g) NET METERING.—If energy generated by any 
renewable energy facility is eligible for net metering treat-
ment under State law, all energy generated by such facility 
shall be subject to such State law in lieu of this section 
unless the owner or operator of the facility makes an elec-
tion for such electric generation to be subject to this sec-
tion. For renewable energy facilities interconnecting to 
public utilities within the jurisdiction of the Commission, 
the election shall be submitted to the Commission in such 
form and at such time as the Commission shall prescribe 
by rule. The election shall include notice to the appropriate 
State agency administering the State net metering pro-
gram. 
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‘‘(h) PUBLIC REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.—By Sep-
tember 30 of each calendar year after 2009, each public 
utility shall publicly report to the Energy Information Ad-
ministration without undue delay the following informa-
tion recorded during the previous calendar year: 
‘‘(1) The network upgrade costs associated with 
compliance with the standards under section 210A 
of this Act. 
‘‘(2) The total quantity of electricity and the 
total amounts paid to renewable energy facility oper-
ators in accordance with compliance with the rules 
under this section. 
‘‘(3) The total quantity of electricity delivered 
to by the public utility. 
‘‘(4) The total number of renewable energy fa-
cilities of each technology and application in the 
area in which the public utility supplies electric en-
ergy. 
‘‘(5) For each technology and application, the 
amount of growth in capacity installed relative to 
the number of new interconnections in the area in 
which the public utility supplies electric energy. 
‘‘(6) The total amount of electricity (in kWh) 
generated by renewable energy facilities and from 
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other renewable energy sources in the area in which 
the public utility supplies electric energy. 
‘‘(7) The proportion of wind development that 
is owned and operated by and for communities in 
the area in which the public utility supplies electric 
energy. 
‘‘(8) The proportion of solar development that 
is owned and operated by customers in the area in 
which the public utility supplies electric energy. 
‘‘(9) The location of new renewable energy facil-
ity development relative to population density in the 
area in which the public utility supplies electric en-
ergy. 
‘‘(i) REPORTS BY THE ENERGY INFORMATION AD-
MINISTRATION.—In each of the first 2 years and every 2 
years thereafter after the enactment of this section, the 
Secretary of Energy, acting through the Energy Informa-
tion Administration, shall make public and submit to Con-
gress a report that shall include the number of new renew-
able energy facilities in each State and the environmental 
benefits and effects of the addition of those generators. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary 
of Energy such sums as may be necessary to carry out 
this subsection. 
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‘‘(j) SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS.—(1) 
All renewable energy facilities entering into contract under 
this section shall meet all applicable safety and perform-
ance and reliability standards established under section 
215 or by the national electrical code, the Institute of 
Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Underwriters Lab-
oratories, the North American Electric Reliability Cor-
poration or the American National Standards Institute. 
‘‘(2) The Commission shall, after consultation with 
State regulatory authorities and nonregulated utilities and 
after notice and opportunity for comment, limit by regula-
tion the imposition of additional charges by electric sup-
pliers and local distribution system operators for equip-
ment or services for safety or performance that are addi-
tional to those necessary to meet the standards and re-
quirements referred to in paragraph (1) of this subsection 
and subsection (g)(3) of section 210A of the Federal 
Power Act (relating to network upgrades). 
‘‘(k) EXEMPTIONS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Sales of electric energy by 
renewable energy facilities under this section are ex-
empt from regulation under other provisions of this 
part and from State laws and regulations respecting 
the rates, or respecting the financial or organiza-
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tional regulation, of electric utilities, or from any 
combination of the foregoing. 
‘‘(2) EXCEPTIONS.—No renewable energy facil-
ity shall be exempt under this subsection from— 
‘‘(A) the provisions of section 210, 211, or 
212 of this Act or the necessary authorities for 
enforcement of any such provision under this 
Act; or 
‘‘(B) any license or permit requirement 
under part I of this Act, any provision under 
this Act related to such a license or permit re-
quirement, or the necessary authorities for en-
forcement of any such requirement. 
‘‘(l) FEDERAL CONTRACTS.—No contract between a 
Federal agency and any electric utility for the sale of elec-
tric energy by such Federal agency for resale which is en-
tered into after the date of the enactment of this Act may 
contain any provision which will have the effect of pre-
venting the implementation of any rule under this section 
with respect to such utility. Any provision in any such con-
tract which has such effect shall be null and void.’’. 
(b) ELECTRIC
UTILITIES
NOT
REGULATED
BY 
FERC.—Section 113 of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 is amended as follows: 
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(1) By adding the following new paragraph at 
the end of subsection (b): 
‘‘(7) STANDARD CONTRACTS FOR POWER PUR-
CHASES FROM RENEWABLE ENERGY FACILITIES.— 
Each electric utility shall purchase electric energy 
from renewable energy facilities (as defined in the 
Federal Power Act) under standard contracts for a 
20-year period with rates that are the same as in 
the case of purchases of electric energy under con-
tracts under section 210B of the Federal Power Act 
by public utilities subject to the jurisdiction of the 
Commission under that Act.’’. 
(2) By adding the following at the end of sub-
section (a): ‘‘For purposes of applying this section in 
the case of the standard under paragraph (7) of sub-
section (b), in lieu of the two-year period referred to 
in this section there shall be substituted a period of 
one year after the date on which a rule is prescribed 
or revised by the Commission under section 210B of 
the Federal Power Act.’’. 
SEC. 203. REGIONAL COST SHARING MECHANISM. 
Part II of the Federal Power Act is amended by add-
ing the following new section at the end thereof: 
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‘‘SEC. 225. REGIONAL COST SHARING MECHANISM. 
‘‘(a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to fi-
nance the power purchase agreements under the regula-
tions under section 210B (and under the corresponding 
standard required by section 113(b)(7) of the Public Util-
ity Regulatory Policies Act of 1978) and interconnection 
and network upgrades referred to in section 210A (and 
under the corresponding standard under section 113(b)(6) 
of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978) by 
creating a cost sharing mechanism that equally distributes 
additional costs of compliance with the Renewable Energy 
Jobs and Security Act to electricity customers on a re-
gional basis. 
‘‘(b) COST SHARING.—Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Commission shall, in 
consultation with State regulatory authorities and non-
regulated utilities, design a regional cost redistribution 
mechanism that shall consist of a nonbypassable system 
benefits charge payable by every end-use consumer of an 
electric utility to the electric utility. Revenue from such 
charge shall be transferred to a national renewable energy 
corporation to be referred to as the ‘RenewCorps’ to be 
established by such utilities and approved by the Commis-
sion for purposes of this section. The Commission shall 
design a system benefits charge, determine the amount of 
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such charge, and establish a cost distribution mechanism 
so as to achieve each of the following: 
‘‘(1) Full reimbursement to electric utilities and 
transmitting utilities for the costs associated with 
network upgrades and interconnection (including the 
carrying costs of capital while awaiting reimburse-
ment) carried out in accordance with the standards 
under section 210A and section 113(b)(6) of the 
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 and 
for the additional costs of the power purchase re-
quirements of section 210B and section 113(b)(7) of 
the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978. 
‘‘(2) Ensure that systems benefits charges are 
based on energy usage. 
‘‘(3) Ensure that monthly charges shall apply 
to customers according to projected program costs. 
‘‘(c) COMPLIANCE WITH ACCOUNTING RULES.— 
RenewCorps shall comply with such accounting rules and 
other rules as may be established by the Commission. 
‘‘(d) REGIONAL DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS.— 
‘‘(1) REIMBURSEMENT.—Funds received by 
RenewCorps from the systems benefits charge under 
this section shall be disbursed to electric utilities and 
transmitting utilities to provide reimbursement for— 
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‘‘(A) the costs associated with network up-
grades interconnection carried out in accord-
ance with the standards under section 210A 
and section 113(b)(6) of the Public Utility Reg-
ulatory Policies Act of 1978; 
‘‘(B) the additional costs of the power pur-
chase requirements of section 210 B and sec-
tion 113(b)(7) of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 to reimburse such utilities 
for the full additional cost of such power pur-
chase agreements (as adjusted under paragraph 
(3)). 
‘‘(2) QUARTERLY DISBURSEMENT.—Funds re-
ceived by RenewCorps from the systems benefits 
charge under this section shall be disbursed on a 
quarterly basis. The Renew Corps shall distribute 
such revenue to electric utilities within each region 
of the North American Electric Reliability Corpora-
tion (NERC) in the United States in proportion to 
the revenue raised within each such region. 
‘‘(3) AVOID DOUBLE COST RECOVERY.—Reim-
bursements from RenewCorps to electric utilities and 
transmitting utilities for costs associated with com-
pliance with the Renewable Energy Jobs and Secu-
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rity Act may not also be eligible for recovery by any 
other means.’’. 
SEC. 204. CONSISTENCY WITH ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS. 
Nothing in this Act shall be deemed to waive any ex-
isting Federal or State environmental protection provision, 
including the requirements of any of the following: 
(1) The National Forest Management Act of 
1976 (16 U.S.C. 472a et seq.). 
(2) The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 
(3) The National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4231 et seq.). 
(4) The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 
1969 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.). 
(5) The Federal Land Policy and Management 
Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.). 
Æ 
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