I 
114TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 4206 
To provide for a technology demonstration program related to the 
modernization of the electric grid. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 9, 2015 
Mr. SARBANES (for himself, Mrs. ELLMERS of North Carolina, and Mr. 
MCNERNEY) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology, for a period to be subsequently deter-
mined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions 
as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide for a technology demonstration program related 
to the modernization of the electric grid. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘21st Century Power 
Grid Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION ON THE DISTRIBU-
TION SYSTEM. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Energy shall es-
tablish a financial assistance program to carry out eligible 
projects related to the modernization of the electric grid, 
including the application of technologies to improve ob-
servability, advanced controls, and prediction of system 
performance on the distribution system and related trans-
mission system inter-dependencies. 
(b) ELIGIBLE PROJECTS.—To be eligible for financial 
assistance under subsection (a), a project shall— 
(1) be designed to— 
(A) improve the performance and efficiency 
of the future electric grid, while ensuring the 
continued provision of safe, secure, reliable, and 
affordable power; and 
(B) provide new options for customer- 
owned resources; and 
(2) demonstrate— 
(A) secure integration and management of 
energy resources, including distributed energy 
generation, combined heat and power, micro- 
grids, energy storage, electric vehicles, energy 
efficiency, demand response, and intelligent 
loads; and 
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(B) secure integration and interoperability 
of 
communications 
and 
information 
tech-
nologies; 
(3) include the participation of a partnership 
consisting of two or more entities that— 
(A) may include— 
(i) any institution of higher education; 
(ii) a National Laboratory; 
(iii) a representative of a State or 
local government; 
(iv) a representative of an Indian 
tribe; or 
(v) a Federal power marketing admin-
istration; and 
(B) shall include at least one of any of— 
(i) an investor-owned electric utility; 
(ii) a publicly owned utility; 
(iii) a technology provider; 
(iv) a rural electric cooperative; 
(v) a regional transmission organiza-
tion; or 
(vi) an independent system operator. 
(c) CYBERSECURITY PLAN.—Each eligible project 
carried out pursuant to subsection (a) shall include the 
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development of a cybersecurity plan written in accordance 
with guidelines developed by the Secretary. 
(d) PRIVACY RISK ANALYSIS.—Each eligible project 
carried out pursuant to subsection (a) shall include a pri-
vacy impact assessment that evaluates the project against 
the 5 core concepts in the Voluntary Code of Conduct of 
the Department of Energy, commonly known as the 
‘‘DataGuard Energy Data Privacy Program’’, or the most 
recent revisions to the privacy program of the Depart-
ment. 
Æ 
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