I 
110TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2313 
To establish research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
application programs for marine renewable energy technologies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 15, 2007 
Ms. HOOLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Science and Technology 
A BILL 
To establish research, development, demonstration, and com-
mercial application programs for marine renewable en-
ergy technologies. 
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 ‘‘Marine Renewable En-
ergy Research and Development Act of 2007’’. 
SEC. 2. 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 other environ-
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mental impacts of energy production, increase na-
tional security, improve public health, and bolster 
economic stability. 
(2) Marine renewable energy is a nonpolluting 
energy resource. 
(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, 
have identified an abundance of viable sites within 
the United States with ample wave, tidal, and ther-
mal resources 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. 
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(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. 3. DEFINITIONS. 
For purposes of this Act— 
(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. 
(D) Ocean thermal energy conversion. 
(2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
SEC. 4. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DE-
VELOPMENT. 
The Secretary shall support programs of research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application 
to expand the use of marine renewable energy production 
from marine renewable energy technology systems, includ-
ing programs to— 
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(1) explore 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 device and marine energy conversion device 
array optimization; 
(7) increase the reliability and survivability of 
marine renewable energy facilities; 
(8) study the compatibility with the environ-
ment of marine renewable energy technologies and 
systems; 
(9) establish protocols for how the ocean com-
munity best interacts with marine renewable energy 
devices and parks; 
(10) develop marine renewable energy power 
measurement and identification standards; and 
(11) address standards development, dem-
onstration, and technology transfer for advanced 
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systems engineering and system integration methods 
to identify critical interfaces. 
SEC. 5. 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 choose at least 1 site from among sites 
that host an existing marine renewable energy research 
and development program in coordination with a public 
university engineering program. 
(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 4(1) 
through (11), and shall serve as an information clearing-
house for the marine renewable energy industry, collecting 
and disseminating information on best practices in all 
areas related to developing and managing enhanced ma-
rine renewable energy systems resources. 
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SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS. 
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Sec-
retary to carry out this Act $50,000,000 for each of the 
fiscal years 2008 through 2012. 
Æ 
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