I 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 7237 
To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish an Office of Advanced Clean 
Energy Technologies and manage a network of Regional Energy Innova-
tion and Development Institutes to advance regional decarbonization 
strategies. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 18, 2020 
Ms. BONAMICI 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 direct the Secretary of Energy to establish an Office 
of Advanced Clean Energy Technologies and manage a 
network of Regional Energy Innovation and Development 
Institutes to advance regional decarbonization strategies. 
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 ‘‘Regional Clean Energy 
Innovation Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. OFFICE OF ADVANCED CLEAN TECHNOLOGIES. 
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—The Secretary of Energy 
shall establish an Office of Advanced Clean Energy Tech-
nologies within the Department to manage a network of 
Regional Energy Innovation and Development Institutes 
(in this Act, referred to as ‘‘REIDIs’’) that accelerate 
clean energy innovation in the post-research stage to help 
projects overcome obstacles to deployment and commer-
cialization, connect Federally funded research and devel-
opment with State and regional initiatives, and advance 
decarbonization strategies. 
(b) OFFICE OF ADVANCED CLEAN ENERGY TECH-
NOLOGIES.—The purpose of the Office of Advanced Clean 
Energy Technologies shall be to— 
(1) support the creation and development of 
REIDIs and covered entities by providing incentives 
to States, regions, academic institutions, Tribes, 
local governments, and businesses to organize and 
address a specific targeted clean energy technology 
and market intersection; 
(2) leverage existing state, local, regional, Trib-
al, and national initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas 
emissions to help facilitate an effective transition to 
more clean energy technologies, and improve resil-
ience and environmental outcomes, especially for 
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rural and low-income households, communities of 
color, and Tribal communities; 
(3) analyze and establish region-specific path-
ways to decarbonization and net-zero emissions and 
use the REIDIs to advance these goals; 
(4) facilitate development of clean energy tech-
nologies from laboratory research stage to market by 
promoting collaboration and resource sharing among 
REIDIs; 
(5) provide technical assistance to the REIDIs 
and verify quality of projects of REIDIs; 
(6) assist States, regions, Tribes, local govern-
ments, academic institutions, and businesses in ap-
plying for designation as a REIDI; 
(7) share best practices across the REIDIs net-
work; 
(8) support REIDIs in the navigation of regu-
latory processes; 
(9) disseminate Federal funding to REIDIs and 
provide support for operating capabilities; 
(10) support REIDIs that address environ-
mental justice and energy justices issues in geo-
graphically diverse regions, including efforts to im-
prove public health, resilience, and environmental 
outcomes for rural and low-income households, com-
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munities of color, Tribal communities, and commu-
nities that are disproportionately vulnerable to the 
effects of climate change and greenhouse gas emis-
sions; and 
(11) work with other Federal offices and pro-
grams to complement clean energy innovation 
projects and avoid duplication of efforts. 
(c) DIRECTOR.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director of the Office of 
Advanced Clean Energy Technologies shall be ap-
pointed by the President, with the advice and con-
sent of the Senate and shall report to the Secretary. 
(2) BACKGROUND OF DIRECTOR.—The Director 
shall have professional background and experience 
on clean energy challenges specific to regional en-
ergy resources, market needs, and innovation capa-
bilities and have such qualifications to advise the 
Secretary on, and manage research programs ad-
dressing barriers to the development of clean energy 
technologies. 
(3) RESPONSIBILITIES.—The responsibilities of 
the Director shall include— 
(A) assessing existing regional capabilities 
and needs for clean energy technologies; 
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(B) establishing goals for the REIDIs and 
publicizing the goals to relevant local and State 
governments, Tribes, academic institutions, and 
the public and private sectors; 
(C) identifying cost-sharing arrangements 
for REIDIs with State, local, and regional part-
ners; 
(D) reviewing and approving the designa-
tion of covered entities as REIDIs and initia-
tives within the Office, considering an appro-
priate balance of geographical interests, existing 
innovation ecosystems, national laboratories, 
and resources, regional variations in and resil-
ience of energy supply and demand, and capa-
bilities to support job creation; 
(E) developing funding criteria for REIDIs 
and assessing the success of the REIDIs 
through the establishment of technical mile-
stones, including terminating the designation of 
REIDIs that are not achieving the goals of the 
Office; 
(F) establishing and maintaining a staff 
with sufficient qualifications and expertise to 
enable the Office to carry out its responsibilities 
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in conjunction with other operations of the De-
partment; and 
(G) coordinating with other programs and 
laboratories within the Department and other 
Federal research agencies to avoid duplication 
and working together to address dispersed gaps 
in energy innovation and deployment. 
(d) REIDIS.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall establish 
a program to designate, fund, and support REIDIs 
in accordance with this subsection. 
(2) PURPOSE.—The purpose of a REIDIs shall 
be to— 
(A) increase and leverage connectivity of 
existing clean energy research capabilities and 
needs at the regional level to advance mid-stage 
and late-stage innovation; 
(B) support clean energy technology devel-
opment, with a focus on regional resources to 
advance early adoption market connections; 
(C) connect regional market needs and 
innovators to address regional variation in en-
ergy distribution, use, risks, and capabilities; 
(D) support access to technical resources, 
modeling, and test beds through the Office of 
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Advanced Clean Energy Technologies and De-
partment National Laboratories; 
(E) create a regional innovation ecosystem 
through mentorship, business development, edu-
cation, and research and development invest-
ments; 
(F) identify regulatory structures that cre-
ate obstacles for market deployment of clean 
energy technologies; and 
(G) design and implement initiatives to 
stimulate market demand for clean energy tech-
nologies that will substantially contribute to re-
gional net-zero pathways. 
(3) FUNDING.—The Director shall require, as a 
condition of designation of a REIDI and of funding 
under this subsection, that each REIDI shall be 
funded such that not less than 50 percent of Fund-
ing shall come from sources other than the Federal 
government. 
(4) APPLICATIONS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—To apply for designa-
tion as a REIDI, a local, State, or Tribal gov-
ernment in coordination with regional public 
and private partners shall submit an application 
to the Secretary containing a description and 
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plan for the activities to be carried out by the 
REIDI with Federal funds and opportunities 
for regional cost-sharing. Such application shall 
include a description— 
(i) the local or regional partnership 
that will be supported by the REIDI, in-
cluding the lead partners; 
(ii) the clean energy sectors that will 
be served by the REIDI, and a description 
of how such sectors were identified in rela-
tion to regional market needs, and how the 
activities of the REIDI will align with 
State, local, regional, and Tribal policies 
and substantially contribute to regional 
net-zero pathways; 
(iii) the potential of the planned 
REIDI activities to achieve significant re-
ductions in carbon emissions at a declining 
unit cost over time and increase market 
competitiveness of the clean energy tech-
nologies; 
(iv) how the partners in the REIDI 
plan to work to support clean energy 
projects at the post-research stage to help 
reach proof of concept, pilot testing, dem-
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onstration, and commercial readiness to 
address market need in deployment of 
clean energy technologies; 
(v) demonstrated relationships be-
tween research, job creation, and tech-
nology deployment in the clean energy in-
dustry; 
(vi) 
coordination 
with 
nongovern-
mental entities for demonstration of tech-
nologies and research applications; 
(vii) mechanisms for commercial dem-
onstration and application of successful en-
ergy technology development projects, in-
cluding existing partnerships with commer-
cial entities; 
(viii) the services that will be sup-
ported through Federal funds and funding 
sources for equal regional cost sharing; 
(ix) levels of performance with respect 
to the purposes described in section 2(a); 
and 
(x) such other subjects as the Sec-
retary may require. 
(B) REVIEW.—The Secretary shall review 
applications under this paragraph in consulta-
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tion with the Director of the Office of Advanced 
Clean Energy Technologies. 
(e) REPORTS AND EVALUATION.— 
(1) ANNUAL REPORT.—As part of the annual 
budget request submitted for each fiscal year, the 
Director shall provide to the relevant authorizing 
and appropriations committees of Congress a report 
describing projects supported by each REIDI during 
the previous fiscal year. 
(2) STRATEGIC PLAN.—Not later than one year 
after enactment, the Director shall provide to the 
relevant authorizing and appropriations committees 
of Congress a roadmap describing the strategic plan 
that the Office will use to guide the choices of 
REIDI investments for the following five fiscal years 
including how they will contribute to regional net- 
zero pathways. A revised plan shall be submitted at 
least once every 5 years thereafter. Commercial and 
financial information obtained and considered privi-
leged or confidential and not subject to disclosure, 
including: 
(A) Plans for commercialization of tech-
nologies developed by the REIDI, business 
plans, technology-to-market plans, market stud-
ies, and cost and performance models. 
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(B) Investments provided to a REIDI from 
third parties. 
(C) Additional financial support that the 
partner plans to or has invested into the tech-
nology developed under the REIDI or is seeking 
from third parties. 
(D) Revenue from the licensing or sale of 
new products or services resulting from re-
search conducted by the REIDI. 
(f) AUTHORIZATIONS.—There are authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $150,000,000 annu-
ally for fiscal years 2021 through 2025, which shall in-
clude— 
(1) $125,000,000 for grants to REIDIs per 
year; and 
(2) $25,000,000 for administration of the Of-
fice under this section. 
(g) DEFINITIONS.—In this Act: 
(1) DEPARTMENT.—The term ‘‘Department’’ 
means the Department of Energy. 
(2) DIRECTOR.—The term ‘‘Director’’ means 
the Director of the Office of Advanced Clean Energy 
Technologies. 
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(3) OFFICE.—The term ‘‘Office’’ means the Of-
fice of Advanced Clean Energy Technologies estab-
lished under subsection (b). 
(4) REIDIS.—The term ‘‘Regional Energy In-
novation and Development Institute’’ or ‘‘REIDI’’ 
means a partnership between local, State, regional, 
Tribal governments, academic institutions, busi-
nesses, DOE national laboratories, and other clean 
energy entities that the Director designates under 
section 2(d) to advance the development of early- 
stage innovations and support after proof concept to 
help clean energy innovations reach viability for 
commercial demonstration and deployment. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
Æ 
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