I 
112TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 3664 
To provide local communities with tools to make solar permitting more 
efficient, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
DECEMBER 14, 2011 
Mr. BILBRAY (for himself and Mr. COHEN) introduced the following bill; 
which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in 
addition to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, for a pe-
riod to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for con-
sideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the com-
mittee concerned 
A BILL 
To provide local communities with tools to make solar 
permitting more efficient, and for other purposes. 
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 ‘‘Solar Energy Regu-
latory Relief Act of 2011’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
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(1) BEST
PRACTICES
FOR
SOLAR
PERMIT-
TING.—The term ‘‘best practices for solar permit-
ting’’ means 1 or more practices— 
(A) defined by the Secretary by regulation 
as— 
(i) promoting standardization and 
uniformity for local permitting require-
ments for solar energy across jurisdictions; 
and 
(ii)(I) lowering the solar energy sys-
tem installation costs associated with local 
permitting; or 
(II) expediting the local permitting 
process for solar energy; and 
(B) identified by the Secretary through 
consultation with— 
(i) local governments, including each 
local government that participates in the 
Rooftop Solar Challenge or other appro-
priate solar energy program of the Depart-
ment of Energy; and 
(ii) members of the solar energy in-
dustry. 
(2) CHALLENGE GRANT.—The term ‘‘challenge 
grant’’ means a grant awarded under a competitive 
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program to 1 or more applicants that achieve imple-
mentation of best practices for solar permitting. 
(3) COMMITMENT TO ADOPT BEST PRACTICES 
FOR SOLAR PERMITTING.—The term ‘‘commitment 
to adopt best practices for solar permitting’’ means 
an agreement or memorandum of understanding be-
tween the head of a local government and the Sec-
retary that contains— 
(A) an outline of steps that the local gov-
ernment commits to take to adopt best prac-
tices for solar permitting; and 
(B) a timeline for implementation of the 
steps described in subparagraph (A). 
(4) INSTALLED
NAMEPLATE
CAPACITY.—The 
term ‘‘installed nameplate capacity’’ means the max-
imum output of a solar electric system under specific 
conditions designated by the manufacturer of the 
solar electric system. 
(5) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 
the Secretary of Energy. 
(6) SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEM.—The term ‘‘solar 
energy system’’ means rooftop or ground-mounted 
solar equipment— 
(A) that is used to generate electricity or 
heat water in the United States; and 
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(B) with an installed nameplate capacity 
not exceeding 1 megawatt or the thermal equiv-
alent of 1 megawatt. 
SEC. 3. TOOLS FOR EFFICIENT INSTALLATION OF SOLAR 
ENERGY SYSTEMS. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—As soon as practicable after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish 
a program under which the Secretary shall provide com-
petitive grants or challenge grants, or both, to local gov-
ernments or consortia of local governments that have 
adopted or offer a commitment to adopt best practices for 
solar permitting for properties located in the United 
States. 
(b) IMPLEMENTATION.— 
(1) SOLAR
CERTIFICATIONS.—The Secretary 
shall provide voluntary certification and recognition 
for local governments (including local governments 
that receive grants under paragraph (2)) that indi-
cate that the local government has adopted best 
practices for solar permitting. 
(2) COMPETITIVE
GRANTS
AND
CHALLENGE 
GRANTS.— 
(A) IN GENERAL.—For each fiscal year, 
the Secretary shall award competitive grants or 
challenge grants, or both, to local governments 
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and consortia of local governments to be used 
in accordance with this section. 
(B) REQUIREMENTS.—The Secretary shall 
adopt and implement criteria for awarding com-
petitive grants or challenge grants, or both, 
under subparagraph (A) to local governments 
and consortia of local governments— 
(i) to promote greater standardiza-
tion, efficiency, and uniformity for solar 
energy permitting across jurisdictions; and 
(ii) that would— 
(I) require that grant awards are 
provided only to local governments or 
consortia of local governments that 
have— 
(aa) adopted or offer a com-
mitment to adopt best practices 
for solar permitting; and 
(bb) provided quantitative 
metrics to measure success; 
(II) ensure that grants are 
awarded to a diversity of geographic 
locations and recipients with different 
population sizes; and 
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(III) provide a preference for 
grant applicants that have partnered 
with States, public utility commis-
sions, or other stakeholders to adopt 
or enhance standards and policies to 
overcome other barriers to distributed 
generation (including interconnection 
and net metering). 
(3) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS FOR COMPETI-
TIVE GRANTS.—Subject to subsection (c), competi-
tive grants provided under this section may be used 
for— 
(A) training for making, to the maximum 
extent practicable, the local permitting process 
for solar energy systems more standardized, ef-
ficient, and less expensive; 
(B) the development of materials, Internet- 
based tools and application processes, and other 
tools or information to make, to the maximum 
extent practicable, the local permitting process 
for solar energy systems more standardized, ef-
ficient, and less expensive; 
(C) 
solar 
energy 
system 
deployment 
projects or programs to pilot new permitting 
strategies or processes; and 
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(D) other programs or projects to achieve 
the objectives described in subparagraphs (A) 
through (C), as determined by the Secretary. 
(4) AUTHORIZED USE OF FUNDS FOR CHAL-
LENGE
GRANTS.—Subject to subsection (c), chal-
lenge grants provided under this section may be 
used for— 
(A) 
solar 
energy 
system 
deployment 
projects; and 
(B) programs to pilot new permitting 
strategies or processes. 
(c) RESCISSION
FOR NONCOMPLIANCE.—The Sec-
retary shall rescind any amount of grant funds that the 
Secretary considers to be appropriate that is provided to 
any grant recipient that— 
(1) receives funds based on a commitment to 
adopt best practices for solar permitting; but 
(2) is unable to implement the steps necessary 
to adopt the best practices for solar permitting. 
(d) NON-FEDERAL SHARE.—The Secretary shall re-
quire that each entity that receives grant funds under this 
section shall be responsible for a matching amount (in-
cluding in-kind services)— 
(1) established by the Secretary for each fiscal 
year for which funds are authorized; and 
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(2) not to exceed 50 percent of the amount of 
the provided funds. 
(e) ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not more than 5 percent of 
the amounts made available for each fiscal year 
under this section may be used to pay the adminis-
trative expenses of the Department of Energy that 
the Secretary determines to be necessary to carry 
out this Act (including expenses arising from moni-
toring and evaluation). 
(2) GRANT RECIPIENTS.—Grant recipients may 
use not more than 5 percent of the amounts made 
available for each fiscal year under this section to 
pay for administrative expenses. 
(f) COORDINATION; CONSULTATION.—To the max-
imum extent practicable, the Secretary shall consult with 
the Secretary of the Treasury and the Chief Executive of 
each grant recipient that receives funds under this section 
to ensure that each program or project carried out by each 
grant recipient through the use of the funds is coordinated 
with each other applicable incentive or financing program 
of the Federal Government or any other applicable pro-
gram. 
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(g) GOALS.—The goals of the United States, through 
this Act and any additional or existing incentive or re-
search and development program, are— 
(1) to reduce local regulatory burdens and ease 
private investment in small solar technologies; and 
(2) to achieve cost reductions in the price of 
solar energy by December 31, 2020, consistent with 
the SunShot Roof Top Solar Challenge at the De-
partment of Energy. 
(h) REPORTS.— 
(1) REPORT
REGARDING
ADDITIONAL
REC-
OMMENDATIONS.—Not later than 270 days after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate and the Committee on En-
ergy and Commerce of the House of Representatives 
a report that contains additional recommendations 
that the Secretary determines to be necessary to 
achieve each goal described in subsection (g). 
(2) REPORT REGARDING PROGRESS OF GRANT 
RECIPIENTS.—Not later than 2 years after the date 
on which funds are first made available under this 
section, the Secretary shall submit to the appro-
priate committees of Congress a report that contains 
a description of the progress of grant recipients 
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under this section in implementing and maintaining 
best practices for solar permitting. 
(i) FUNDING.— 
(1) IN GENERAL.—Of the amounts authorized 
to be appropriated under section 641(p)(3) of the 
Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (42 
U.S.C. 17231(p)(3)), the Secretary may use to carry 
out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 
2012 through 2016. 
(2) TERMINATION.—Paragraph (1) shall termi-
nate on October 1, 2016. 
Æ 
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