To establish research, development, demonstration, and commercial application programs for marine renewable energy technologies.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Marine Renewable Energy Research and 
Development Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States has a critical national interest in 
        developing clean, domestic, renewable sources of energy in 
        order to reduce environmental impacts of energy production, 
        increase national security, improve public health, and bolster 
        economic stability.
            (2) Marine renewable energy technologies are a nonemitting 
        source of power production.
            (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 Scotland.
            (5) Recent studies from the Electric Power Research 
        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 and tidal resources to be harnessed by marine power 
        technologies.
            (6) Sustained and expanded research, development, 
        demonstration, and commercial application programs are needed 
        to locate and characterize marine renewable energy resources, 
        and to develop the technologies that will enable their 
        widespread commercial development.
            (7) Federal support is critical to reduce the financial 
        risk associated with developing new marine renewable energy 
        technologies, thereby encouraging the private sector investment 
        necessary to make marine renewable energy resources 
        commercially viable as a source of electric power and for other 
        applications.

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 DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, in conjunction with other 
appropriate agencies, shall support programs of research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application to expand marine renewable 
energy production, including programs to--
            (1) study and compare existing marine renewable energy 
        extraction technologies;
            (2) research, develop, and demonstrate advanced marine 
        renewable energy systems and technologies;
            (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 modeling for 
        optimization of marine energy conversion devices and arrays;
            (7) increase the reliability and survivability of marine 
        renewable energy technologies, including development of 
        corrosive-resistant materials;
            (8) study, in conjunction with the Assistant Administrator 
        for Research and Development of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency, the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and 
        Atmosphere, and other Federal agencies as appropriate, the 
        environmental impacts of marine renewable energy technologies 
        and ways to address adverse impacts, and provide public 
        information concerning technologies and other means available 
        for monitoring and determining environmental impacts;
            (9) establish protocols, in conjunction with the National 
        Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, for how the ocean 
        community may best interact with marine renewable energy 
        devices;
            (10) develop power measurement standards for marine 
        renewable energy;
            (11) develop identification standards for marine renewable 
        energy devices;
            (12) address standards development, demonstration, and 
        technology transfer for advanced systems engineering and system 
        integration methods to identify critical interfaces; and
            (13) utilize marine resources in the Gulf of Mexico, the 
        Atlantic Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.
    (b) Siting Criteria.--The Secretary, in conjunction with other 
appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop, prior to installation of 
any technologies under this section, siting criteria for marine 
renewable energy generation demonstration and commercial application 
projects funded under this Act.

SEC. 5. NATIONAL MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND 
              DEMONSTRATION 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 Marine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and 
Demonstration Centers. In selecting locations for Centers, the 
Secretary shall consider sites that meet one of the following criteria:
            (1) Hosts an existing marine renewable energy research and 
        development program in coordination with a public university 
        engineering program.
            (2) Has proven expertise to support environmental and 
        policy-related issues associated with harnessing of energy in 
        the marine environment.
            (3) Has access to and utilizes the marine resources in the 
        Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, or the Pacific Ocean.
The Secretary may give special consideration to historically black 
colleges and universities and land grant universities that also meet 
one of these criteria. In establishing criteria for the selection of 
Centers, the Secretary shall coordinate with the Undersecretary of 
Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere on the criteria related to advancing 
wave forecasting technologies, studying the compatibility with the 
environment of marine renewable energy technologies and systems, and 
establishing protocols for how the ocean community best interacts with 
marine renewable energy devices and parks.
    (b) Purposes.--The Centers shall advance research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application of marine renewable energy 
through a number of initiatives including for the purposes described in 
section 4(1) through (13), and shall serve as an information 
clearinghouse for the marine renewable energy industry, collecting and 
disseminating information on best practices in all areas related to 
developing and managing enhanced marine renewable energy systems 
resources.
    (c) Demonstration of Need.--When applying for a grant under this 
section, an applicant shall include a description of why Federal 
support is necessary for the Center, including evidence that the 
research of the Center will not be conducted in the absence of Federal 
support.

SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed as waiving the applicability 
of any requirement under any environmental or other Federal or State 
law.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry 
out this Act $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 
2012, except that no funds shall be appropriated under this section for 
activities that are receiving funds under section 931(a)(2)(E)(i) of 
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16231(a)(2)(E)(i)).

Summary: Marine Renewable Energy Research and Development Act of 2007 - Instructs the Secretary of Energy to support research and demonstration programs to expand marine renewable energy production, including: (1) study and comparison of existing marine renewable energy extraction technologies; (2) investigation of utility grid and intermittency issues; (3) increased survivability of marine renewable energy extraction technologies, including development of corrosive-resistant materials; (4) a study of environmental impacts of such technologies and ways to address adverse impacts; and (5) establishment of protocols, in conjunction with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), for how the ocean community may best interact with marine renewable energy devices.

Directs the Secretary to develop siting criteria for marine renewable energy generation projects prior to installation of such technologies.

Directs the Secretary to award grants to institutions of higher education (or consortia of them) to establish National Marine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Centers to serve as information clearinghouses for the marine renewable energy industry, collecting and disseminating information on best practices related to developing and managing enhanced marine renewable energy systems resources.

Authorizes the Secretary to give special consideration to historically black colleges and universities and land grant universities that meet prescribed criteria.



Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2012, excluding certain ocean energy programs already receiving funds under the Energy Policy Act of 2005.