National Institutes of Clean Energy Act of 2021
Bill: S.1921 | Sponsor: Sen. Warren, Elizabeth (D-MA)
Policy area: Energy

Summary:
National Institutes of Clean Energy Act of 2021
This bill establishes the National Institutes of Clean Energy within the Department of Energy. The institute must invest in clean energy science, climate science, innovation, and research and development to reduce emissions and build climate resilience. In addition, the institute must support (1) clean energy research areas; (2) research and development projects focusing on the impacts of energy production in certain communities that have been disproportionately impacted by environmental injustices; and (3) research and development projects focused on impacts of clean energy and energy production on job loss, job creation, and workforce development, particularly in heavily unionized workforce sectors.

To establish the National Institutes of Clean Energy.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``National Institutes of Clean Energy 
Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF CLEAN ENERGY.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Advanced energy technology.--The term ``advanced energy 
        technology'' means a technology that--
                    (A) reduces greenhouse gas emissions with high 
                conversion efficiency;
                    (B) minimizes energy, water, and material resource 
                use;
                    (C) was produced by or helps generate a renewable 
                energy source; and
                    (D) minimizes environmental harms to or negative 
                public health impacts on frontline, vulnerable, and 
                disadvantaged communities.
            (2) Frontline, vulnerable, and disadvantaged community.--
        The term ``frontline, vulnerable, and disadvantaged community'' 
        means a community--
                    (A) in an area described in section 301(a) of the 
                Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (42 
                U.S.C. 3161(a)); and
                    (B) in which climate change, pollution, or 
                environmental destruction have exacerbated systemic 
                racial, regional, social, environmental, gender, and 
                economic injustices by disproportionately affecting 
                Black, Brown, and Indigenous peoples, other communities 
                of color, migrant communities, deindustrialized 
                communities, depopulated rural communities, the poor, 
                low-income workers, women, the elderly, the unhoused, 
                people with disabilities, or youth.
            (3) Institutes.--The term ``Institutes'' means the National 
        Institutes of Clean Energy established under subsection (b).
            (4) Land-grant college or university.--The term ``land-
        grant college or university'' means--
                    (A) an institution that is eligible to receive 
                funds under the Act of July 2, 1862 (commonly known as 
                the ``First Morrill Act'') (12 Stat. 503, chapter 130; 
                7 U.S.C. 301 et seq.) or the Act of August 30, 1890 
                (commonly known as the ``Second Morrill Act'') (26 
                Stat. 417, chapter 841; 7 U.S.C. 321 et seq.), 
                including Tuskegee University; and
                    (B) a 1994 Institution (as defined in section 532 
                of the Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 
                1994 (7 U.S.C. 301 note; Public Law 103-382)).
            (5) Minority-serving institution.--The term ``minority-
        serving institution'' means an institution of higher education 
        described in section 371(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 
        (20 U.S.C. 1067q(a)).
            (6) Renewable energy source.--The term ``renewable energy 
        source'' means energy generated from a renewable source, 
        including the following renewable energy sources:
                    (A) Solar, including electricity.
                    (B) Wind.
                    (C) Ocean, including tidal, wave, current, and 
                thermal.
                    (D) Geothermal, including electricity and heat 
                pumps.
                    (E) Hydroelectric generation capacity achieved from 
                increased efficiency or additions of new capacity at an 
                existing hydroelectric project that was placed in 
                service on or after January 1, 1999.
                    (F) Hydrogen derived from a renewable energy 
                source.
                    (G) Thermal energy generated by any of the sources 
                described in subparagraphs (A) through (F).
    (b) Establishment.--Not later than January 1, 2025, there shall be 
established the National Institutes of Clean Energy, which shall be an 
agency of the Department of Energy.
    (c) Activities.--
            (1) In general.--The Institutes shall--
                    (A) invest in clean energy science, climate 
                science, innovation, and research and development to 
                reduce emissions and build climate resilience; and
                    (B) support--
                            (i) clean energy research areas, 
                        including--
                                    (I) demonstration projects for 
                                clean energy and climate research and 
                                development priorities, including 
                                microgrids, energy storage, electric 
                                vehicles, and advanced energy 
                                technologies in hard-to-decarbonize 
                                sectors, such as the aviation and 
                                shipping sectors; and
                                    (II) clean energy research areas 
                                that are underrepresented in existing 
                                Federal research and development 
                                funding, such as long-duration grid 
                                storage;
                            (ii) research and development projects 
                        focusing on the impacts of energy production in 
                        frontline communities, including communities of 
                        color and low-income communities, that have 
                        been disproportionately impacted by 
                        environmental injustices; and
                            (iii) research and development projects 
                        focused on impacts of clean energy and energy 
                        production on job loss, job creation, and 
                        workforce development, particularly in heavily 
                        unionized workforce sectors.
            (2) Priority.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the 
        Institutes shall give priority to--
                    (A) the development of technologies that will--
                            (i) minimize environmental harms to or 
                        negative public health impacts on frontline, 
                        vulnerable, and disadvantaged communities;
                            (ii) improve the public health of 
                        frontline, vulnerable, and disadvantaged 
                        communities; or
                            (iii) create high-quality jobs with strong 
                        labor standards in frontline, vulnerable, and 
                        disadvantaged communities;
                    (B) research and development of advanced energy 
                technologies;
                    (C) climate science and innovation and clean energy 
                technology;
                    (D) research and development that will be conducted 
                at--
                            (i) public universities and colleges;
                            (ii) land-grant colleges and universities;
                            (iii) minority-serving institutions, 
                        including historically Black colleges and 
                        universities; and
                            (iv) consortia comprising 1 or more of the 
                        entities described in clauses (i) through 
                        (iii); and
                    (E) research and development in geographic areas 
                that have seen the worst job losses between 2016 and 
                2021, including rural areas and areas impacted by 
                deindustrialization.
    (d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated $400,000,000,000 for the period of fiscal years 2022 
through 2031 to establish and operate the Institutes.
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