American Energy Opportunity Act of 2014

Bill: 113-hr-4956
Sponsor: Rep. Walz, Timothy J. [D-MN-1]
Introduced: 2014-06-24 in the House
Policy area: Energy
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Advanced technology and technological innovations
Air quality
Alternative and renewable resources
Aquaculture
Building construction
Business investment and capital
Buy American requirements
Coal
Department of the Interior
District of Columbia
Ecology
Electric power generation and transmission
Energy efficiency and conservation
Energy research
Energy revenues and royalties
Energy storage, supplies, demand
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Environmental assessment, monitoring, research
Environmental technology
Federal appellate courts
Government buildings, facilities, and property
Government lending and loan guarantees
Government studies and investigations
Government trust funds
Gulf of Mexico
Hybrid, electric, and advanced technology vehicles
Income tax credits
Income tax deductions
Industrial facilities
Infrastructure development
Intergovernmental relations
International organizations and cooperation
Judicial review and appeals
Jurisdiction and venue
Legal fees and court costs
Licensing and registrations
Lighting, heating, cooling
Marine and coastal resources, fisheries
Military operations and strategy
Motor fuels
Nuclear power
Oil and gas
Pipelines
Postal service
Public transit
Railroads
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Roads and highways
Securities
State and local finance
State and local government operations
Strategic materials and reserves
Water quality
Water resources funding

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: 
American Energy Opportunity Act of 2014 - Deems the Draft Proposed Outer Continental Shelf Oil and Gas Leasing Program 2010-2015 issued by the Secretary of the Interior to be approved as a final oil and gas leasing program under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act. Deems the Secretary to have issued a final environmental impact statement for the Program under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969. 
 
Directs the Secretary to:
 
 
conduct a lease sale in each outer Continental Shelf (OCS) planning area for which there is a commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas production leases;
 
prepare an inventory of U.S. offshore energy resources; and
 
promulgate regulations concerning the production of oil or gas resources of the OCS, including regulating the installation of surface facilities, mitigating the impact of such facilities on coastal vistas, and allowing onshore facilities to draw upon such resources that are within 10 miles of shore.
 
 
Extends from three geographical miles to nine nautical miles a coastal state's allowable seaward boundary.
 
Repeals the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in: (1) any area east of the Military Mission Line in the Gulf of Mexico, (2) any area in the Eastern Planning Area that is within 125 miles of the Florida coastline, and (3) specified areas within the Central Planning Area and within 100 miles of the Florida coastline. 
 
Requires the Secretary of the Interior to issue a final leasing plan for the Eastern Gulf of Mexico for all areas where there exists commercial interest in purchasing federal oil and gas leases for production.
 
Specifies revenue sharing percentages for sums received from leasing offshore pursuant to this Act, including 30% for producing states.
 
Authorizes the President authority to waive requirements relating to the approval of oil and natural gas activity deemed to be important to national interests.
 
Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) revise the definition of "renewable biomass" to include trees, tree residue, and slash and pre-commercial thinnings that are from forestlands on public lands; and (2) require new source review regulations relating to the construction of a new source or the modification of an existing source to provide that routine maintenance and repair do not constitute a modification of an existing source.
 
Requires the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to:
 
 
implement a grant and loan program for the construction or modernization of coal fired generation units to enable use of technology to reduce greenhouse gases,
 
publish a plan to exchange a specified amount of light grade petroleum from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve for heavy grade petroleum plus additional cash bonus bids that reflect the difference in market value; and
 
set aside net proceeds from such exchange for the Energy Independence and Security Fund (established by this Act). 
 
 
Prescribes Energy Independence and Security Fund allocations to the Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund, specified Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy accounts, the Weatherization Assistance Program, specified Fossil Energy Research and Development accounts, the Basic Energy Sciences account.
 
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to:
 
 
extend through 2019 tax credits for energy conservation and production, including credits for producing electricity from renewable resources, alternative fuel vehicles and refueling property expenditures, residential energy efficiency and solar energy and fuel cell property expenditures, and biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel;
 
extend through 2018 the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings;
 
increase the limitation on the issuance of new clean renewable energy bonds;
 
allow an additional tax deduction for the cost of installing mechanical insulation property;
 
extend through 2019 the tax credit for fuel cell motor vehicles, advanced lean burn technology motor vehicles, hybrid motor vehicles, alternative fuel motor vehicles, and plug-in conversions;
 
repeal the limitation on the number of hybrid and advanced lean-burn technology vehicles eligible for such credit;
 
extend through 2019 the tax credit for plug-in electric drive motor vehicles;
 
allow a new tax credit for the purchase of a motor vehicle identified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as the most efficient vehicle in its class; and
 
allow an excise tax credit through 2019 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas. 
 
 
Prescribes requirements for the use of electric drive vehicles and alternative fuel motor vehicles. Requires that at least 10% of the federal fleet be plug-in electric drive vehicles by FY2014, with such percentage increasing by at least 2% (up to 50%) each fiscal year. Directs DOE to: (1) provide grants to assist local governments in the installation of recharging facilities for electric drive vehicles, and (2) guarantee loans for any purchaser of at least 5,000 battery systems that use advanced battery technology.
 
Includes innovative low-carbon technology projects as projects eligible for loan guarantees made by DOE for innovative technologies.
 
Requires programs or directives established by this Act concerning increasing diversification and efficiency of transportation and electric systems, but not extensions of tax credits, to be offset with funds in the Carbon Free Reserve.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-11-17
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Training.
action_date: 2014-07-21
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial And Antitrust Law.
action_date: 2014-07-15
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy.
action_date: 2014-07-08
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
action_date: 2014-06-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
action_date: 2014-06-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
action_date: 2014-06-25
text: Referred to the Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, and in addition to the Committees on Ways and Means, the Judiciary, Energy and Commerce, Transportation and Infrastructure, Science, Space, and Technology, Oversight and Government Reform, the Budget, Rules, and Education and the Workforce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Introduced in House
action_date: 2014-06-24
text: Introduced in House