jiayi-li23/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-22 00:00:00

Marine and Hydrokinetic Renewable Energy Act of 2015

This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to revise and reauthorize through FY2019 the program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application to accelerate the introduction of marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy production. The program must give priority to fostering accelerated research, development, and commercialization of technology.

The meaning of "marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy" is expanded to include all forms of energy, not just electricity, from: (1) waves, tides, and currents in oceans, estuaries, and tidal areas; (2) free flowing water in rivers, lakes, and streams; (3) free flowing water in man-made channels; and (4) differentials in ocean temperature (ocean thermal energy conversion).

National Marine Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Centers must support in-water testing and demonstration of marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy technologies, including facilities capable of testing: (1) marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy systems of various technology readiness levels and scales, (2) a variety of technologies in multiple test berths at a single location, and (3) arrays of technology devices.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-30 00:00:00

Geothermal Exploration and Technology Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a direct loan program for high risk geothermal exploration wells, and gives preference to loans to carry out projects that are likely to lead to successful new geothermal development leading to electricity production. Data from exploratory wells must be provided to DOE and the Department of the Interior for use in mapping national geothermal resources and other uses. DOE must determine the number of wells for each selected geothermal project for which a loan may be made.

The Geothermal Investment Fund is established to carry out the program. Amounts repaid on loans must be deposited in the Fund.

The bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require DOE to establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy. In carrying out the program, DOE must identify and mitigate potential environmental impacts. DOE must make grants to promote the development of geothermal heat pumps and the direct use of geothermal energy, giving priority to proposals that apply to large buildings, commercial districts, and residential communities.

The bill amends the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970 to allow the holder of an oil and gas lease of public land to also lease the land for the production of geothermal energy if: (1) the holder of the oil and gas lease has an approved drilling permit, (2) the geothermal energy will be produced from a well producing or capable of producing oil and gas, (3) the geothermal lease would serve the public interest, and (4) oil and gas production is currently occurring under the existing lease.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-05 00:00:00

This bill allows federal agencies to: (1) construct, operate, and maintain alternative fuel infrastructure on their property; and (2) provide alternative fuel on a reimbursable basis on their property for use by privately-owned vehicles used by federal employees, members of a uniformed service, contractors, or a visitor to a federal agency or facility (covered individuals).

Agencies: (1) cannot provide compensation, benefits, or any other payment to covered individuals for purchasing alternative fuel; and (2) must charge fees for alternative fuel provided that are sufficient to cover the costs of only the alternative fuel.

After collected fees or commissions are put into the appropriate account in the Treasury, they will be available to the agency that collected them during the fiscal year the fees or commissions were collected and the following fiscal year.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

Methane Hydrate Research and Development Amendments Act of 2015

This bill amends the Methane Hydrate Research and Development Act of 2000 to revise and reauthorize the Department of Energy's (DOE) program of methane hydrate research and development.

In carrying out the program, DOE may award grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative agreements with, institutions that: (1) drill a test well and perform a long-term hydrate production test on land in the U.S. Arctic region within 4 years, (2) drill a test well and perform a long-term hydrate production test in a marine environment within 10 years, or (3) drill a full-scale production test well at a location to be determined by DOE.

 DOE must conduct a long-term environmental monitoring program to study the effects of production from methane hydrate reservoirs.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

This bill requires the Department of Energy to develop an implementation strategy to promote the development of hybrid micro-grid systems for isolated communities, particularly communities exposed to extreme weather conditions and high costs of energy, including electricity, space heating and cooling, and transportation.

A hybrid micro-grid system is a stand-alone electrical system composed of conventional generation and at least one alternative energy resource.

Mandatory considerations in developing the strategy include:

 the potential for renewable resources, including wind, solar, and hydropower, to be integrated into a hybrid micro-grid system; the capacity of the local workforce to operate, maintain, and repair a hybrid micro-grid system; and the need for basic infrastructure to develop, deploy, and sustain a hybrid micro-grid system.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-07 00:00:00

Advancing Grid Storage Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish certain energy storage programs.

The bill establishes a program for the research of energy storage systems within DOE's Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy.

DOE must establish a loan program to provide loans to states and other government entities, educational institutions, and electric utilities for: (1) the demonstration and deployment of energy storage systems in a specific project, and (2) programs to finance the demonstration and deployment of multiple energy storage systems through a financial assistance program. Loans may only be used to fund programs relating to the demonstration and deployment of energy storage systems in households, businesses, and communities.

DOE must establish a technical assistance and grant program to: (1) disseminate information and provide technical assistance directly to nonprofit or for-profit entities so those entities can identify, evaluate, plan, and design energy storage systems; and (2) make grants to such entities so that they may contract to obtain technical assistance to identify, evaluate, plan, and design energy storage systems.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
Date: 2015-05-07 00:00:00

Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Act of 2015

 This bill requires the Department of Commerce to: (1) establish a Clean Energy Technology Manufacturing and Export Assistance Fund to ensure that U.S. clean energy technology firms have the information and assistance they need to be competitive and to create clean energy technology sector jobs; and (2) administer the Fund to promote policies that will reduce production costs and encourage innovation, investment, and productivity in the clean energy technology sector, and implement a national clean energy technology export strategy. The Fund must be administered through the International Trade Administration.

Clean energy technology includes technology related to the production, use, transmission, storage, control, or conservation of energy that will contribute to a stabilization of atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations through reduction, avoidance, or sequestration of energy-related emissions and that will: (1) reduce the need for additional energy supplies by using existing supplies with greater efficiency or by transmitting, distributing, or transporting energy with greater effectiveness through U.S. infrastructure; or (2) diversify the sources of the energy supply to strengthen energy security and to increase supplies with a favorable balance of environmental effects if the entire technology system is considered.

Commerce must provide information, tools, and other assistance to U.S. businesses to promote clean energy technology manufacturing and facilitate the export of clean energy technology products and services. This assistance must be consistent with the National Export Initiative.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-11 00:00:00

Renewable Electricity Standard Act 

 Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require a retail electric supplier to submit to the Department of Energy (DOE) for 2015 and thereafter one or more of the following: (1) specified federal renewable energy credits, (2) certification of the renewable energy generated and electricity savings, and (3) specified alternative compliance payments. Prescribes, for 2015 through 2039, a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a retail electric supplier's base amount that shall be generated from renewable energy resources (increasing from 7.5% in 2015 to 30% in 2030).

Directs DOE to establish a program to: (1) verify and issue federal renewable energy credits to generators of renewable energy; (2) track the sale, exchange, and retirement of the credits; and (3) enforce the federal renewable energy credits program.

Directs DOE to issue a generator of electric energy one federal renewable energy credit for each kilowatt hour of electric energy generated by the use of a renewable energy resource at an eligible facility.

Prescribes rules for federal renewable energy credit trading and for borrowing and repayment of federal renewable energy credits.

Provides that this Act does not diminish the authority of a state or its political subdivision to: (1) adopt or enforce any law (including regulations) respecting renewable energy, or (2) regulate the acquisition and disposition of federal renewable energy credits by retail electric suppliers.

Permits an electric utility that has sales of electric energy subject to rate regulation to recover the full cost of renewable energy obtained to comply with this Act.

Establishes in the Treasury a state renewable energy account for a grant program for promoting renewable energy production and providing energy assistance and weatherization services to low-income consumers.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-12 00:00:00

Bioenergy Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish a working group known as the Bioheat and Biopower Initiative to: coordinate research and development relating to biopower and bioheat projects, provide recommendations to USDA and DOE regarding the implementation of this bill, and ensure that grants are awarded using an open and competitive process.

Bioheat is the use of woody biomass to generate heat, and biopower is the use of woody biomass to generate electricity.

DOE must establish: (1) a grant program for projects to support innovation and market development in bioheat and biopower, and (2) working groups to share best practices and collaborate in project implementation.

The Forest Service must establish a grant program to support commercially demonstrated thermally led wood energy technologies. Priority is given to projects proposed by State Wood Energy Teams, which are groups of stakeholders that identify sustainable energy applications for woody biomass.

The bill requires USDA to establish a loan program to support construction of thermally led residential, commercial or institutional, and industrial wood energy systems. The bill also makes these projects eligible for loans under USDA's energy efficiency and conservation loan program.

DOE and the Forest Service must establish a bioheat and biopower research program to advance research on the costs and benefits, recommend policies and investments, assess the feasibility of thermally led district wood energy opportunities, and assist communities pursuing thermally led wood energy opportunities.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Public lands and natural resources
Date: 2015-05-20 00:00:00

Public Land Renewable Energy Development Act of 2015

Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to extend through FY2020 the authorization for deposit and use of lease revenues under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970. Makes such funds available to the Department of the Interior for FY2015 and afterwards to implement both the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970.

Directs the Bureau of Land Management to establish priority and variance areas on covered land for geothermal, solar, and wind energy projects.

Requires Interior to establish a program to improve federal permit coordination with respect to renewable energy projects carried out on public land administered by Interior and not excluded from the development of geothermal, solar, or wind energy (covered land).

Defines "variance area" as covered land that is neither an exclusion area (not suitable for development of renewable energy projects) nor a priority area.

Establishes in the Treasury the Renewable Energy Resource Conservation Fund, to be available in regions affected by the development of wind or solar energy on federal land for: (1) protecting and restoring important fish and wildlife habitat; and (2) ensuring and improving right-of-way access to federal land and water in the impacted region for fishing, hunting, and other forms of outdoor recreation.

Requires the Department of Agriculture as well as Interior to determine the feasibility of carrying out a conservation banking program on federal land.

Denies the rental fee exemption for rights-of-way under the Federal Land Policy and Management Act to wind or solar generation projects with a capacity of 20 megawatts or more that are issued a lease, right-of-way, permit, or other authorization.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-21 00:00:00

Energy Storage Promotion and Deployment Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to establish national energy storage standards for certain electric power suppliers (utilities) that sell at least 500,000 megawatt hours of electric energy annually. Each supplier must have energy storage devices that have the capacity to provide at least 1% of its annual average peak power demand by 2021 and 2% by 2025. Suppliers must also meet a secondary standard.

Energy storage devices include those used to store energy using pumped hydropower, compressed air, batteries or other electrochemical forms, thermal forms, flywheels, capacitors, and superconducting magnets.

The standards do not apply to rural electric cooperatives or government-owned suppliers.

An energy storage device placed in operation before January 1, 2009, may not be used to achieve compliance with the standards.

The Department of Energy may provide one-year waivers from the deadlines if achieving the standard by the deadline would present undue hardship to the supplier or its ratepayers.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-06-02 00:00:00

Water Efficiency Innovation Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its Industrial Assessment Centers program to: (1) provide assessment services to water and wastewater treatment facilities comparable to those for other energy efficiency improvements, and (2) equip the centers with the training and tools necessary to provide technical assistance on energy savings to those facilities.

A center is located at an institution of higher education that: (1) receives funding from DOE; (2) provides an in-depth assessment of small- and medium-sized manufacturer plant sites to evaluate the facilities, services, and manufacturing operations of the plant sites; and (3) identifies opportunities for potential savings for those sites from energy efficiency improvements, waste minimization, pollution prevention, and productivity improvement.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Transportation and public works
Date: 2015-06-16 00:00:00

Clean Vehicle Corridors Act 

 Requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to:

 designate at least five Clean Vehicle Corridors along federal highways, interstates, or other contiguous highways after consulting with specified agencies; and encourage the addition of cleaner alternative fuel options and other supporting infrastructure along the corridors and the inclusion of existing and private facilities in the corridor. Defines "cleaner alternative fuels" to include:

 compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas (also known as propane), plug-in electric, advanced biofuels, and hydrogen. Authorizes DOT to provide waivers of statutory restrictions for cleaner alternative fuel projects and vehicles along Clean Vehicle Corridors.

Requires DOT to: maintain a publicly accessible website containing information and resources for corridors; identify best practices and case studies of communities and complementary programs that have successfully promoted cleaner alternative fuel use in consultation with federal agencies, tribes, states, and Clean Cities; identify existing technical and financial mechanisms available to promote the development of cleaner alternative fuel infrastructure; and collaborate with the Department of Energy (DOE) and all relevant Clean Vehicle Corridor stakeholders to collect data on cleaner alternative fueling station usage patterns. Authorizes: two or more contiguous states to enter into an interstate compact to establish Clean Vehicle Corridor partnerships to facilitate planning for and siting of necessary facilities within those states; and DOT, in consultation with DOE, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Interior, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to provide technical assistance to interstate compact partnerships.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-07-07 00:00:00

Low-Income Solar Act

This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a loan and grant program for photovoltaic solar (a method of converting energy from the sun into electricity) installations in low-income and underserved areas for FY2016-FY2030.

Loans must be provided for: (1) community solar facilities that provide solar energy to low-income households, or (2) solar installations at federally subsidized affordable housing at multi-family complexes.

The community solar facilities must: (1) be owned by an organization of electricity consumers that own a share of the facility's solar electricity generation, (2) have a certain a nameplate rating (or power generation capacity), (3) be located in or near a community that uses the electricity generated by the facility, and (4) reserve at least 25% of the electricity generated for low-income households.

Grants must be given for: (1) solar electricity generating facilities installed on properties of eligible, low-income home owners; or (2) new solar projects for low-income households and individuals, including the costs of equipment and job training associated with solar projects.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-07-09 00:00:00

Promoting Renewable Energy with Shared Solar Act of 2015

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require an electric utility, upon the request of an electric consumer, to make available to the consumer interconnection service and net billing service for a solar photovoltaic system allocating electricity to multiple individual electric consumers of the utility and meeting other specified characteristics (community solar facility).

Each state regulatory authority and each nonregulated utility must, within specified time limitations, commence consideration of and finally determine ratemaking standards.

The bill makes conforming technical amendments to the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

Certain ratemaking time limitations set out in PURPA, and requirements in case of a failure to comply with them, shall not apply in the case of any electric utility in a state if before enactment of this Act:

 the state has implemented the standard under this Act (or a comparable one) for the electric utility; the state regulatory authority or the relevant nonregulated electric utility has conducted a proceeding to consider implementation of the standard (or a comparable one) for the electric utility; or the state legislature has voted on the implementation of the standard (or a comparable one).
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-07-09 00:00:00

Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Department of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors.

Requires Treasury to review credits allocated under this Act periodically and authorizes Treasury to make additional allocations and reallocations of such credits upon determining that: (1) the limit on the total amount of megawatt capacity for offshore facilities with respect to which credits may be allocated under the program has not been attained, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant for certification will not meet the required timeline.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-10-07 00:00:00

PTC Elimination Act 

This bill repeals the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources (e.g., wind, biomass, trash, geothermal or solar energy facilities). The bill also expresses the sense of Congress that such credit should be allowed to expire and should not be extended.
Topic: Energy — Alternative & Renewable
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-12-03 00:00:00

Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend through March 31, 2016, the income tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel and the excise tax credit for biodiesel fuel mixtures, (2) allow through 2018 a new income and excise tax credit equal to $1.00 for each gallon of biodiesel produced, and (3) provide for an increased credit for small biodiesel producers.