lcalvobartolome/proxann_data huggingface dataset:
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-12 00:00:00

Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act 

Amends the Federal Power Act to authorize the Department of Energy (DOE), with or without notice, hearing, or report, to issue orders for emergency measures to protect the reliability of either the bulk-power system or the defense critical electric infrastructure whenever the President issues a written directive or determination identifying an imminent grid security emergency.

Requires the President to notify specified congressional committees promptly whenever the President issues such a directive.

Instructs DOE, before issuing an order for such emergency measures, to the extent practicable in light of the nature of the grid security emergency and the urgency of the need for action, to consult with governmental authorities in Canada and Mexico, regarding implementation of the emergency measures.

Prescribes: (1) implementation procedures (including expiration and reissuance of emergency orders); and (2) related cost recovery measures affecting owners, operators, or users of the bulk-power system.

Requires DOE, to the extent practicable and consistent with obligations to protect classified information, to provide temporary access to classified information relating to a grid security emergency to key personnel of relevant entities in order to optimize communications between them and federal agencies.

Requires DOE to identify facilities in the U.S. and its territories that are: (1) critical to the defense of the United States, and (2) vulnerable to a disruption of the supply of electric energy provided by an external provider.

Exempts critical electric infrastructure information from mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to: (1) designate critical electric infrastructure information, and (2) prescribe regulations and orders prohibiting its unauthorized disclosure but also authorizing appropriate voluntary sharing with federal, state, local, and tribal authorities.

Shields a person or entity in possession of critical electric infrastructure information from any cause of action for sharing or receiving information that was done in accordance with this Act.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-13 00:00:00

National Energy Security Corridors Act 

(Sec. 2) This bill amends the Mineral Leasing Act to allow natural gas pipeline rights-of-way through all federally owned lands, including lands in the National Park System, except lands held in trust for an Indian or Indian tribe and lands on the outer Continental Shelf.

The Department of the Interior must: (1) identify and designate suitable federal lands as National Energy Security Corridors for construction, operation, and maintenance of natural gas transmission facilities; and (2) incorporate such Corridors into the relevant agency land use and resource management plans.

Additionally, Interior shall: (1) take into account certain considerations when evaluating federal land for designation as a National Energy Security Corridor, and (2) establish specified procedures to expedite and approve applications for rights-of-way for natural gas pipelines across National Energy Security Corridors.

The governor of a state may request Corridors to be designated on federal land within that state.

For purposes of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 neither the designation of a Corridor, nor the incorporation of a Corridor into agency plans, shall be treated as a major federal action subject to environmental impact evaluation.

All applications for rights-of-way for natural gas transmission facilities across the designated Corridors shall be subject to specified environmental protections.

(Sec. 3) Interior shall notify certain congressional committees whenever an agency or Interior official fails to comply with federal authorization schedules established under the Natural Gas Act.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-18 00:00:00

Protecting Critical Infrastructure Act

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to: (1) exempt protected electric security information from mandatory public disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act; and (2) prohibit any state, local, or tribal authority from disclosing such information pursuant to state, local, or tribal law.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shall promulgate specified regulations and issue the orders necessary to designate protected electric security information and to prohibit its unauthorized disclosure.

There is no requirement for a person or entity in possession of protected electric security information to share it with federal, state, local, or tribal authorities. Sharing information with Congress, however, is permitted.

 Unless specifically redesignated by FERC, information may not be designated as protected electric security information for longer than five years. FERC shall remove a designation, in whole or in part, if it determines that its unauthorized disclosure could no longer be used to impair the security or reliability of the bulk-power system or distribution facilities.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-05-21 00:00:00

Powering American Jobs Act of 2015

Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2016: (1) the tax credit for nonbusiness energy efficiency improvements, (2) excise tax credits and payments for alternative fuels and biodiesel and renewable diesel fuel mixtures, (3) the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures, and (4) the income tax credit for biodiesel and renewable fuels. Equalizes the excise tax rate for liquefied natural gas and liquefied petroleum gas. Modifies energy efficiency standards for windows, doors, skylights, roofing, water heaters, biomass stoves, and furnaces or hot water boilers.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-06-24 00:00:00

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act

 Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of "qualifying income" for such partnerships to include income and gains from renewable and alternative fuels (in addition to fossil fuels), including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-07-09 00:00:00

Renewable Energy Certainty Act

Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to authorize federal agencies to enter into contracts for the acquisition of renewable energy or energy from cogeneration facilities for a period of up to 30 years.

Directs the Federal Energy Management Program to publish a standardized energy purchase agreement that federal agencies may use for such an acquisition.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Environmental protection
Date: 2015-11-17 00:00:00

Energy Consumers Relief Act of 2015

 This bill requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to submit a report to Congress and the Department of Energy (DOE) before promulgating a final rule that regulates any aspect of the production, supply, distribution, or use of energy and that is estimated by the EPA or the Office of Management and Budget to impose aggregate costs of more than $100 million. The report must contain: (1) an estimate of the total costs and benefits of the rule, (2) an estimate of the increases in energy prices that may result from implementation or enforcement of the rule, and (3) a detailed description of the employment effects that may result from implementation or enforcement of the rule.

DOE must: (1) prepare an independent analysis to determine whether the rule will cause any increase in energy prices for consumers, any impact on fuel diversity of the nation's electricity generation portfolio or on electric reliability, or any adverse effect on energy supply, distribution, or use; and (2) determine whether the rule will cause significant adverse effects to the economy and publish the determination.

The EPA may not promulgate the final rule if DOE determines that the rule will cause significant adverse effects to the economy.

The EPA may not use the social cost of carbon in any cost-benefit analysis relating to an energy-related rule estimated to cost more than $100 million unless a federal law is enacted authorizing such use. The social cost of carbon is an estimate of the monetized damages associated with an incremental increase in carbon dioxide emissions in a given year.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2015-11-17 00:00:00

Bridge to a Clean Energy Future Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend various tax credits and deductions relating to energy and to repeal certain tax preferences for oil and gas activities.

TITLE I--EXTENSION AND MODIFICATION OF ENERGY TAX PROVISIONS

This title extends through 2016:

 the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property; the tax credit for new qualified fuel cell motor vehicles; the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures; the tax credit for second generation biofuel production; the tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel; excise tax credits for alcohol used as fuel and biodiesel mixtures; the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources; the tax credit for energy-efficient new homes; the special depreciation allowance for second generation biofuel plant property; the tax deduction for energy-efficient commercial buildings; tax deferral rules for sales or dispositions of qualified electric facilities; and excise tax credits for alternative fuels and alternative fuel mixtures. The title also revises the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel fuels to allow an increased credit for small biodiesel producers.

TITLE II--ADDITIONAL PROVISIONS

This title amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the energy tax credit to solar energy, fuel cell, microturbine, combined heat and power system, small wind energy, and thermal energy properties the construction of which begins before January 1, 2017; (2) modify capacity limitations for combined heat and power system property; (3) allow an energy tax credit for waste heat to power property; (4) define "qualified small wind energy property" for purposes of the energy tax credit; (5) allow renewable and alternative fuel projects to operate as publicly-traded partnerships; and (6) permit additional allocations of qualifying advanced energy project tax credits.

TITLE III--ENDING OIL AND GAS TAX SUBSIDIES

The title modifies or eliminates oil and gas tax subsidies by:

 increasing to seven years the amortization period for geological and geophysical expenditures; repealing after 2015 the tax credits for producing oil and gas from marginal wells and for enhanced oil recovery; repealing after 2015 the tax deduction for the intangible drilling and development costs of oil and gas wells; repealing percentage depletion for oil and gas wells and the tax deduction for tertiary injectants; repealing the exception to passive loss rules for interests in oil and gas properties; repealing the tax deduction for income attributable to domestic production activities involving oil and gas; prohibiting the use of the last-in, first-out (LIFO) accounting method for major integrated oil companies; and limiting the foreign tax credit for dual capacity taxpayers (i.e., taxpayers who are subject to a levy of a foreign country or U.S. possession and who receive specific economic benefits from such country or possession).
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2016-04-13 00:00:00

Biennial Commission on Energy Policy Act of 2016

This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Biennial Commission on Energy Policy.

The commission must be composed of 15 members from a diverse group of industries and political party affiliations with no federal, state, or local officers or employees. The commission must:

 carry out specific analytical and research tasks related to a broad range of energy issues; and report to Congress on its findings, conclusions, and recommendations for legislative and administrative actions to create an integrated and comprehensive national energy policy for the United States. This bill replaces provisions requiring the President to submit a biennial National Energy Policy Plan.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Taxation
Date: 2016-05-06 00:00:00

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify tax credits for investments in certain energy property.

The bill extends the tax credits to apply to investments in certain energy property with construction that begins before January 1, 2022. The extensions apply to investments in:

 qualified fuel cell property, qualified microturbine property, combined heat and power system property, qualified small wind energy property, and thermal energy property. The bill sets forth a schedule for reducing from 30% to 22% the credit rate for investments in qualified fuel cell property and small wind energy property.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-02-12 00:00:00

Federal Land Freedom Act of 2015

This bill permits a state that has an established leasing, permitting, and regulatory program to: (1) declare to the Secretaries of the Interior, of Agriculture, and of Energy that it has either established or amended the program; and (2) seek to transfer to itself, and to implement, existing federal responsibilities for leasing, permitting, and regulating oil, natural gas, and other forms of energy development.

Any state action to lease, permit, or regulate oil and gas exploration and development shall not be subject to, or considered, a federal action, a federal permit, or a federal license with respect to specified administrative and environmental laws and is therefore exempt from them.

State-issued leases or permits must provide for: (1) the collection of royalties or other revenues in an amount equal to what would have been collected if the lease or permit had been federally issued, and (2) their deposit into the same federal account in which they would have been deposited if the lease or permit had been federally issued.

A state may collect and retain lease or permit application processing fees.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-03-26 00:00:00

Promoting Regional Energy Partnerships for Advancing Resilient Energy Systems Act or the PREPARE Act

Directs the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior (acting through specified Assistant Secretaries) to provide technical assistance to governmental entities, Indian tribes, and regional and nonprofit organizations to develop energy strategies that harmonize and promote national, regional, and state energy goals.

Sets forth an awards program addressing the uniqueness of the energy challenges facing states and Indian tribes.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-21 00:00:00

Quadrennial Energy Review Act of 2015

 This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to direct the President to establish once every four years the Quadrennial Energy Review Task Force to coordinate the Quadrennial Energy Review.

Each Review must: (1) establish integrated, governmentwide national energy objectives in the context of economic, environmental, and security priorities; and (2) consider reasonable estimates of future federal budgetary resources when making recommendations.

 The President's report to Congress on the Review must address an integrated view of short-, intermediate-, and long-term objectives for federal energy policy.

The Secretary of Energy shall give each Review necessary analytical, financial, and administrative support as requested by the cochairpersons.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-22 00:00:00

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to declare that no electric utility shall be required to enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase electric energy from a qualifying cogeneration facility or a qualifying small power production facility if the state regulatory agency having ratemaking authority over the utility has determined that the utility has no need to acquire additional generation resources in order to meet its obligation to serve customers in the public interest.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-22 00:00:00

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to review the potential of other federal agencies' pending rulemaking proceedings to cause an adverse effect on the cost, time, or difficulty of complying with DOE's current or proposed energy efficiency regulations, guidelines, or standards.

DOE must consult with federal agency heads to identify areas of conflict or overlap between any of its proposed or final regulations, guidelines, or standards and relevant agencies' proposed or final regulations, guidelines, or standards. DOE must also seek public input on any identified conflicts or overlaps.

When there is an identified conflict or overlap, DOE must work with the head of the relevant agency and the public to resolve the conflict or overlap prior to finalizing a rulemaking to ensure that the conflict or overlap does not pose an undue compliance burden on the regulated persons.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-04-22 00:00:00

American Energy Efficiency Act 

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to prescribe a federal energy efficiency resource standard for retail electricity and natural gas suppliers.

The Secretary of Energy is directed to implement a program which establishes:

 measurement and verification procedures and standards that count only measures and savings that are additional to business-as-usual customer purchase practices; certain requirements governing retail electricity suppliers and retail natural gas suppliers; other requirements governing applications for, and implementation of, delegated state administration; and rules to govern transfers of electricity or natural gas savings between suppliers and third-party efficiency providers serving the same state and between suppliers and third-party efficiency providers serving different states. Mandatory performance standards for 2017-2030 are prescribed for retail energy suppliers. No standards for any subsequent year may be lower than the standard for 2030.

Retail electricity and natural gas suppliers are subject to monetary penalties for failure to document the adequate savings required by this Act.

The Secretary may delegate to a state responsibility for administering this Act within its territory upon determining that it will meet or exceed the energy efficiency required by this Act.

The Secretary must: (1) review state implementation of this Act, every two years, in approximately one-half of the states; and (2) take certain measures where deficiencies are found.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

Free Market Energy Act of 2015

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to identify the elements of a distributed energy resource, including fuel cells, microgrids, and combined heat and power systems.

Distributed energy resources shall have a general right of interconnection under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA), and all rates and fees for interconnection shall provide for the two-way benefit for the distributed energy resource and the electricity grid.

Each state regulatory authority shall consider requiring that distributed energy resources be eligible to receive just and reasonable energy and rate treatment for time-of-use pricing and other specified features and values.

A state regulatory authority or nonregulated electric utility acting under state authority must consider specified interconnections standards that include:

 setting rates that exceed the incremental cost of alternative electric energy for purchases from any distributed energy resource that is a qualifying facility for electricity generated, demand reduced, or service provided by the qualifying facility interconnected under this Act; and making any distributed energy resource project exempt from filing requirements with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). A state regulatory authority must also consider:

 designation, through a competitive process, of a regulated utility, other party, or a combination of regulated utilities and other parties to be a smart grid coordinator or distribution system operator for the state; and nontransmission alternatives when a regulated utility proposes transmission projects.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability Act of 2015 or the NEWS Act of 2015

 This bill requires the Office of Science and Technology Policy to establish either a Committee or a Subcommittee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability (NEWS) under the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC). The Secretary of Energy (DOE) and Secretary of the Interior must serve as co-chairs. The term "energy-water nexus" means the links between: (1) the water needed to produce energy; and (2) the energy needed to transport, reclaim, and treat water and wastewater.

The NEWS Committee or Subcommittee shall:

 serve as a forum for developing common federal goals and plans on energy-water nexus research, development, and demonstration activities; issue a strategic plan on the priorities and objectives of those activities; promote coordination of the related activities of federal departments and agencies; coordinate and develop capabilities and methodologies for data collection, management, and dissemination of information related to those activities from and to other federal departments and agencies; promote information exchange between federal departments and agencies; and review its activities, relevance, and effectiveness 10 years after it is established and report on the results of the review. The Office of Management and Budget must submit a report that displays for each agency that carries out or supports basic and applied research, development, and demonstration activities to advance energy-water nexus-related science and technologies: (1) the budget proposed in the President's budget request for the upcoming fiscal year, (2) expenditures and obligations for the prior fiscal year, and (3) estimated expenditures and obligations for the current fiscal year.
Topic: Energy — General
Subject: Energy
Date: 2015-05-06 00:00:00

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to define "distributed resource" as an electric power source connected directly to the distribution network or on the customer side of the meter.

State regulatory authorities shall by certain deadlines:

 establish proceedings to examine the degree to which distributed resources contribute specified ancillary services, such as reactive supply, energy imbalance, and flexibility and ramping services, among others; prescribe measures to ensure adequate ancillary services so that grid interconnection for distributed resources is safe, reliable, and efficient; examine the effects of net metering and customer-owned distributed generation on resource planning of each electric utility, and determine whether electricity rates established for net metering service are just and reasonable and not unduly preferential or discriminatory.