Q: In this task, you are given text for US Congressional and California state bills, your task is to generate a summary for this bill.
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

The Congress finds that:
(1) Protection of the environmental and ecological
qualities of Federal lands are important concerns for all
people.
(2) Reviewing the environmental impact of proposed
transmission facilities is a vital task which must be conducted
in a thorough and comprehensive manner.
(3) A thorough and comprehensive review of these effects
can be conducted in a timely manner without sacrificing the
quality of the review.
(4) There is currently no requirement that Federal agencies
complete environmental reviews for proposed transmission
facilities in a timely manner.
(5) The length of time for completion of these reviews
varies widely, with agencies taking as long as ten years to
complete these reviews.
(6) There are cases of Federal agencies conducting
environmental reviews in a subsequent, rather than concurrent,
manner and failing to coordinate their reviews with State
authorities and other Federal agencies.
(7) The electricity transmission grid must be expanded to
ensure reliable supplies of electricity.
(8) The Federal Government currently owns approximately 29
percent of the land area of the United States including 90
percent of Nevada, 70 percent of Arizona, and similarly large
percentages of other Western States.
(9) Because of the large Federal land holdings in the West,
transmission facilities must often be built on Federal lands.
(10) Appointment of a lead agency to coordinate the
environmental reviews of Federal agencies will lead to more
thorough, comprehensive and timely reviews.

SEC. 2. CONSTITUTIONAL AUTHORITY.

The Constitutional authority on which this act rests are the powers
of Congress to make all needful rules and regulations respecting the
territory or other property belonging to the United States as
enumerated in article IV, section 3 and to make all laws which shall be
necessary and proper as enumerated in article I, section 8 of the
United States Constitution.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL AND STATE COORDINATION OF PERMITTING FOR TRANSMISSION
FACILITIES.

(a) Lead Agency.--If an applicant, or prospective applicant, for
Federal authorization related to an electricity transmission or
distribution facility so requests, the Department of Energy (DOE) shall
act as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all applicable
Federal authorization and related environmental review of the facility.
The term ''Federal authorization'' shall mean any authorization
required under Federal law in order to site a transmission or
distribution facility, including but not limited to such permits,
special use authorizations, certifications, opinions, or other
approvals as may be required, whether issued by a Federal or a State
agency. To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary of Energy
shall coordinate this Federal authorization and review process with any
Indian tribes, multi-State entities, and State agencies that are
responsible for conducting any separate permitting and environmental
reviews of the facility, to ensure timely and efficient review and
permit decisions.
(b) Authority to Set Deadlines.--As lead agency, the Department of
Energy, in consultation with other Federal and, as appropriate, with
Indian tribes, multi-State entities, and State agencies that are
willing to coordinate their own separate permitting and environmental
reviews with the Federal authorization and environmental reviews, shall
establish prompt and binding intermediate milestones and ultimate
deadlines for the review of and Federal authorization decisions
relating to the proposed facility. Notwithstanding any other provision
of law, the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that once an application
has been submitted with such data as the Secretary deems necessary, all
permit decisions and related environmental reviews under all applicable
Federal laws shall be completed within 1 year. The Secretary of Energy
also shall provide a speedy pre-application mechanism for prospective
applicants to confer with the agencies involved to have each such
agency determine and communicate to the prospective applicant within 60
days of when the prospective applicant submits a request for such
information concerning--
(1) the likelihood of approval for a potential facility;
and
(2) key issues of concern to the agencies and public.
(c) Consolidated Environmental Review and Record of Decision.--The
Secretary of Energy shall prepare a single environmental review
document, which shall be used as the basis for all decisions on the
proposed project under Federal law. The document may be an
environmental assessment or environmental impact statement under the
National Environmental Policy Act if warranted, or such other form of
analysis as may be warranted. DOE and other agencies shall streamline
the review and permitting of transmission and distribution facilities
within corridors designated under section 503 of the Federal Land
Policy and Management Act (43 U.S.C. section 1763) by fully taking into
account prior analyses and decisions as to the corridors.
(d) Appeals.--In the event that any agency has denied a Federal
authorization required for a transmission or distribution facility, or
has failed to act by the deadline established by the Secretary pursuant
to this section for deciding whether to issue the authorization, the
applicant or any State in which the facility would be located may file
an appeal with the Secretary of Energy, which shall review the denial
or take action on the pending application. Based on the overall record
and in consultation with the affected agency, the Secretary may then
either issue the necessary authorization with or without appropriate
conditions, or may deny the application. The Secretary shall issue its
decision within 90 days of the filing of the appeal.
(e) Conforming Regulations and Memoranda of Agreement.--Not later
than 18 months after the date of enactment of this section, the
Secretary of Energy shall issue any regulations necessary to implement
the foregoing provisions. Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this section, the Secretary and the heads of all relevant
Federal departments and non-departmental agencies shall, and interested
Indian tribes, multi-State entities, and State agencies may, enter into
Memoranda of Agreement to ensure the timely and coordinated review and
permitting of electricity transmission and distribution facilities. The
head of each Federal department or non-departmental agency with
approval authority shall designate a senior responsible official and
dedicate sufficient other staff and resources to ensure that the DOE
regulations and any Memoranda are fully implemented.
(f) Miscellaneous.--Each Federal authorization for an electricity
transmission or distribution facility shall be issued for a duration,
as determined by the Secretary of Energy, commensurate with the
anticipated use of the facility and with appropriate authority to
manage the right-of-way for reliability and environmental protection.
Further, when such authorizations expire, they shall be reviewed for
renewal taking fully into account reliance on such electricity
infrastructure, recognizing its importance for public health, safety
and economic welfare and as a legitimate use of Federal lands.
(g) Maintaining and Enhancing the Transmission Infrastructure.--In
exercising the responsibilities under this section, the Secretary of
Energy shall consult regularly with the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (FERC) and FERC-approved Regional Transmission Organizations
and Independent System Operators on changes to the national grid that
will improve reliability, relieve congestion, and enhance the
capability of the grid to deliver electricity.
A:
Designates the Department of Energy (DOE) as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all applicable Federal authorization and related environmental review of a proposed electricity transmission or distribution facility upon request of a current or prospective applicant for Federal authorization related to such a facility.

Instructs DOE to establish prompt and binding intermediate milestones and ultimate deadlines for the review of and Federal authorization decisions relating to the proposed facility.

Sets a one-year deadline for completion of all permit decisions and related environmental reviews regarding an application.

Requires the Secretary of Energy to consult regularly with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) and FERC-approved Regional Transmission Organizations and Independent System Operators on changes to the national grid that will improve reliability, relieve congestion, and enhance the capability of the grid to deliver electricity.