zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
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.

Date: 2015-05-18
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Taxation
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.

Date: 2015-06-24
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Taxation
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.

Date: 2015-07-09
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-11-17
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Environmental protection
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).

Date: 2015-11-17
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Taxation
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.

Date: 2016-04-13
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2016-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Taxation
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.

Date: 2015-02-12
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-03-26
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-04-21
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-04-22
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-04-22
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-04-22
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
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.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Distribution Act of 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to collaborate with other federal agencies to improve the conceptual development of energy security, considering at a minimum:

 development of flexible, transparent, and competitive energy markets, including natural gas and oil markets; diversification of energy fuels, sources, and routes; and encouragement of indigenous sources of energy supply. DOE must: (1) lead an interagency effort to improve and coordinate data collection and analytical and modeling capabilities for energy distribution on shared energy infrastructure; and (2) coordinate the training of, and enhanced dialogue among, technical staff in federal agencies responsible for cross-border energy projects evaluation and implementation.

 The Energy Information Administration must collaborate with officials in Canada and Mexico to improve:

 the quality and transparency of North American energy data through reconciliation of data on energy trade flows among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; the extension of energy mapping capabilities in those countries; and the development of common energy data terminology among the three nations.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Loan Program Improvement Act of 2015

This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to repeal the condition of a full appropriation under which the Department of Energy (DOE) may make loan guarantees intended to serve as incentives for innovative technologies, but retains as the sole condition for the making of a guarantee that DOE has received from the borrower payment in full for the cost of the guarantee, and has deposited such payment into the Treasury.

Any reorganization, restructuring, or termination of a debt obligation, as well as the debt obligation itself (as under current law), may not be subordinate to other financing.

If DOE has not made a final decision 270 days after receipt of the loan application, the applicant may submit a loan status request, and may repeat such request every 90 days thereafter until the final decision is made. DOE must respond to such a request within 10 days after receiving it, summarizing any delaying factors and estimating the date the application review will be completed.

The temporary program for rapid deployment of renewable energy and electric power transmission projects is repealed, and the unobligated balance of amounts available to implement it are rescinded.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
North American Energy Infrastructure Act

Prohibits any person from constructing, connecting, operating, or maintaining a cross-border segment of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility at the national boundary of the United States for the import or export of oil, natural gas, or electricity to or from Canada or Mexico without obtaining a certificate of crossing under this Act.

Requires the Department of State, with respect to oil pipelines, or the Department of Energy (DOE), with respect to electric transmission facilities, to issue a certificate of crossing for the cross-border segment within 120 days after final action is taken under the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, unless it is not in U.S. public interest.

Directs DOE, as a condition of issuing a certificate, to require that the cross-border segment be constructed, connected, operated, or maintained consistent with specified policies and standards.

Amends the Natural Gas Act to require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to approve within 30 days after receipt any application for the importation or exportation of natural gas to or from Canada or Mexico.

 Declares that no presidential permit shall be necessary for the construction, connection, operation, or maintenance of an oil or natural gas pipeline or electric transmission facility, including any cross-border segment.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Hydropower Improvement Act of 2015 

This bill declares that hydropower is a renewable resource for purposes of all federal programs and is an essential source of energy in the United States.

The Federal Power Act is amended to limit the conditions placed on construction licenses issued for dams, conduits and reservoirs within any federal to those that: (1) pertain to the reservation land on which project works are located; and (2) have a clear and direct nexus to the presence or operations of the project being licensed, as determined by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Preliminary permits issued to maintain priority of application for a license may be extended from three years to four years.

FERC may: (1) extend the period of a preliminary permit for up to four additional years beyond the initial four years, and (2) grant the permittee an additional permit if extraordinary circumstances warrant that action.

 When determining the term of a license, FERC must consider project-related investments by the licensee over the term of the existing license that resulted in new development, construction, capacity, efficiency improvements, or environmental measures, but which did not result in FERC extension of the license term.

FERC shall also determine alternative prescriptions for a fishway license instead of the Department of the Interior.

FERC shall require a licensee to construct, maintain, and operate fishways only if the fishways are necessary to mitigate effects of a project upon fish populations, have a clear and direct nexus to the presence or operations of the project being licensed, and are submitted in accordance with a specified schedule.

FERC shall in addition: (1) investigate best practices in performing licensing studies, including methodologies and the design of studies to assess the full range of any environmental impacts of a project; (2) compile a comprehensive collection of studies and data accessible to the public that could be used to inform license proceedings; and (3) act as the lead agency coordinating all applicable federal authorizations.

FERC may, upon request, designate staff to hold informal meetings to discuss technical or procedural matters relating to any ongoing license proceeding.

The bill revises requirements regarding the entitlement of a license applicant, including any party to the proceeding, to a determination on the record, after opportunity for a trial-type hearing, concerning disputed issues of material fact with respect to an applicable covered measure.

In implementing the Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act of 2013, FERC must consider a closed loop pumped storage project to include one: (1) in which the upper and lower reservoirs do not impound or directly withdraw water from a navigable stream, and (2) that is not continuously connected to a naturally flowing water feature.

Date: 2015-05-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
This bill amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to allow federal agencies to contract for the acquisition of renewable energy or energy from cogeneration facilities for the federal government for up to 30 years.

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Federal Energy Management Program must publish a standardized energy purchase agreement setting forth commercial terms and conditions that agencies may use to acquire that energy.

DOE must also provide technical assistance to assist agencies in implementing the bill.

Date: 2015-05-11
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Supply and Distribution Act of 2015

This bill declares that the production and distribution of energy in the United States requires access to infrastructure and markets.

The Department of Energy (DOE) must collaborate with federal agencies to improve the conceptual development of energy security, considering at a minimum: (1) development of flexible, transparent, and competitive energy markets, including natural gas and oil; and (2) diversification of energy fuels, sources, and routes, and the encouragement of indigenous sources of energy supply.

DOE must also coordinate interagency: (1) data collection for energy distribution on shared energy infrastructure, and (2) training to evaluate and implement cross-border energy projects.

 It is the sense of Congress that growth in crude oil and dry natural gas production varies significantly across oil and natural gas supply regions, thereby: (1) forcing shifts in crude oil and natural gas flows between regions of the United States, and (2) requiring investment or realignment of midstream infrastructure including pipelines.

The Energy Information Administration must collaborate with officials in Canada and Mexico to reconcile data on energy trade flows, extend energy mapping capabilities, and develop common energy data terminology.

Congress declares that processed condensate is a petroleum product.

The DOE Office of Fossil Energy Assessment may assess the suitability of condensate separately from crude oil for use in strategic reserves, while certain agencies within the Department of the Interior must assess condensate separately from crude oil.

The bill authorizes: (1) the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to estimate condensate separately from crude oil as part of the resource assessments regarding domestic geological formations, (2) the Office of Natural Resources Revenue to collect condensate data separately from crude oil, and (3) the United States Geological Survey to include estimates of condensate separately from crude oil as part of the resource assessments regarding domestic geological formations.

Domestic crude oil or condensate (except crude oil stored in the Strategic Petroleum Reserve) may be exported without a federal license to countries not subject to U.S. sanctions.

Date: 2015-05-12
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Small Hydropower Dependable Regulatory Order Act of 2015 or the Small HyDRO Act of 2015

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to prescribe the licensing procedures for a project that: (1) does not alter the existing flowrate of the body of water the project is on, and (2) either has a power production capacity not exceeding 5 megawatts or is used to power a nonpowered dam.

The bill establishes a rebuttable presumption that a license shall be issued following application.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) shall resolve any conflict over environmental analyses that may arise between it and any other federal or state agency.

Licenses shall be issued for a term of 10 years.

FERC must approve or disapprove a license application within 180 days of its receipt.

Date: 2015-05-14
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Title of America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015

This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to reauthorize through FY2020 designated energy research, development, and commercial application programs conducted through the Office of Science of the Department of Energy (DOE).

The America COMPETES Act is amended to require the Director of Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to ensure that ARPA-E funding for a project is not available unless the prospective grantee demonstrates sufficient attempts to secure private financing or indicates that the project is not independently commercially viable.

Specified information collected by ARPA-E from financial assistance recipients shall be considered privileged, confidential, and exempt from certain federal information disclosure requirements.

The bill authorizes appropriations for FY2016-FY2020 for the Energy Transformation Acceleration Fund.

 The bill repeals funding and authorities for the following programs:

 the Nuclear Science Talent Expansion Program For Institutions of Higher Education; Hydrocarbon Systems Science Competitiveness Grants For Institutions of Higher Education; Discovery Science and Engineering Innovation Institutes; National Laboratories Centers of Excellence in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics secondary school education, certain Summer Institutes hosted by a National Laboratory; and a mentoring program under the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act to recruit mentors for women and underrepresented minorities interested in careers in science, engineering, and mathematics. With respect to the University Nuclear Science and Engineering Support program, DOE shall award grants of up to five years to institutions of higher education with existing academic degree programs in nuclear sciences and related fields, including nuclear chemistry.

Funds are authorized for FY2016-FY2020 for the DOE early career awards for science, engineering, and mathematics researchers program, as well as for its distinguished scientist program.

The diversity requirement for awarding grants under the program for early career awards for science, engineering, and mathematics researchers is revised to substitute a required variety of types of National Laboratories in lieu of a variety of types of nonprofit, nondegree-granting research organizations.

The Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement Act is amended to direct the Office of Science to coordinate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education programs across all functions of DOE.

The bill amends the America COMPETES Act to: (1) change the criteria for awarding Protecting America's Competitive Edge (PACE) graduate fellowships, and (2) allow such fellowships to cover either full or partial graduate tuition.

Date: 2015-05-20
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Markets Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to direct the Energy Information Administration (EIA) of the Department of Energy to develop and implement a plan to collect, in cooperation with the Commodity Futures Trade Commission, information identifying all oil inventories and other physical oil assets owned by the 50 largest traders of oil contracts (including derivative contracts).

The EIA shall also collect, and update annually, information quantifying the commercial storage capacity for oil and natural gas in the United States.

A Financial Market Analysis Office is established in the EIA to analyze the financial aspects of energy markets.

A Working Group on Energy Markets is also established to:

 investigate the effect of increased financial investment in energy commodities on energy prices and the energy security of the United States, recommend to the President and Congress laws to prevent excessive speculation in energy commodity markets in order to prevent or minimize the adverse impact of excessive speculation on energy prices, and review energy security implications of developments in international energy markets. The Working Group shall also: (1) identify the factors that affect crude oil and refined petroleum products prices; and (2) review and assess existing statutory authorities for the regulation of markets critical to U.S. energy security, as well as the need for additional authority to regulate markets critical to it.

Date: 2015-05-21
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Free Market Energy Act

This bill amends: (1) the Federal Power Act to define "distributed energy resource" as a resource, technology, or service interconnected to the electricity distribution system that generates, manages, or reduces energy use; and (2) the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to provide that distributed energy resources shall have a general right of interconnection under such Act.

States must ensure that electric distribution grid operators adopt requirements for interconnection rates and fees that are just and reasonable, that provide for the two-way benefit for the distributed energy resource and the electricity grid, and that are not punitive. Time frames for interconnection shall be well-defined, expeditious, and not unduly protracted. An interconnection may not be delayed or denied unless the electric utility demonstrates that the interconnection is unsafe or impracticable.

A state regulatory authority that considers modifying the treatment of net energy metering customers must consider requiring that distributed energy resources be eligible to receive just and reasonable energy and rate treatment using dynamic pricing, which may account for locational benefit, to be provided on an unbundled basis, after accounting for the two-way valuation of dynamic rates, for services provided to or by the grid. Dynamic pricing considerations shall include:

 pricing for energy sold to, and pricing for energy purchased from, an electric utility, capacity, the provision of ancillary services, the societal value of distributed energy resources, and transmission and distribution losses. A state regulatory authority or applicable Regional Transmission Organization or Independent System Operator must consider nontransmission alternatives in instances in which an entity proposes transmission projects seeking cost-of-service rate recovery. To reduce the cost to the ratepayer of a potential transmission upgrade, the cost of the nontransmission alternative shall be recovered from the ratebase or regional recovery mechanism in the same manner as the transmission upgrade otherwise would have been.

Date: 2015-08-06
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Energy Policy Modernization Act of 2015

This bill amends the Energy Conservation and Production Act, the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), and the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 with respect to energy efficiency in buildings and appliances.

The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy (DOE) shall conduct activities with respect to manufacturing energy efficiency.

Vehicle Innovation Act of 2015

DOE shall conduct research, development, engineering, demonstration, and commercial application programs regarding passenger as well as medium- and heavy-duty commercial vehicles and transit vehicles.

The Federal Power Act is amended with respect to cybersecurity threats, and requirements are prescribed for enhanced electric grid security as well as bulk-power system reliability.

The EPCA is amended regarding the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.

The Natural Gas Act is amended with respect to liquefied natural gas exports.

DOE shall conduct programs with respect to electric grid storage and related grid matters.

The Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 is replaced by the Exascale Computing Act of 2015, and DOE shall conduct research for development of two or more exascale computing machine architectures.

The bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and specified other Acts regarding:

 hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, marine hydrokinetic renewable energy, biomass, oil and gas, helium, specified critical minerals, coal, nuclear energy, 21st century energy workforce development, and recycled carbon fiber and nonrecycled mixed plastics. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 and other Acts are amended to:

 revise or prescribe requirements for loan and loan guarantee incentives for innovative technologies, and establish an e-prize competition or challenge pilot program to implement community and regional energy solutions to reduce energy costs in high-cost regions. DOE and the Department of the Interior shall establish a joint NEWS Office and Interagency Coordination Committee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability.

Interior may develop a current and accurate multipurpose cadastre to support federal land management activities.

The Department of Energy Organization Act is amended to:

 direct the President to establish a Quadrennial Energy Review Task Force, rename the DOE Under Secretary for Science as the Under Secretary for Science and Energy, direct the DOE Energy Information Administration (EIA) to develop a plan to identify all oil inventories and other physical oil assets owned by the 50 largest traders of oil contracts, and create within the EIA a Financial Market Analysis Office. The bill establishes a Working Group on Energy Markets.

The EPCA is amended to repeal the mandates for various specified studies, reports, plans, and programs.

The bill establishes a National Park Service Critical Maintenance and Revitalization Conservation Fund, and revises requirements for the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund.

Date: 2015-09-09
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
American Energy Innovation Act 

This bill encourages and establishes requirements concerning:

 energy efficiency in the electricity grid, the manufacturing sector, certain vehicles and trucks, buildings, homes, and the federal government; protection of the bulk-power system from cybersecurity threats; the security and resiliency of the energy network and applications, including electric, natural gas, and oil exploration, transmission, and delivery; the modernization of energy infrastructure at the federal and state level; the development or deployment of alternative energies; and water conservation measures. The bill establishes: (1) a nonbinding goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 2% per year on average through 2025, and (2) a federal energy efficiency resource standard for retail electricity and natural gas suppliers.

The bill repeals royalty relief for leases in the Outer Continental Shelf with respect to the production of oil or gas from deep water production or ultra deep wells in shallow waters.

The Department of Interior must: (1) prevent venting and flaring of gases in oil and natural gas production operations on federal land, and (2) promote the capture of beneficial use or reinjection of gas in those operations. Interior must establish an annual production incentive fee with respect to public land that is subject to a lease for production of oil or natural gas under which production is not occurring.

The bill reauthorizes through FY2020 the Department of Energy's: (1) Weatherization Assistance Program, (2) State Energy Program, (3) basic research, and (4) the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy. The bill also revises and reauthorizes the Water Desalination Act of 1996.

The bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide tax incentives for producing clean energy and for reducing energy use in homes or commercial buildings, (2) extend through 2017 energy-related tax credits, (3) subject oil derived from tar sands to an excise tax, and (4) repeal certain oil and gas tax subsidies for major integrated oil companies.

The bill: (1) establishes the National Park Service Centennial Fund, and (2) permanently reauthorizes the Land and Water Conservation Fund and the Historic Preservation Fund.

Date: 2015-09-28
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Accelerating Technology Transfer to Advance Innovation for the Nation Act of 2015 or the ATTAIN Act of 2015 

 This bill amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to establish the Office of Technology Transitions, directed by a Technology Transfer Coordinator, to improve Department of Energy (DOE) coordination and use of technology transfer resources, including increased coordination and use of small business innovation research.

DOE shall establish a Lab-Corps, modeled after the I-Corps of the National Science Foundation, to support investments in entrepreneurs, mentors, and principal investigators.

DOE may also establish and participate in technology commercialization challenges.

The Office shall: (1) work with each Office of Research and Technology Application at the National Laboratories, and (2) partner with foundations and nonprofit entities with similar technology transfer and entrepreneurship priorities and goals.

DOE and the Small Business Administration shall jointly establish a Technology Transfer Investment Initiative following prescribed guidelines.

The Office, in coordination with Lab-Corps, shall also establish and coordinate regional geographic areas to implement the Initiative.

DOE shall establish a pilot program, administered through the Office, to award grants to post-graduate researchers for the purpose of spinning off and licensing technology.

DOE may include, in a management and operating contract for a National Laboratory, partnership agreements with institutions of higher education.

The Government Accountability Office shall report to Congress on the results of the projects developed under this Act.

Date: 2015-11-17
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
Ratepayer Fairness Act of 2015 

This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require a state regulatory authority and a nonregulated electric utility (entities), to the extent that they allow electric utility rates to include charges that subsidize customer-side technology, to consider whether that subsidy would:

 result in benefits predominately enjoyed by only the users of the customer-side technology; shift costs of a customer-side technology to electricity consumers that do not use it, particularly in cases in which disparate economic or resource conditions exist among the electricity consumers cross-subsidizing the customer-side technology; negatively affect resource utilization, fuel diversity, grid reliability, or grid security; give any unfair competitive advantage to market the customer-side technology, including an analysis of whether a state regulatory authority has uncovered fraudulent customer-side technology marketing practices; and be necessary to fulfill an obligation to serve electric consumers. The bill sets deadlines within which the entities must set a hearing date to consider and subsequently determine the subsidization of customer-side technology.

Date: 2015-12-10
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy
American Clean Energy Investment Act of 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend and modify tax provisions relating to energy.

TITLE I--REDUCING CARBON POLLUTION AND CREATING JOBS BY TRANSITIONING TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY SOURCES

This title makes permanent: (1) the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources, (2) the energy tax credit, and (3) the qualifying advanced energy project credit.

The Department of the Treasury must provide grants to tax-exempt organizations for investment in specified energy property, including qualified fuel cell property, solar property, qualified small wind energy property, geothermal property, qualified microturbine property, combined heat and power system property, and geothermal heat pump property.

 The title expands the energy tax credit to allow a 30% credit for investment in offshore wind energy facilities.

TITLE II--SAVING CONSUMERS AND BUSINESSES MONEY BY PROMOTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY

This title makes permanent the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings and updates the energy standard applicable to such buildings. Also made permanent are the tax credits for new energy efficient homes, for nonbusiness energy property, and for residential energy efficient property.

TITLE III--HELPING AMERICANS MOVE BEYOND OIL

This title: (1) eliminates the phaseout of the applicable percentage for the tax credit for investment in new qualified plug-in electric drive motor vehicles, (2) makes permanent the credit for two and three-wheeled plug-in electric vehicles, (3) increases the dollar limitation on the battery capacity for such vehicles from $5,000 to $7,500, and (4) makes the personal tax credit allowed for investment in such vehicles refundable.

The title makes permanent: (1) the tax credit for investment in hybrid medium and heavy-duty trucks, and (2) the parity at $250 of the tax exclusion for employer-provided mass transit and parking benefits.

The title extends through 2022: (1) the second generation biofuel producer credit, and (2) the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel, (3) the special depreciation allowance for second generation biofuel plant property, and (4) the tax credit for alternative vehicle refueling property expenditures. New income and excise tax credits at $1.00 per gallon are allowed for the production of biodiesel and an increased credit is allowed for small biodiesel producers.

Date: 2015-12-10
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Taxation
Fair Ratepayer Accountability, Transparency, and Efficiency Standards Act or the Fair RATES Act 

This bill amends the Federal Power Act to permit a party to seek a rehearing and subsequent judicial review of any rate change filed by a public utility that takes effect without the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issuing an order making such change effective. (Public utilities must give FERC and the public a 60-day notice before a proposed rate change can take effect.)

Date: 2016-02-03
Topic: Energy (General)
Subject: Energy