zli12321/Bills huggingface dataset:
Renewable Fuels for America's Future Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) require a reduction in the income and excise tax credits for alcohol used for fuel by the amount of alcohol used to meet the taxpayer's renewable fuel obligation under the Clean Air Act; and (2) extend such credits through 2015. Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to extend until 2016 the additional tariff on ethyl alcohol blends (ethanol) used as fuel. Requires automobile manufacturers to ensure that at least 50% of 2012 and 2013 model year automobiles and light duty trucks manufactured for sale in the United States are dual fueled. Increases the minimum to 90% for later model years. (Excludes automobiles and light duty trucks that operate only on electricity.) Requires the Secretary of Energy to make grants to eligible facilities to pay the federal share of: (1) installing blender pump fuel infrastructure, including infrastructure necessary for the direct retail sale of ethanol fuel blends (including E-85 fuel) and to directly market such fuels to gas retailers; and (2) providing subgrants to direct retailers of such fuels for the installation of fuel infrastructure for the direct retail sale of such fuels. Amends the Clean Air Act to define: (1) "E-85 fuel" as a blend of gasoline at least 85% derived from ethanol; and (2) "ethanol fuel blend" as a blend of gasoline and ethanol, with a minimum of 0% and maximum of 85% derived from denatured ethanol. Requires the Secretary to promulgate regulations to ensure that each major fuel distributor that sells or introduces gasoline into commerce in the United States through majority-owned stations or branded stations installs one or more blender pumps that dispense E-85 fuel and ethanol fuel blends at specified minimum percentages of such stations for specified years in each state. Allows major fuel distributors to earn and sell credits if they exceed such percentages.

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Solar Expansion of Distributed Generation Exponentially Act or the Solar EDGE Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the rate of the residential energy tax credit and the energy investment tax credit to 50% in 2010 and 2011 for qualified solar electric property expenditures with respect to property that has a nameplate capacity of less than 20 kilowatts (or the thermal energy equivalent).

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to increase the rate of the residential energy tax credit and the energy investment tax credit to 50% in 2010 and 2011 for qualified solar electric property expenditures with respect to property that has a nameplate capacity of less than 20 kilowatts (or the thermal energy equivalent).

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
PACE Assessment Protection Act of 2010 - Directs the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac) to adopt underwriting standards that are consistent with the Guidelines for Pilot PACE Financing Programs issued on May 7, 2010, by the Department of Energy (DOE). Provides that liens or other property obligations that secure property taxes or assessments under a PACE program and that are consistent with such standards shall be considered to comply with the Uniform Instruments of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and shall not constitute a default on an existing mortgage or trigger the exercise of lender's remedies for a property with such a lien. Defines a "PACE program" as a property assessed clean energy program under which a state or political subdivision levies taxes or assessments on real property to finance the installation of renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements. Prohibits Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from requiring repayment of a PACE program tax or assessment in order for a property owner to finance, refinance, or transfer property that meets their underwriting criteria without consideration of the PACE program lien. Requires the underwriting standards to provide that, in the event that a tax or assessment under a PACE program is delinquent, only the unpaid delinquent amount along with applicable penalties, interest, and costs will be subject to foreclosure and not the entire amount. Prohibits the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and all federal agencies and entities chartered under federal law from discriminating against communities implementing or participating in a PACE program.

Date: 2010-07-15
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Housing and community development
Offshore Wind Power Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 30% energy investment tax credit for qualified offshore wind energy property for periods ending before January 1, 2017. Defines "qualified offshore wind energy property" as property which uses wind to generate electricity and is located in the coastal waters of the United States or the Great Lakes.

Date: 2010-07-19
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Renewable Fuels Marketing Act of 2010 - Amends the Solid Waste Disposal Act to direct the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue guidelines for determining whether underground storage tanks and associated dispensing equipment are compatible with any fuel or fuel additive that is authorized by the Administrator or by statute for use in a motor vehicle, nonroad vehicle, or engine. Deems tanks and equipment that have been listed by a nationally recognized testing laboratory as compatible with such a fuel or fuel additive as of the date of enactment of this Act to be compatible under the guidelines. Declares that no person shall be liable under any federal or state law, and no provider of financial assurance may deny payment for a claim, on the basis that a tank (or associated dispensing equipment) is not compatible with such fuel or fuel additive if such tank or equipment has been determined to be compatible pursuant to the guidelines issued under this Act. Amends the Clean Air Act to direct the Administrator to promulgate regulations that establish requirements for the labeling of associated dispensing equipment to prevent the introduction into a motor vehicle, nonroad vehicle, or engine of transportation fuel that contains a fuel or fuel additive that is authorized, after January 1, 2010, by the Administrator or by statute for use in motor vehicles, nonroad vehicles, or engines but that is not compatible with such vehicle or engine. Shields a person selling such fuel who complies with such regulations from liability for: (1) a self-service purchaser's introduction of such a fuel into a vehicle or engine that is not compatible with such fuel; or (2) the voiding of the manufacturer's warranty of such vehicle or engine from introduction of such fuel. Sets penalties for violation of such regulations.

Date: 2010-07-20
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Manufacture Renewable Energy Systems: Make it in America Act of 2010 - Authorizes federal acquisition of, or the provision of federal funds to states for purchase of, only green technologies that are 100% manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that are 100% grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States beginning in the fourth fiscal year after enactment of this Act. Provides that such percentage shall be 30% in the first fiscal year after enactment, 50% in the second fiscal year, and 80% in the third fiscal year. Defines "green technologies" to mean renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services that: (1) reduce dependence on unreliable sources of energy by encouraging the use of sustainable biomass, wind, small-scale hydroelectric, solar, geothermal, and other renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services; and (2) use hybrid fossil-renewable energy systems. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to prohibit treating any facility originally placed in service after December 31, 2013, as a qualified facility for purposes of the renewable energy production and investment tax credits unless such facility is 100% manufactured in the United States from articles, materials, or supplies that are 100% grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States. Provides that such percentage shall be 30% for a facility placed in service during 2011, 50% for a facility placed in service during 2012, and 80% for a facility placed in service during 2013.

Date: 2010-07-20
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Thermal Renewable Energy and Efficiency Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources to the production of thermal energy and to include a naturally occurring cold water source as a qualified energy resource and a natural air conditioning system facility as a qualified facility for purposes of such credit. Modifies the definition of: (1) "local heating and cooling facilities" for purposes of tax-exempt facility bonds to include equipment for producing thermal energy in the form of hot water, chilled water, or steam, distributing that thermal energy in pipelines, and transferring the thermal energy; and (2) "open-loop biomass" for purposes of thermal energy facilities. Defines "thermal energy" as heat (in the form of hot water or steam) or cooling (in the form of chilled water or ice). Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005, with respect to federal requirements for the purchase of renewable energy, to expand the definition of "biomass" and provide a definition of "federal land" and "Indian land." Amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, with respect to the energy sustainability and efficiency grant and loan program for institutions, to: (1) include a not-for-profit district energy system as an institutional entity for purposes of such grant program; (2) increase the amounts of technical assistance grants and grants for efficiency improvement and energy sustainability; and (3) extend the authorization of appropriations for such grant program through FY2015.

Date: 2010-07-21
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Waste-to-Energy Technology Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a 30% energy tax credit for investment in qualified waste-to-energy property. Defines "qualified waste-to-energy property" as property comprising a system that uses municipal solid waste or sewage sludge as the feedstock for producing solid, liquid, or gas fuel, and that is certified by the Secretary of the Treasury as eligible for a credit under this Act. Excludes certain landfill facilities from such definition. Requires the Secretary to establish criteria for awarding certifications for waste-to-energy projects, which shall include: (1) the commercial viability of such projects; (2) whether such projects will provide the greatest net impact in avoiding or reducing air pollutants or anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases; and (3) whether such projects pose the fewest risks (other than climate risks) to environmental and human health.

Date: 2010-07-26
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Renewable Energy Incentive Act - Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to: (1) extend the grant program for investment in renewable energy property, including renewable resources used to produce electricity, and fuel cell, solar, wind, geothermal, and microturbine property, in lieu of tax credits, by extending the placed-in-service deadline for such property through 2012; and (2) expand eligibility for such grants to certain state power utilities and tax-exempt mutual or cooperative electric companies. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow an energy tax credit for investment in qualified solar manufacturing project property; (2) allow a tax credit for the purchase, consolidation, and use of contiguous high solarity disturbed private land to produce solar energy for use in a trade or business; and (3) limit the energy tax credit for solar energy equipment used to generate electricity or heat or cool a structure, as applied to swimming pools, to exclude those located at single-family residences. Defines "qualified solar manufacturing project property" as any tangible personal property purchased to re-equip, expand, or establish a manufacturing facility for producing solar energy equipment to generate electricity.

Date: 2010-07-29
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Clean Renewable Energy Investment Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to tax-exempt new clean renewable energy bonds, to: (1) repeal the national limitation amount for such bonds; (2) allow such unlimited bonds to be issued until January 1, 2014; (3) eliminate the eligibility of governmental bodies for new clean renewable energy bond financing; (4) designate a tribal utility as a clean renewable energy bond lender; and (5) provide that any reimbursements with the proceeds of new clean renewable energy bonds are subject to reimbursement rules applicable to all tax-exempt bonds.

Date: 2010-09-14
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Renewable Energy Investment Incentive Act of 2010 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend until 2019: (1) the tax credit for the production of electricity from renewable resources; and (2) the energy tax credits for solar energy, fuel cell, and qualified small wind property and geothermal heat pump systems. Allows until 2019 a 30% energy tax credit for equipment used to generate electricity by geothermal power. Amends the American Recovery and Reinvestment Tax Act of 2009 to extend beyond 2010 the grant program for alternative and energy property in lieu of the tax credits for such property.

Date: 2010-09-14
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Federal Electricity Cost Savings Act - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to: (1) direct the President, acting through the Secretary of Energy (DOE), to seek to ensure that the total amount of energy (currently, electric energy) that the federal government consumes during any fiscal year shall include specified amounts of renewable energy; and (2) define "renewable energy" to mean energy (currently, electric energy) generated from specified sources. Allows contracts for renewable energy for federal agencies to be made for a period of up to 20 years.

Date: 2010-09-15
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Government operations and politics
Leave Ethanol Volumes at Existing Levels Act or the LEVEL Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to revise the renewable fuel program, including by: (1) redefining "renewable fuel"; (2) reducing the percentage of renewable fuel that is required to be in gasoline sold or introduced into commerce in the United States (from 9% to 5.4% in 2008, 11.1% to 6.1% in 2009, 12.95% to 6.8% in 2010, 13.95% to 7.4% in 2011, and 15.2% to 7.5% in 2012); (3) revoking the renewable fuel standard for 2013-2022; (4) requiring the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to provide to the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an estimate of the volumes of gasoline (currently of transportation fuel, biomass-based diesel, and cellulosic biofuel) projected to be sold or introduced into commerce in the following year; (5) making one gallon of cellulosic biomass ethanol or waste derived ethanol equivalent to 2.5 gallons of renewable fuel; (6) repealing provisions concerning cellulosic biofuel and biomass-based diesel; and (7) repealing a requirement that the Administrator of EPA promulgate fuel regulations to implement measures to mitigate adverse impacts on air quality as the result of renewable fuel requirements. Amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to repeal provisions requiring EPA to report to Congress on current and future impacts of the renewable fuel requirements on environmental issues, resource conservation issues, and the growth and use of cultivated invasive or noxious plants and their impacts on the environment and agriculture. Prohibits the Administrator from permitting or authorizing the introduction into commerce of an ethanol-gasoline blend containing greater than 10% ethanol by volume that is intended for general use in conventional gasoline-powered vehicles or engines. Requires the Administrator to study: (1) the effects of the introduction into commerce of an ethanol-gasoline blend on consumer products; (2) the impact of such blend on engine performance of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles and nonroad engines, emissions from the use of the blend, and materials compatibility and consumer safety issues associated with the use of such blend; and (3) the ability of wholesale and retail gasoline distribution infrastructure to introduce such blend into commerce without widespread misfueling by consumers.

Date: 2010-09-28
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Environmental protection
Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to establish renewable energy pilot programs to provide eligible entities in a participating state with financial and technical assistance to implement renewable energy systems on farms. Requires a participating state to establish a net metering program that measures the difference between electricity supplied by an electric utility and the electricity generated by a net metering customer and fed back to the electric utility over an applicable billing period.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Agriculture and food
Clean, Renewable Jet Fuel Act - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (USDA) to enter into a standby loan agreement with the owners or operators of not more than 10 qualifying jet fuel projects. Defines "qualifying jet fuel project" as a project located in the United States that produces at least 25 million gallons per year of liquid aviation turbine fuel or blending component that: (1) has at least 50% less lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than petroleum; (2) is produced from renewable biomass; and (3) meets, or can be blended to produce a fuel that meets, an American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard for aviation turbine fuels.

Date: 2010-09-29
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Remove Incentives for Producing Ethanol Act of 2010 or the RIPE Act of 2010 - Amends the Clean Air Act to repeal the renewable fuel standard. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to terminate the excise tax credit for alcohol fuel mixtures and the income tax credit for alcohol used as fuel.Amends the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to provide for the duty free treatment for ethyl alcohol or a mixture containing ethyl alcohol if it is to be used as fuel. Applies such treatment to goods entered, or withdrawn from warehouses for consumption, on or after the 15th day after this Act's enactment.

Date: 2010-12-17
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Solar Stimulus for Job Creation and Energy Independence Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) provide for the refundability of the energy tax credit for investment in property used to manufacture solar energy property through 2010; and (2) exempt certain solar energy property from private activity bond usage and loan financing rules.Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to limit to 25 years the contract period for federal purchases of renewable energy.

Date: 2009-01-21
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Biogas Production Incentive Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a business tax credit for the production, sale, or use of biogas. Defines "biogas" as a gas that is derived by processing qualified energy feedstock (i.e., manure of agricultural livestock and other organic agricultural or food industry byproduct waste material) in an anaerobic digester and that contains at least 50% methane. Allows such credit to offset alternative minimum tax (AMT) liability.

Date: 2009-01-22
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Clean Energy Stimulus and Investment Assurance Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a new tax credit for investment in projects for manufacturing alternative energy equipment; (2) allow accelerated depreciation for smart meters and smart grid systems; (3) expand carrybacks and carryforwards of unused business tax credits; (4) extend the tax credit for producing electricity from renewable resources and expand such credit to include the production of thermal energy and zero carbon emissions resource facilities; (5) increase the national limitation for issuance of new clean renewable energy bonds; (6) allow expensing of manufacturing facilities for producing plug-in electric drive motor vehicles; (7) allow a tax credit for the cost of converting motor vehicles into plug-in electric drive motor vehicles; (8) extend through 2010 the tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel; (9) extend through 2014 the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures; (10) increase the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures; (11) allow an energy tax credit through 2016 for qualified energy storage air conditioner property; (12) extend through 2012 the tax credit for new energy efficient homes; (13) increase the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings; (14) increase and extend the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property; (15) allow an energy tax credit for investment in green roofs; and (16) repeal limitations on the energy tax credit for property financed by subsidized energy financing.Authorizes appropriations for: (1) smart grid research and development; (2) the Bonneville Power Administration; (3) the plug-in electric drive motor vehicle program; (4) the energy storage competitiveness program; (5) advanced battery manufacturing; and (6) the energy efficient appliance rebate program and the Energy Star program.Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to allow the federal government to enter into 30-year contracts for the purchase of electricity generated by renewable energy.

Date: 2009-01-26
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require a retail electric supplier to submit to the Secretary of Energy for calendar year 2012 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 calendar years 2012 through 2039, a schedule of graduated annual percentages of a retail electric supplier's base amount that shall be generated from renewable energy resources. Directs the Secretary 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 the Secretary 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 borrowed federal renewable energy credits. Retains 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. Directs the Secretary to arrange with the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate and report to Congress on the program established under this Act. Establishes in the Treasury a state renewable energy account.

Date: 2009-02-12
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require the Secretary of Energy to: (1) designate field or district offices of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Montana, and Wyoming to serve as Renewable Energy Pilot Project Offices for coordination of federal permits for renewable energy projects and transmission lines to integrate renewable energy; and (2) enter into an amended memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Agriculture, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Chief of Engineers to provide for the inclusion of the additional Renewable Energy Pilot Project Offices in the Federal Permit Streamlining Pilot Project.Amends the Mineral Leasing Act to make the BLM Permit Processing Improvement Fund available to the Secretary of the Interior for expenditures for the coordination and processing of oil and gas and renewable energy use authorizations on onshore federal land under the jurisdiction of the Pilot Project Offices.

Date: 2009-03-04
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Western Hemisphere Energy Compact - Directs the Secretary of State (Secretary) to seek to establish the Western Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Forum to: (1) strengthen relationships between the United States and other countries of the Western Hemisphere through cooperation on energy issues; and (2) promote renewable energy production and lessen oil import dependency. Directs the Secretary to seek to implement: (1) an energy crisis initiative; (2) an energy sustainability initiative; (3) an energy for development initiative; and (4) a climate change mitigation and adaptation initiative. Directs the Secretary to seek to establish a Western Hemisphere Energy Industry Group to increase public-private partnerships and foster private investment. Directs the Secretary and the Secretary of Energy to seek to establish an Oil and Gas Working Group to strengthen oil- and natural gas-related dialogue among international oil companies, national oil companies, and civil society groups. Directs the Secretary to work with Brazil to: (1) promote biofuel production and use; (2) invite interested countries to expand global biofuels markets and promote biofuels production and use in developing countries; and (3) assess the feasibility of working with the World Bank and relevant regional development banks regarding biofuels. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to work with Brazil, Canada, and other governments in agricultural biofuel extension activities. Directs the Secretary to: (1) conduct a study to determine the feasibility of increasing biofuel production and use; (2) work with Western Hemisphere governments and other countries to organize regional and hemispheric carbon trading mechanisms; and (3) seek to establish a Western Hemisphere energy crisis response mechanism. Directs the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to seek to increase U.S. foreign assistance programming in renewable energy.

Date: 2009-03-12
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: International affairs
Imported Ethanol Parity Act - Requires the President to: (1) reduce semiannually the temporary duty imposed on ethanol by an amount equal to the reduction in any federal income or excise tax credit for alcohol and ethanol blends used as fuel; and (2) take other necessary actions to ensure that the combined temporary duty and any other duty imposed on ethanol is equal to, or lower than, any federal income or excise tax credit applicable to ethanol.

Date: 2009-03-17
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Foreign trade and international finance
American Renewable Energy Act of 2009 - Amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 to require electric utilities that sell electricity to consumers to generate or purchase a specified percentage (increasing from 2% in 2010 to 25% in 2025) of their electricity from renewable resources (e.g., solar, wind, geothermal, or ocean energy, biomass, landfill gas, solid waste, or hydropower). Instructs the Secretary of Energy to: (1) establish a renewable energy credit trading program to determine compliance of electric utilities with renewable energy standards established by this Act; (2) establish a state renewable energy account program for grants to state agencies to promote renewable energy production (including programs that promote technologies that reduce the use of electricity at customer sites, such as solar water heating); and (3) study and report to Congress on methods to increase transmission line capacity for wind energy development. Authorizes appropriations for the Hollings Manufacturing Partnership Program to reduce barriers to supply chain manufacturing of renewable energy equipment. Amends the Wind Energy Systems Act of 1980 to authorize appropriations for FY2010-FY2014 for wind energy research and training programs. Amends the Internal Revenue Code to exempt taxpayers who invest in wind facilities used to produce electricity from limitations on passive activity losses. Terminates such exemption for taxable years beginning after 2010.

Date: 2009-04-03
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
International Clean Energy Development Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of State to establish a Development and Commercialization Committee on Clean and Efficient Energy Technologies within the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate Program Office of the Department of State. Directs the Committee to: (1) evaluate information on clean and efficient energy technologies; (2) identify, prioritize, and carry out projects for the development and commercialization of clean and efficient energy technologies; and (3) report to the appropriate congressional committees on Committee progress and projects.

Date: 2009-04-21
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: International affairs
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to modify the tax credit for producing electricity from closed or open-loop biomass facilities equipped with a metering device to determine electricity consumption or sale to allow a tax credit after 2008 for electricity produced and consumed at such facilities and to extend the credit period for such production.

Date: 2009-04-22
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Marine Renewable Energy Promotion Act of 2009 - Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish a marine renewable energy research and development program, separate from any DOE wind and hydropower program, focused on: (1) developing new marine renewable energy technologies; (2) reducing the manufacturing and operation costs of such technologies; (3) increasing the reliability and survivability of marine renewable energy facilities; (4) integrating marine renewable energy into the national electric grid; (5) identifying opportunities for cross pollination and development of economies of scale between offshore wind and marine renewable energy sources; (6) identifying the environmental impacts of marine renewable energy and ways to address negative impacts; (7) applying advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to identify critical interfaces and develop open standards for marine renewable energy; (8) transferring the resulting intellectual property to industry stakeholders as public information through published interface definitions, standards, and demonstration projects; and (9) developing incentives for industry to comply with such standards. Requires DOE to establish a marine-based energy device verification program to provide a bridge from the wave, tidal, current, or thermal energy capture device design and development efforts underway across the industry to commercial deployment of marine renewable energy devices. Sets forth as purpose of the Program to fund, facilitate the development and installation of, and evaluate marine renewable energy projects, in partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Marine Sciences Laboratory, and the Sandia National Laboratories in order to: (1) increase marine renewable energy experience; and (2) build and operate enough candidate devices to obtain statistically significant operating and maintenance data. Establishes an Adaptive Management and Environmental Fund to provide grants for complying with requirements through assessment and demonstration of the environmental effects of marine renewable energy projects.

Date: 2009-04-29
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a tax credit for 25%, up to $1,000, of the cost of certain nonroad equipment (e.g., lawn, garden, or forestry power equipment) powered by alternative power sources.

Date: 2009-04-29
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Renewable Energy Permitting Act of 2009 - Directs the Secretary of the Interior to establish and carry out a pilot program in FY2009-FY2018 to improve federal renewable energy permit coordination. Provides for the distribution of solar and wind energy rental income collected by the Bureau of Land Management in specified percentages to: (1) certain states in which such income is derived; (2) the Renewable Energy Permit Processing Improvement Fund; and (3) the Solar Energy Land Reclamation, Restoration, and Mitigation Fund. Authorizes the Secretary to use amounts in such Funds for processing renewable energy permits and for reclaiming and restoring public land used for the production of solar energy. Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to eliminate the five year limitation on the deposit and use of lease revenues under the Geothermal Steam Act of 1970.

Date: 2009-05-07
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Department of Energy Carbon Capture and Sequestration Program Amendments Act of 2009 - Amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to direct the Secretary of Energy to carry out a demonstration program for the commercial application of integrated systems for the capture, injection, monitoring, and long-term geological storage of carbon dioxide from industrial sources. Authorizes the Secretary to enter into cooperative agreements to provide financial and technical assistance to up to 10 demonstration projects. Sets forth requirements for demonstration projects relating to site safety, environmental protection and remediation, and site closure. Directs the Secretary of Energy to provide grants for training of state employees involved in permitting and management of carbon capture, transportation, and storage projects.

Date: 2009-05-07
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the reduction in the rate of the tax credit for producing electricity from open-loop biomass, small irrigation power, landfill gas, trash, hydropower, and marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy facilities.

Date: 2009-05-13
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
America's Low-Carbon Fuel Standard Act of 2009 - Amends the Clean Air Act to replace the renewable fuel program with a low-carbon transportation fuel program beginning on January 1, 2015. Defines "low-carbon fuel" as transportation fuel (including renewable fuel, electricity, hydrogen, and other forms of energy) that achieves a specified percentage of lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions below a baseline established for transportation fuel sold or distributed in 2005. Requires reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels by an increasing percentage of the baseline between 2015 and 2030 (20% in 2015 to 42.5% in 2030). Requires the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set percentages for 2031 and thereafter using specified criteria. Requires 10% of transportation fuel sold or introduced into U.S. commerce in 2015 to be low-carbon fuel. Increases such percentage by 1.5% each year until 2030. Requires the Administrator to determine percentages for 2031 and subsequent years using specified criteria. Authorizes the Administrator to adjust or waive low-carbon fuel requirements under certain conditions. Allows for the generation of credits for excess production of low-carbon fuel and the transfer of such credits to another person for the purpose of complying with low carbon fuel requirements. Requires the Administrator of the Energy Information Administration to assist the EPA Administrator in determining low-carbon fuel requirements by providing an estimate in each year between 2005 and 2021 of the volumes of transportation fuel and low-carbon fuel projected to be sold or introduced into commerce in the United States. Requires the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to perform a market concentration analysis of low-carbon fuel production, import, and distribution industries to determine whether there is sufficient competition among industry participants to avoid price-setting and other anticompetitive behavior.

Date: 2009-05-20
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Environmental protection
Renewable Fuel Standard Improvement Act - Amends the Clean Air Act to: (1) include the Secretaries of Agriculture and Energy in renewable fuel program activities under such Act; (2) require the Secretary of Energy to periodically update the baseline lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions; (3) revise the definition of "biomass-based diesel" to include certain renewable fuel produced after December 19, 2007; (4) revise the definition of "lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions" to base the measurement of such emissions on recent observable data and consideration of regional differences of renewable fuel production, rather than on indirect land use changes; (5) expand the definition of "renewable biomass"; and (6) require a periodic review of adjustments in greenhouse gas reduction levels.

Date: 2009-05-21
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Environmental protection
Grow Research Opportunities With Taxcredits' Help Act or GROWTH Act - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) extend the tax credit for increasing research activities through 2010; (2) modify the rate of such credit and make such modified credit permanent after 2010; and (3) increase to 20% the rate of the alternative simplified research tax credit after 2010.

Date: 2009-06-08
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Algae-based Renewable Fuel Promotion Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) expand the definition of cellulosic biofuel to include algae-based biofuel for purposes of the cellulosic biofuel producer tax credit; and (2) allow accelerated depreciation of property used to produce algae-based biofuel. Defines "algae-based biofuel" as any liquid fuel which is produced from the biomass of an algal organism (i.e., an organism that is primarily aquatic and classified as a non-vascular plant).

Date: 2009-06-11
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Clean Renewable Water Supply Bond Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to provide for the issuance of tax-exempt clean renewable water supply bonds to finance certain water supply technologies, including water recycling, desalination, and groundwater remediation. Establishes a national limitation on the amount of bonds designated as clean renewable water supply bonds for each year between 2009 and 2019.

Date: 2009-06-25
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
New Alternative Transportation to Give Americans Solutions - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow: (1) an excise tax credit through 2019 for alternative fuels and fuel mixtures involving compressed or liquefied natural gas; (2) an modified income tax credit through 2019 for alternative fuel motor vehicles powered by compressed or liquefied natural gas; (3) an offset against the alternative minimum tax (AMT) for tax credits for alternative fuel motor vehicles and refueling property and provide for the transferability of such credits; (4) a tax credit through 2019 for investment in natural gas vehicle project bonds; (5) expensing of property used to manufacture vehicles fueled by compressed or liquefied natural gas; and (6) a tax credit through 2019 for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property relating to compressed or liquefied natural gas. Requires federal agencies to purchase dedicated alternative fuel vehicles for their fleets unless such agencies can show that alternative fuel is unavailable or purchasing such vehicles would be impractical. Authorizes the Secretary of Energy to make grants to manufacturers of light and heavy duty natural gas vehicles for the development of engines that reduce emissions, improve performance and efficiency, and lower cost. Expresses the sense of the Senate that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) should streamline the certification process for natural gas vehicle retrofit kits.

Date: 2009-07-08
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy
Biodiesel Tax Incentive Reform and Extension Act of 2009 - Amends the Internal Revenue Code to revise the income and excise tax credits for biodiesel used as fuel to: (1) allow a $1.00 tax credit for each gallon of biodiesel produced; (2) provide for an increased income tax credit for small biodiesel producers; (3) revise the definitions of "biodiesel" and "small biodiesel producer"; (4) treat renewable diesel in the same manner as biodiesel for income tax purposes; and (5) treat biodiesel as a taxable fuel for excise tax purposes. Extends the biodiesel income and excise tax credits through December 31, 2014.

Date: 2009-08-06
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Taxation
Social Investment and Economic Development for the Americas Act of 2010 - Amends the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 to direct the President, acting through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and working with governments and civil society in the Americas (all the countries of North America, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean), to provide assistance to reduce poverty, expand the middle class, and foster increased economic opportunity by promoting education, improving health and disease prevention, increasing access to income generating activities, reducing crime, generating rural development, reducing poverty and inequality, eliminating the exclusion of marginalized populations, and strengthening the rule of law, governance, and democracy through the establishment of independent judiciaries, efficient processes to adjudicate claims, and effective law enforcement institutions. Authorizes appropriations for debt and equity financing for a Microfinance Growth Fund for the Americas. Directs the Secretary of State to: (1) establish an advisory group on the feasibility of establishing a new public-private Fund for Social and Economic Development in the Americas; (2) conduct a joint study to determine the best strategy for increasing the use of renewable energy sources in the Americas; and (3) work with interested governments in Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico (the Region) to study mechanisms to facilitate regional and hemispheric carbon trading. Authorizes appropriations to USAID: (1) for labor and environmental capacity building activities relating to the implementation of trade promotion agreements; (2) for programs in the Americas to reduce global warming; (3) to support activities in the Region involving adaptation to, and reduction in the negative impact of, environmental changes brought about by global warming and activities promoting sustainable forest management and reduction of deforestation. Expresses support for the establishment of an Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas.

Date: 2009-08-06
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: International affairs
Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology Act of 2009 or the IMPACT Act of 2009 - Amends the National Institute of Standards and Technology Act to: (1) direct the Secretary of Commerce to award grants to states to establish revolving loan funds to provide loans to small and medium-sized manufacturers for producing clean energy technology and energy efficient products and for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing facilities; and (2) include within the activities of Regional Centers for the Transfer of Manufacturing Technology the establishment of a clean energy manufacturing supply chain initiative.

Date: 2009-08-06
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Science, technology, communications
Water Efficiency via Carbon Harvesting and Restoration (WECHAR) Act of 2009 - Requires the Director of the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct resources assessments that collect and synthesize interagency and state data to quantify: (1) invasive plant species and excess biomass (plant matter targeted for removal from public land to promote ecosystem health) in the form of dangerous fuel loads on public land that can be used for feedstock (plant matter or materials that serve as the raw material for the production of biochar and bioenergy); (2) estimated carbon content in that feedstock; (3) estimated potential biochar (charcoal or black carbon derived from organic matter through pyrolysis) and bioenergy (hydrocarbons derived from organic matter through pyrolysis) producible from that feedstock; and (4) potential water savings resulting from removal of invasive plant species and excess biomass on public land, by watershed. Directs the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture to each: (1) establish a program to provide guarantees of loans by private institutions to develop and optimize commercially and technologically viable biochar production units, to produce, respectively, four and two units for deployment to remote landscapes, and for the construction or acquisition of biochar production facilities, provided the loan applicants will be dedicated primarily to contract restoration work with the Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, or Forest Service using pinyon pine and juniper feedstock in the Great Basin, tamarisk feedstock in the Mojave Desert, or excess biomass feedstock, such as trees killed by bark beetle infestations in the Intermountain West; and (2) initiate three-year programs to employ such biochar production units in pilot applications in various U.S. climates and ecosystems. Directs the Secretary of Agriculture to provide competitive grants to conduct research and analysis: (1) to identify attributes and composition profiles of biochar and bioenergy for various uses; (2) to identify potential uses and markets for biochar and bioenergy; (3) relating to environmental benefits and impacts of biochar and bioenergy use; and (4) regarding potential uses of biochar in landscape restoration.

Date: 2009-09-24
Topic: Energy (Alternative & Renewable)
Subject: Energy