HR 2313 RH
Union Calendar No. 121
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2313
[Report No. 110-202]
To establish research, development, demonstration, and commercial
application programs for marine renewable energy technologies.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 15, 2007
Ms. HOOLEY introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Science and Technology
June 21, 2007
Additional sponsors: Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr. INSLEE, Mr. MCDERMOTT, Mr. HONDA,
Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. BLUMENAUER, Ms. CASTOR, Mr. WU, and Mr. MILLER of North
Carolina
June 21, 2007
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in
italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on May 15,
2007]
A BILL
To establish research, development, demonstration, and commercial
application programs for marine renewable energy technologies.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the `Marine Renewable Energy Research and
Development Act of 2007'.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) The United States has a critical national interest in developing
clean, domestic, renewable sources of energy in order to reduce
environmental impacts of energy production, increase national security,
improve public health, and bolster economic stability.
(2) Marine renewable energy technologies are a nonemitting source of
power production.
(3) Marine renewable energy may serve as an alternative to fossil
fuels and create thousands of new jobs within the United States.
(4) Europe has already successfully delivered electricity to the
grid through the deployment of wave and tidal energy devices off the coast
of Scotland.
(5) Recent studies from the Electric Power Research Institute, in
conjunction with the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy
Laboratory, have identified an abundance of viable sites within the United
States with ample wave and tidal resources to be harnessed by marine power
technologies.
(6) Sustained and expanded research, development, demonstration, and
commercial application programs are needed to locate and characterize marine
renewable energy resources, and to develop the technologies that will enable
their widespread commercial development.
(7) Federal support is critical to reduce the financial risk
associated with developing new marine renewable energy technologies, thereby
encouraging the private sector investment necessary to make marine renewable
energy resources commercially viable as a source of electric power and for
other applications.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
For purposes of this Act--
(1) MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY- The term `Marine Renewable Energy'
means energy derived from one or more of the following sources:
(D) Ocean thermal energy conversion.
(2) SECRETARY- The term `Secretary' means the Secretary of
Energy.
SEC. 4. MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General- The Secretary, in conjunction with other appropriate
agencies, shall support programs of research, development, demonstration, and
commercial application to expand marine renewable energy production, including
programs to--
(1) study and compare existing marine renewable energy extraction
technologies;
(2) research, develop, and demonstrate advanced marine renewable
energy systems and technologies;
(3) reduce the manufacturing and operation costs of marine renewable
energy technologies;
(4) investigate efficient and reliable integration with the utility
grid and intermittency issues;
(5) advance wave forecasting technologies;
(6) conduct experimental and numerical modeling for optimization of
marine energy conversion devices and arrays;
(7) increase the reliability and survivability of marine renewable
energy technologies, including development of corrosive-resistant
materials;
(8) study, in conjunction with the Assistant Administrator for
Research and Development of the Environmental Protection Agency, the
Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere, and other Federal
agencies as appropriate, the environmental impacts of marine renewable
energy technologies and ways to address adverse impacts, and provide public
information concerning technologies and other means available for monitoring
and determining environmental impacts;
(9) establish protocols, in conjunction with the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, for how the ocean community may best
interact with marine renewable energy devices;
(10) develop power measurement standards for marine renewable
energy;
(11) develop identification standards for marine renewable energy
devices;
(12) address standards development, demonstration, and technology
transfer for advanced systems engineering and system integration methods to
identify critical interfaces; and
(13) utilize marine resources in the Gulf of Mexico, the Atlantic
Ocean, and the Pacific Ocean.
(b) Siting Criteria- The Secretary, in conjunction with other
appropriate Federal agencies, shall develop, prior to installation of any
technologies under this section, siting criteria for marine renewable energy
generation demonstration and commercial application projects funded under this
Act.
SEC. 5. NATIONAL MARINE RENEWABLE ENERGY RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND
DEMONSTRATION CENTERS.
(a) Centers- The Secretary, acting through the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory, shall award grants to institutions of higher education (or
consortia thereof) for the establishment of 1 or more National Marine
Renewable Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Centers. In
selecting locations for Centers, the Secretary shall consider sites that meet
one of the following criteria:
(1) Hosts an existing marine renewable energy research and
development program in coordination with a public university engineering
program.
(2) Has proven expertise to support environmental and policy-related
issues associated with harnessing of energy in the marine
environment.
(3) Has access to and utilizes the marine resources in the Gulf of
Mexico, the Atlantic Ocean, or the Pacific Ocean.
The Secretary may give special consideration to historically black
colleges and universities and land grant universities that also meet one of
these criteria. In establishing criteria for the selection of Centers, the
Secretary shall coordinate with the Undersecretary of Commerce for Oceans and
Atmosphere on the criteria related to advancing wave forecasting technologies,
studying the compatibility with the environment of marine renewable energy
technologies and systems, and establishing protocols for how the ocean
community best interacts with marine renewable energy devices and
parks.
(b) Purposes- The Centers shall advance research, development,
demonstration, and commercial application of marine renewable energy through a
number of initiatives including for the purposes described in section 4(1)
through (13), and shall serve as an information clearinghouse for the marine
renewable energy industry, collecting and disseminating information on best
practices in all areas related to developing and managing enhanced marine
renewable energy systems resources.
(c) Demonstration of Need- When applying for a grant under this
section, an applicant shall include a description of why Federal support is
necessary for the Center, including evidence that the research of the Center
will not be conducted in the absence of Federal support.
SEC. 6. APPLICABILITY OF OTHER LAWS.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed as waiving the applicability of
any requirement under any environmental or other Federal or State law.
SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out
this Act $50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2008 through 2012, except
that no funds shall be appropriated under this section for activities that are
receiving funds under section 931(a)(2)(E)(i) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 16231(a)(2)(E)(i)).
Union Calendar No. 121
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2313
[Report No. 110-202]
A BILL
To establish research, development, demonstration, and commercial application
programs for marine renewable energy technologies.
June 21, 2007
Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole
House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
END