[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1806 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1806

To provide for the consolidation of the Office of Fossil Energy and the 
 Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency of the Department of 
                                Energy.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 5, 1997

   Mr. Doyle (for himself, Mr. Calvert, Mr. Brown of California, Mr. 
Roemer, Mr. Mollohan, Mr. Coyne, Mr. Coburn, Mr. Gordon, Mr. Klink, Mr. 
Mascara, Mr. Ney, Mr. Foley, Ms. Lofgren, Mr. English of Pennsylvania, 
and Mr. Rohrabacher) introduced the following bill; which was referred 
                      to the Committee on Science

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To provide for the consolidation of the Office of Fossil Energy and the 
 Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency of the Department of 
                                Energy.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the Department of Energy's Office of Fossil Energy and 
        Office of Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency are 
        organizationally similar in most areas, using such procedures 
        as project management, contract authority, grants and contract 
        utilization, and in-house research and development to meet the 
        energy research needs of the United States;
            (2) the goals of these offices are similar, and the energy 
        technology missions and objectives overlap in areas such as 
        advanced materials, biomass, alternative fuels, high-
        temperature superconductivity, and hydrogen;
            (3) a unified organizational structure for these offices 
        could provide appropriate direction and oversight of their 
        programmatic work;
            (4) a unified organizational structure provides 
        opportunities to eliminate duplicate work, improve program 
        integration, and achieve savings in such crosscutting areas as 
        program planning, policy analysis, external communications, and 
        administrative services;
            (5) these efficiencies can be achieved without compromising 
        the Department's in-house research and development activities; 
        and
            (6) better use could be made of the resources available in 
        the field offices of these energy offices, improving 
        collaboration and clarifying the distinction between 
        operational issues and programmatic issues.

SEC. 2. CONSOLIDATION.

    (a) Requirement.--Before October 1, 1998, the Secretary of Energy 
shall consolidate the Office of Fossil Energy and the Office of 
Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency into an Office of Energy 
Technology. Such consolidation shall be carried out in a manner that 
minimizes delay and disruption to ongoing energy research, development, 
and demonstration programs.
    (b) Administrative Consolidation.--Through increased efficiencies 
resulting from the elimination of duplication of functions in such 
areas as program planning, policy analysis, external communications, 
and administrative services, the consolidation carried out under 
subsection (a) shall result by October 1, 1998, in a reduction by 25 of 
the number of headquarters employees, determined on a full-time 
equivalent basis, as compared to personnel levels on the date of the 
enactment of this Act at the headquarters of the two offices being 
consolidated.
    (c) Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology.--(1) There shall be 
appointed an Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Technology, whose 
duties shall include the preparation and transmittal to Congress of the 
documents required under section 3, and the direction and supervision 
of the Office of Energy Technology established pursuant to this 
section.
    (2) Section 203(a) of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 
U.S.C. 7133(a)) is amended by striking ``eight'' and inserting in lieu 
thereof ``seven''.

SEC. 3. POLICY AND PROGRAM PLANS.

    The Assistant Secretary for Energy Technology shall, within 6 
months after the date of the enactment of this Act, prepare and 
transmit to the Congress--
            (1) a strategic plan and policy agenda for the Office of 
        Energy Technology; and
            (2) a multiyear program plan for that Office for fiscal 
        years 1999 through 2003, including a comprehensive strategy for 
        increasing the use of resources available in field offices.
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