[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2141 Introduced in House (IH)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2141

  To require electric generation facilities owned and operated by the 
    Department of Defense in the Western United States to generate 
  electricity and to conserve energy in electric emergencies, and for 
                            other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 12, 2001

 Mr. Thompson of California (for himself, Ms. Harman, Ms. Solis, Mrs. 
   Capps, Ms. Pelosi, Mrs. Davis of California, Ms. Woolsey, and Mr. 
   Filner) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Energy 
    and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the 
  Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall 
           within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To require electric generation facilities owned and operated by the 
    Department of Defense in the Western United States to generate 
  electricity and to conserve energy in electric emergencies, and for 
                            other purposes.

    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 ``Department of Defense Energy 
Reduction Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) The term ``qualified electric generator'' means any 
        electric facility (other than a hydroelectric generation 
        facility) owned or operated by the United States Department of 
        Defense and located at a fixed location in the western region.
            (2) The term ``western region'' means that portion of the 
        United States that is encompassed by the Western Systems 
        Coordinating Council of the North American Electric Reliability 
        Council.

SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF GENERATION.

    (a) Presidential Authorization.--In order to assist in relieving 
energy demand during electric power emergencies in the western region, 
the President shall authorize the Secretary of Defense to use all 
qualified electric generators in the western region during such 
emergencies to generate electric energy for facilities of the 
Department of Defense or to provide additional electric energy for sale 
at cost (as determined by the Secretary) to other persons for 
consumption or for resale. The Secretary shall use generators that have 
the least adverse environmental effects before using generators that 
have more adverse environmental effects.
    (b) Reimbursement of Costs.--No electric energy may be sold by the 
Secretary under this section unless the Secretary determines that there 
is an adequate assurance the United States will be reimbursed for the 
full cost of such electric energy. Notwithstanding sections 1341 and 
3302 of title 31 of the United States Code or any other provision of 
law, all proceeds of any sale of electric energy under this section 
shall be retained by the Secretary of Defense, and such amounts shall 
be available without further appropriation to the Secretary to pay the 
costs incurred by the Secretary for generating the electric energy 
concerned. The authority of this section shall terminate on the date 2 
years after the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. MOBILE GENERATORS.

    The President shall direct the Secretary of Defense to immediately 
develop plan for the deployment of available mobile electric generation 
facilities owned or operated by the Department of Defense in the event 
of energy emergencies. Such plan shall--
            (1) include the identification and preparation of sites and 
        the interconnection facilities to permit their operation in an 
        environmentally and operationally optimal manner;
            (2) assure that units remain available for deployment in 
        least-cost ways from the current locations to areas where 
        electric emergencies may occur;
            (3) coordinate with the Western Systems Coordinating 
        Council (WSCC) to develop operational and management agreements 
        to provide the WSCC with maximum flexibility regarding the use 
        of such facilities in California;
            (4) summarize actions required by the State and Federal 
        governments to deploy and provide compensation for the use of 
        these units; and
            (5) develop environmental proposals or arrangements to 
        allow these facilities to be used in a State experiencing an 
        electric emergency.

SEC. 5. COORDINATION.

    In issuing an authorization under section 3 and developing a plan 
under section 4, the President shall coordinate with the Western 
Systems Coordinating Council of the North American Electric Reliability 
Council. In order to minimize any public health risk associated with 
the use of qualified Federal electric generation facilities, the 
President shall coordinate such authorization with State and local air 
quality management agencies.

SEC. 6. ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES.

    The Secretary of Defense shall require all facilities under the 
Secretary's jurisdiction in the western region to reduce energy 
consumption by eliminating non-essential activities that use 
significant amounts of electric energy to the extent that such 
reduction does not jeopardize military readiness or public health and 
safety and will not result in lay-offs of military or civilian 
personnel.

SEC. 7. MILITARY READINESS.

    The President may exclude from the coverage of this Act any 
electric generation facility in order to ensure military readiness or 
to ensure that such facility is available to respond to natural 
disasters. If the President determines to exclude any electric 
generation facility from use under this subsection, the President shall 
submit, within 30 days after such determination, a report to Congress 
regarding such exclusion, together with an explanation of the reasons 
for such determination.
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