[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 883 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 883

To ensure the energy self-sufficiency of the United States by 2011, and 
                          for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 15, 2001

   Mr. Dodd introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
       referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To ensure the energy self-sufficiency of the United States by 2011, 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 ``Energy Independence Act of 2001''.

SEC. 2. DOMESTIC ENERGY SELF-SUFFICIENCY PLAN.

    (a) Strategic Plan.--
            (1) In general.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall develop 
        and submit to Congress a strategic plan to ensure that the 
        United States is energy self-sufficient by the year 2011.
            (2) Recommendations.--The plan developed under paragraph 
        (1) shall include recommendations for legislative and 
        regulatory actions needed to achieve the goal of the plan 
        described in that paragraph.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000.

SEC. 3. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUEL CELL PILOT PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--The Secretary of Energy shall establish a program for 
the acquisition, for use at federally owned or operated facilities, 
of--
            (1) not to exceed 100 commercially available 200 kilowatt 
        fuel cell power plants;
            (2) not to exceed 20 megawatts of power generated from 
        commercially available fuel cell power plants; or
            (3) a combination of the power plants described in 
        paragraphs (1) and (2).
    (b) Funding.--The Secretary shall provide funding and any other 
necessary assistance for the purchase, site engineering, installation, 
startup, training, operation, and maintenance costs associated with the 
acquisition of the power plants under subsection (a).
    (c) Domestic Assembly.--All fuel cell systems and fuel cell stacks 
in power plants acquired, or from which power is acquired, under 
subsection (a) shall be assembled in the United States.
    (d) Site Selection.--In the selection of a federally owned or 
operated facility as a site for the location of a power plant acquired 
under this section, or as a site to receive power acquired under this 
section, priority shall be given to a site with 1 or more of the 
following attributes:
            (1) A location in an area classified as a nonattainment 
        area under title I of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et 
        seq.).
            (2) Computer or electronic operations that are sensitive to 
        power supply disruptions.
            (3) A need for a reliable, uninterrupted power supply.
            (4) A remote location or other factors requiring off-grid 
        power generation.
            (5) Critical manufacturing or other activities that support 
        national security efforts.
    (e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $140,000,000 for the period of 
fiscal years 2002 through 2004.

SEC. 4. PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMS.

    (a) In General.--
            (1) Establishment.--The President, in coordination with the 
        Secretary of Energy, the Secretary of Transportation, the 
        Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of Housing and Urban 
        Development, shall establish a program for the demonstration of 
        fuel cell proton exchange membrane technology in the areas of 
        responsibility of those Secretaries with respect to commercial, 
        residential, and transportation applications, including buses.
            (2) Focus.--The program established under paragraph (1) 
        shall focus specifically on promoting the application of, and 
        improving manufacturing production and processes for, proton 
        exchange membrane fuel cell technology.
            (3) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $140,000,000 
        for the period of fiscal years 2002 through 2004.
    (b) Bus Demonstration Program.--
            (1) Establishment.--The President, in coordination with the 
        Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of Transportation, shall 
        establish a comprehensive proton exchange membrane fuel cell 
        bus demonstration program to address hydrogen production, 
        storage, and use in transit bus applications.
            (2) Components.--The program established under paragraph 
        (1) shall--
                    (A) cover all aspects of the introduction of proton 
                exchange membrane fuel cells; and
                    (B) include provisions for--
                            (i) the development, installation, and 
                        operation of a hydrogen delivery system located 
                        on-site at transit bus terminals;
                            (ii) the development, installation, and 
                        operation of--
                                    (I) on-site storage associated with 
                                the hydrogen delivery systems; and
                                    (II) storage tank systems 
                                incorporated into the structure of a 
                                transit bus;
                            (iii) the demonstration of the use of 
                        hydrogen as a practical, safe, renewable energy 
                        source in a highly efficient, zero-emission 
                        power system for buses;
                            (iv) the development of a hydrogen proton 
                        exchange membrane fuel cell power system that 
                        is confirmed and verified as being compatible 
                        with transit bus application requirements;
                            (v) durability testing of the fuel cell bus 
                        at a national testing facility;
                            (vi) the identification and implementation 
                        of necessary codes and standards for the safe 
                        use of hydrogen as a fuel suitable for bus 
                        application, including the fuel cell power 
                        system and related operational facilities;
                            (vii) the identification and implementation 
                        of maintenance and overhaul requirements for 
                        hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cell 
                        transit buses; and
                            (viii) the completion of a fleet vehicle 
                        evaluation program by bus operators along 
                        normal transit routes to provide equipment 
                        manufacturers and transit operators with the 
                        necessary analyses to enable operation of the 
                        hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cell bus 
                        under a range of operating environments.
            (3) Domestic assembly.--All fuel cell systems and fuel cell 
        stacks in power plants acquired, or from which power is 
        acquired, under paragraph (1) shall be assembled in the United 
        States.
            (4) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized 
        to be appropriated to carry out this subsection $150,000,000 
        for the period of fiscal years 2002 through 2004.

SEC. 5. FEDERAL VEHICLES.

    (a) In General.--The head of each agency of the Federal Government 
that maintains a fleet of motor vehicles shall develop, implement by 
not later than October 1, 2006, and carry out through September 30, 
2011, a plan for a transition of the fleet to vehicles powered by fuel 
cell technology.
    (b) Requirements of Plan.--A plan developed under subsection (a) 
shall--
            (1) incorporate and build on the results of completed and 
        ongoing Federal demonstration programs, including the program 
        established under section 4; and
            (2) include additional demonstration programs and pilot 
        programs as the head of the applicable agency determines to be 
        necessary to test or investigate available technologies and 
        transition procedures.

SEC. 6. LIFE-CYCLE COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS.

    Any life-cycle cost benefit analysis carried out by a Federal 
agency under this Act that concerns an investment in a product, a 
service, construction, or any other project shall include an analysis 
of environmental and power reliability factors.

SEC. 7. STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT INCENTIVES.

    (a) Grant Program.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary of Energy shall establish a 
        program for to make grants to State or local governments for 
        the use of fuel cell technology in meeting energy requirements 
        of the State or local governments, including the use of fuel 
        cell technology as a source of power for motor vehicles.
            (2) Cost sharing.--The Federal share of the cost of any 
        project or activity funded with a grant under this section 
        shall not exceed 90 percent.
    (b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
appropriated to carry out this section $110,000,000 for each of fiscal 
years 2002 through 2006.
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