110 HR 1300 IH: PROGRESS U.S. House of Representatives 2007-03-01 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

I 110th CONGRESS 1st Session H. R. 1300 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 1, 2007 Mr. Hoyer (for himself, Mr. Clyburn, Mr. Dingell, Mr. Oberstar, Mr. Skelton, Mr. Gordon of Tennessee, Mr. Frank of Massachusetts, Mr. Filner, Mr. Lantos, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Ackerman, Mr. Allen, Mr. Altmire, Mr. Arcuri, Ms. Bean, Ms. Berkley, Mr. Berman, Mr. Berry, Mr. Bishop of Georgia, Mr. Bishop of New York, Mr. Blumenauer, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Boucher, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mr. Cardoza, Mr. Carnahan, Ms. Carson, Mr. Cleaver, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Cummings, Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Mrs. Davis of California, Mr. DeFazio, Ms. DeGette, Mr. Delahunt, Ms. DeLauro, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Engel, Mr. Etheridge, Mr. Fattah, Ms. Giffords, Mr. Gonzalez, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Hastings of Florida, Ms. Herseth, Mr. Higgins, Mr. Hinchey, Mr. Holt, Mr. Honda, Mr. Israel, Mr. Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Kind, Mr. Kucinich, Mr. Larsen of Washington, Mr. Levin, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mr. Lipinski, Mrs. Maloney of New York, Ms. Matsui, Mrs. McCarthy of New York, Ms. McCollum of Minnesota, Mr. McGovern, Mr. McIntyre, Mr. McNerney, Mr. Miller of North Carolina, Mr. Moran of Virginia, Mrs. Napolitano, Ms. Norton, Mr. Payne, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Pomeroy, Mr. Price of North Carolina, Mr. Ross, Mr. Rothman, Mr. Ruppersberger, Mr. Sarbanes, Mr. Schiff, Ms. Schwartz, Mr. Scott of Georgia, Mr. Scott of Virginia, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Sires, Mr. Smith of Washington, Mr. Snyder, Mr. Stupak, Ms. Sutton, Mrs. Tauscher, Mr. Tierney, Mr. Towns, Mr. Udall of Colorado, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. Walz of Minnesota, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Ms. Watson, and Mr. Wynn) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Armed Services, Oversight and Government Reform, Rules, Science and Technology, Ways and Means, House Administration, and Transportation and Infrastructure, 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 strengthen national security and promote energy independence by reducing the Nation’s reliance on foreign oil, improving vehicle technology and efficiency, increasing the distribution of alternative fuels, bolstering rail infrastructure, and expanding access to public transit.

1.

Short title; table of contents

(a)

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Program for Real Energy Security Act or the PROGRESS Act. (b)

Table of contents

The table of contents of this Act is as follows: Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. Sec. 2. Findings. Title I—National Commission on Energy Security and Transition to New Fuels Sec. 101. Establishment. Sec. 102. Duties of Commission. Sec. 103. Membership. Sec. 104. Initial meeting. Sec. 105. Administrative assistance. Sec. 106. Powers of Commission. Sec. 107. Reports. Sec. 108. Action on report recommendations. Sec. 109. Termination. Title II—New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles Sec. 201. Findings. Sec. 202. Definitions. Sec. 203. New Manhattan Center for High Efficiency Vehicles. Sec. 204. Advisory council. Sec. 205. Responsibilities. Sec. 206. Export of high-efficiency vehicle manufacturing. Sec. 207. Protection of information. Sec. 208. Authorization on appropriations. Sec. 209. Advanced battery loan guarantee program. Sec. 210. Domestic manufacturing conversion grant program. Title III—Biofuels Infrastructure Development Sec. 301. Biofuels infrastructure development. Title IV—Government Use and Diversity of Supply Sec. 401. Renewable fuel regulations. Sec. 402. Grants for cellulosic ethanol production. Sec. 403. Standard specifications for biodiesel. Sec. 404. Requirement for greater use of alternative fuels in Federal fleet. Sec. 405. Requirement for Inspector General investigations relating to alternative fuel use and supply in Federal agencies and regulations. Sec. 406. Report on vehicles and infrastructure for alternative fuel use. Sec. 407. Funds set aside for alternative fuel infrastructure. Sec. 408. Authority for Department of Defense to enter into long-term contracts to procure biobased fuel and unconventional fuel. Sec. 409. Federal support for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Sec. 410. Congressional alternative fuel use in vehicles. Title V—Transit Promotion and Rail Infrastructure Development Subtitle A—Transit Sec. 501. Increase and expansion of employer-provided mass transit fringe benefits. Sec. 502. Grants to improve public transportation services. Sec. 503. Study of fuel savings from intelligent transportation systems. Subtitle B—Secure Access for Commuter Rail Sec. 511. Short title. Sec. 512. Findings. Sec. 513. Rail transit access. Sec. 514. Rail transportation policy. Subtitle C—Intercity Passenger Rail and Rail Bond Program Sec. 521. Capital assistance for intercity passenger rail service; State rail plans. Sec. 522. State rail plans. Sec. 523. Rail cooperative research program. Sec. 524. High-speed intercity rail facility bonds. Sec. 525. Tax credit to holders of qualified high-speed rail infrastructure bonds. Subtitle D—Energy Supply and Freight Rail Sec. 531. Short title. Sec. 532. Capital grants for railroad track. Subtitle E—Rail Reliability Sec. 541. Reliability of railroad transportation of energy supplies.

2.

Findings

The Congress finds the following: (1)The United States dependence on foreign petroleum poses a serious risk to our national security and our economic well-being. The United States must immediately develop a proactive energy strategy that includes the promotion of energy efficiency and the investment in alternative and new energy technologies. (2)America should achieve energy independence by reducing its reliance on oil from the Middle East and other unstable regions of the world by developing emerging technologies that work in synergy with the existing energy infrastructure. A sustained investment in research and development is crucial to creating cutting-edge technologies that allow us to develop clean, sustainable energy alternatives and capitalize on America’s vast renewable natural resources. (3)The Federal Government should lead the Nation in an effort to substantially reduce the use of petroleum based fuels by rapidly expanding production and distribution of synthetic and biobased fuels, such as ethanol derived from cellulosic sources, and by deploying new engine technologies for fuel-flexible, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and biodiesel vehicles. (4)The Nation will be more secure by making a concerted effort to improve the diversity and reliability of the Nation’s energy resources and transportation fuels. We must make greater investments in renewable energy, alternative fuels such as biomass, and efficiency improvements to answer our growing demand for energy. (5)The Federal Government should undertake a complete review of regulations that may affect supply and bottlenecks that create regional emergencies that threaten the well-being of our economy and the health and safety of our citizens. We must make every effort to use all of our energy sources, making each a cleaner, safer contributor to the Nation’s energy resources. (6)Despite the expenditure of billions of dollars on homeland security since 9/11, the American people are still vulnerable to attack by terrorists at home. Recent natural disasters have also underscored the vulnerability and critical importance of energy supply to the Nation’s economic vitality. Our energy facilities, transportation systems, and critical infrastructure must be adequately secured. (7)Not only must our energy infrastructure be secured, but Americans must feel safe in utilizing mass transit systems. Transit provides an alternative form of commuting, reduces the use of oil and gasoline, and plays a key role in moving Americans and their families in times of emergencies as well. Increasing security for mass transit through additional funding for rail, bus, and subway security is part of the Nation’s energy security.