110 HR 6910 IH: American Innovation Act of U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-16 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 2d Session H. R. 6910 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 16, 2008 Mr. Price of Georgia introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology, and in addition to the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 establish a monetary prize for achievements in overcoming scientific and technical barriers associated with the development and production of alternative fuel vehicles, to remove certain restrictions on the exploration, development, and production of mineral resources on Federal lands, and to use the resulting Federal revenue to fund the monetary prize and reduce the public debt.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the American Innovation Act of 2008.

2.

Definitions

For purposes of this Act: (1)

Eligible contestant

The term eligible contestant means— (A)a citizen or resident alien of the United States; or (B)a private company that is incorporated in the United States and that maintains a primary place of business in the United States. (2)

Outer Continental Shelf

The term Outer Continental Shelf has the meaning given such term in section 2 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1331). (3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.

3.

Alternative Fuel Vehicle Innovation Prize

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall carry out a program to be referred to as the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Innovation Prize to competitively award cash prizes to eligible contestants in conformity with this Act to advance the research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of alterative fuel vehicles. (b)

Advertising and solicitation of competitors

(1)

Advertising

The Secretary shall widely advertise prize competitions to encourage broad participation in the program carried out under subsection (a). (2)

Announcement through Federal Register notice

The Secretary shall announce each prize competition by publishing a notice in the Federal Register. This notice shall include the subject of the competition, the duration of the competition, the eligibility requirements for participation in the competition, the process for participants to register for the competition, the amount of the prize, and the criteria for awarding the prize. (c)

Prizes; Selection criteria

(1)

Grand prize

(A)

In general

There shall be one grand prize of $10,000,000,000. (B)

Prototype requirement

In order to be eligible to receive the grand prize under this section, an eligible contestant must produce a prototype of an alternative fuel vehicle. (C)

Selection criteria

The Secretary shall develop, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the National Science Foundation, criteria on which to select the grand prize winner. Such criteria shall include, at a minimum, the following factors: (i)The extent to which the prototype will reduce the reliance of the United States on foreign sources of energy. (ii)The reduction in fuel costs of operating the prototype compared to a similar non-alternative fuel vehicle. (iii)The extent to which the prototype meets or exceeds Federal safety standards. (iv)Whether the prototype has a fuel economy of at least 100 miles per gallon. (v)The extent to which the prototype limits hazardous emissions compared to a comparable non-alternative fuel vehicle. (vi)The possibility of wide commercial application, including the production of vehicles that are not hindered by lack of refueling infrastructure. (vii)The estimated cost of the prototype, if it were mass-produced, and whether such cost is equivalent to the cost of a comparable non-alternative fuel vehicle. (viii)Whether the prototype could be mass-produced in the United States. (D)

Deadline for awarding grand prize

The Secretary shall set a deadline of not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act for awarding the grand prize. (2)

Additional prizes

(A)

In general

The Secretary may choose to award no more than 5 additional prizes, with such additional prizes having a total combined value of no more than $100,000,000. (B)

Selection criteria

Winners of additional prizes shall be selected based on their demonstration of— (i)Substantial advancements in specific areas of alternative vehicle technologies, components, or systems; or (ii)transformational changes in technology. (C)

Deadline for awarding additional prizes

The Secretary shall set a deadline of not later than 5 years after the date of the enactment of this Act for awarding any additional prizes. (d)

Judging

(1)

In general

The Secretary shall appoint 5 individuals to serve as judges for the purpose of selecting the prize winners under this section. The judges shall select the grand prize winner based on the criteria developed under subsection (c)(1)(C) and shall select any additional prize winners based on the criteria described under subsection (c)(2)(B). (2)

Judge Requirements

In order to be appointed as a judge, an individual may not have a financial interest in any contestant and may not be an employee, officer, director, agent, or family member of any contestant. (e)

Report

Not later than 60 days after all prizes are awarded under this section, the Secretary shall transmit a report to the Congress containing— (1)a list of award recipients; (2)a description of the technologies developed by the award recipients; and (3)a description of the actions being taken toward the commercial application of the technologies developed by the award recipients. (f)

Intellectual property

The Federal Government shall not, by virtue of offering or awarding a prize under this section, be entitled to any intellectual property rights derived as a consequence of, or in direct relation to, the participation by a participant in a competition authorized by this section. This subsection shall not be construed to prevent the Federal Government from negotiating a license for the use of intellectual property developed for a prize competition under this section. The Federal Government may seek assurances that technologies for which prizes are awarded under this section are offered for commercialization in the event an award recipient does not take, or is not expected to take within a reasonable time, effective steps to achieve practical application of the technology. (g)

Waiver of liability

The Secretary may require participants to waive claims against the Federal Government for any injury, death, damage, or loss of property, revenue, or profits arising from the participants' participation in a competition under this section. The Secretary shall give notice of any waiver required under this section in the notice required by subsection (b)(2). (h)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated from the Innovation Trust Fund such sums as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this section.

4.

Innovation Trust Fund

(a)

Establishment

There is established in the Treasury of the United States a trust fund to be known as the Innovation Trust Fund, consisting of such amounts as may be appropriated or credited to the Innovation Trust Fund as provided for in this section. (b)

Transfers to the trust fund

The Secretary of the Treasury shall transfer to the Innovation Trust Fund out of the general fund of the Treasury of the United States amounts equivalent to the funds received in the Treasury that the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, determines are attributable to the exploration for, development of, or production of oil, natural gas, or oil shale located on Federal lands, including submerged lands, in the Outer Continental Shelf or in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. (c)

Investment

(1)

In general

The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest such portion of the Innovation Trust Fund as is not in his judgment required to meet current withdrawals. Such investments may be made only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States. For such purpose, such obligations may be acquired— (A)on original issue at the issue price; or (B)by purchase of outstanding obligations at the market price. (2)

Sale of obligations

Any obligation acquired by the Innovation Trust Fund may be sold by the Secretary of the Treasury at the market price. (3)

Interest on certain proceeds

The interest on, and the proceeds from the sale or redemption of, any obligations held in the Innovation Trust Fund shall be credited to and form a part of the Innovation Trust Fund. (d)

Expenditures from trust fund

Amounts in the Innovation Trust Fund shall be made available, as provided by appropriation Acts— (1)to carry out the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Innovation Prize described in section 3; and (2)to reduce the public debt pursuant to section 5. (e)

Availability

Amounts in the Innovation Trust Fund shall remain available until expended.

5.

Public debt reduction

(a)

In general

The Secretary of the Treasury shall, from time to time, transfer to the special account established by section 3113(d) of title 31, United States Code, amounts in the Innovation Trust Fund that the Secretary of the Treasury determines are not required to carry out the Alternative Fuel Vehicle Innovation Prize under section 3. (b)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated from the Innovation Trust Fund such sums as may be necessary to carry out this section.

6.

Termination of restrictions on oil and natural gas development on certain federal lands

(a)

Outer Continental Shelf

(1)

Termination of laws prohibiting expenditures for natural gas leasing and preleasing activities

All provisions of existing Federal law prohibiting the spending of appropriated funds to conduct oil or natural gas leasing and preleasing activities for any area of the Outer Continental Shelf shall have no force or effect. (2)

Revocation of existing Presidential withdrawals

All existing withdrawals by the President under the authority of section 12 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341) are hereby revoked and are no longer in effect with respect to the leasing of areas for exploration for, and development and production of, oil or natural gas. (3)

Revocation of existing Presidential authority

All authorities given to the President with respect to the leasing of Federal submerged lands of the Outer Continental Shelf, given under section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1341(a)), are hereby revoked, except in the interest of national security or military operations. (b)

Coastal Plain of Alaska

Sections 1002(i) and 1003 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 3142(i) and 3143) are repealed.