[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 838 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 838

To authorize funding for eligible joint ventures between United States 
     and Israeli businesses and academic persons, to establish the 
      International Energy Advisory Board, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 12, 2007

Mr. Smith (for himself, Mr. Bingaman, and Ms. Landrieu) introduced the 
 following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 
                      Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize funding for eligible joint ventures between United States 
     and Israeli businesses and academic persons, to establish the 
      International Energy Advisory Board, 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 ``United States-Israel Energy 
Cooperation Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) it is in the highest national security interests of the 
        United States to develop alternative renewable energy sources;
            (2) the State of Israel is a steadfast ally of the United 
        States;
            (3) the special relationship between the United States and 
        Israel is manifested in a variety of cooperative scientific 
        research and development programs, such as--
                    (A) the United States-Israel Binational Science 
                Foundation (BSF); and
                    (B) the United States-Israel Binational Industrial 
                Research and Development Foundation (BIRD);
            (4) those programs have made possible many scientific, 
        technological, and commercial breakthroughs in the fields of 
        life sciences, medicine, bioengineering, agriculture, 
        biotechnology, communications, and others;
            (5) on February 1, 1996, the Secretary of Energy and the 
        Israeli Minister of Energy and Infrastructure signed an 
        agreement to establish a framework for collaboration between 
        the United States and Israel in energy research and development 
        activities;
            (6) Israeli scientists and engineers are at the forefront 
        of research and development in the field of alternative 
        renewable energy sources; and
            (7) enhanced cooperation between the United States and 
        Israel for the purpose of research and development of 
        alternative renewable energy sources would be in the national 
        interests of both countries.

SEC. 3. GRANT PROGRAM.

    (a) Authority.--Pursuant to the responsibilities described in 
section 102(10), (14), and (17) of the Department of Energy 
Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7112(10), (14), and (17)) and section 
103(9) of the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C. 5813(9)), 
the Secretary, in consultation with the BIRD or BSF, shall award grants 
to eligible entities.
    (b) Application.--
            (1) Submission of applications.--To receive a grant under 
        this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to 
        the Secretary containing such information and assurances as the 
        Secretary, in consultation with the BIRD or BSF, may require.
            (2) Selection of eligible entities.--The Secretary, in 
        consultation with the Directors of the BIRD and BSF, may review 
        any application submitted by any eligible entity and select any 
        eligible entity meeting criteria established by the Secretary, 
        in consultation with the Advisory Board, for a grant under this 
        section.
    (c) Amount of Grant.--The amount of each grant awarded for a fiscal 
year under this section shall be determined by the Secretary, in 
consultation with the BIRD or BSF.
    (d) Private Funds.--The Secretary may accept contributions of funds 
from private sources to carry out this Act.
    (e) Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.--The 
Secretary shall carry out this section through the existing programs at 
the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
    (f) Research Administration.--
            (1) In general.--The requirements of sections 988 and 989 
        of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352 and 16353) 
        shall apply to any grant made under this section.
            (2) Repayment.--
                    (A) In general.--Any funds repaid to the BIRD by a 
                grantee for a grant made under this section shall be--
                            (i) transferred to the Secretary;
                            (ii) deposited by the Secretary into the 
                        Energy Research and Development Activities Fund 
                        established in subparagraph (B); and
                            (iii) available to the Secretary for use 
                        for alternative renewable energy research and 
                        development activities.
                    (B) Revolving fund.--There is established in the 
                Treasury of the United States a revolving fund known as 
                the Energy Research and Development Activities Fund. 
                Any amounts deposited in the Fund pursuant to clause 
                (ii) of subparagraph (A) shall be available to the 
                Secretary, without fiscal year limitation or further 
                appropriation, for the purpose described in clause 
                (iii) of such subparagraph.
    (g) Report.--Not later than 180 days after the completion of work 
supported by a grant under this section, each recipient shall submit a 
report to the Secretary--
            (1) documenting how the recipient used the grant funds; and
            (2) evaluating the level of success of each project funded 
        by the grant.

SEC. 4. INTERNATIONAL ENERGY ADVISORY BOARD.

    (a) Establishment.--There is established in the Department of 
Energy an International Energy Advisory Board.
    (b) Duties.--The Advisory Board shall advise the Secretary on--
            (1) criteria for the recipients of grants awarded under 
        section 3(a);
            (2) the total amount of grant money to be awarded to all 
        grantees selected by the Secretary, in consultation with the 
        BIRD; and
            (3) the total amount of grant money to be awarded to all 
        grantees selected by the Secretary, in consultation with the 
        BSF, for each fiscal year.
    (c) Membership.--
            (1) Composition.--The Advisory Board shall be composed of--
                    (A) 1 member appointed by the Secretary of 
                Commerce;
                    (B) 2 members appointed by the Secretary of Energy; 
                and
                    (C) 2 members who shall be Israeli citizens, 
                appointed by the Secretary of Energy after consultation 
                with appropriate officials in the Israeli Government.
            (2) Deadline for appointments.--The initial appointments 
        under paragraph (1) shall be made not later than 60 days after 
        the date of enactment of this Act.
            (3) Term.--Each member of the Advisory Board shall be 
        appointed for a term of 4 years.
            (4) Vacancies.--A vacancy on the Advisory Board shall be 
        filled in the manner in which the original appointment was 
        made.
            (5) Basic pay.--
                    (A) Compensation.--A member of the Advisory Board 
                shall serve without pay.
                    (B) Travel expenses.--Each member of the Advisory 
                Board shall receive travel expenses, including per diem 
                in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable 
                provisions of subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, 
                United States Code.
            (6) Quorum.--Three members of the Advisory Board shall 
        constitute a quorum.
            (7) Chairperson.--The Chairperson of the Advisory Board 
        shall be designated by the Secretary of Energy at the time of 
        the appointment.
            (8) Meetings.--The Advisory Board shall meet at least once 
        annually at the call of the Chairperson.
    (d) Termination.--Section 14(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory Board.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Advisory board.--The term ``Advisory Board'' means the 
        International Energy Advisory Board established by section 
        4(a).
            (2) BIRD.--The term ``BIRD'' means the Israel-United States 
        Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation.
            (3) BSF.--The term ``BSF'' means the United States-Israel 
        Binational Science Foundation.
            (4) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means a 
        joint venture comprised of both Israeli and United States 
        private business entities or a joint venture comprised of both 
        Israeli academic persons (who reside and work in Israel) and 
        United States academic persons, that--
                    (A) carries out an eligible project; and
                    (B) is selected by the Secretary, in consultation 
                with the BIRD or BSF, using the criteria established by 
                the Secretary, in consultation with the Advisory Board.
            (5) Eligible project.--The term ``eligible project'' means 
        a project to encourage cooperation between the United States 
        and Israel on research, development, or commercialization of 
        alternative energy, improved energy efficiency, or renewable 
        energy sources.
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy, acting through the Assistant Secretary of Energy for 
        Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.

SEC. 6. TERMINATION.

    The grant program authorized under section 3 and the Advisory Board 
shall terminate upon the expiration of the 7-year period which begins 
on the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    The Secretary is authorized to expend not more than $20,000,000 to 
carry out this Act for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2014 from 
funds previously authorized to the Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy.
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