1.This Act may be cited as the United
States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act
.
2.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.
3.
(a)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)
(1)Submission of
applicationsTo 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 entitiesThe 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)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)The Secretary may accept contributions of funds from
private sources to carry out this Act.
(e)Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable EnergyThe Secretary shall carry out
this section through the existing programs at the Office of Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy.
(f)
(1)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)
(A)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)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)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.
4.International
Energy Advisory Board
(a)There
is established in the Department of Energy an International Energy Advisory
Board.
(b)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)
(1)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
appointmentsThe initial appointments under paragraph (1) shall
be made not later than 60 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(3)Each
member of the Advisory Board shall be appointed for a term of 4 years.
(4)A
vacancy on the Advisory Board shall be filled in the manner in which the
original appointment was made.
(5)
(A)A
member of the Advisory Board shall serve without pay.
(B)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)Three
members of the Advisory Board shall constitute a quorum.
(7)The
Chairperson of the Advisory Board shall be designated by the Secretary of
Energy at the time of the appointment.
(8)The
Advisory Board shall meet at least once annually at the call of the
Chairperson.
(d)Section
14(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Advisory Committee
Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Advisory Board.
5.In this Act:
(1)The term Advisory Board means the
International Energy Advisory Board established by section 4(a).
(2)The
term BIRD means the Israel-United States Binational Industrial
Research and Development Foundation.
(3)The
term BSF means the United States-Israel Binational Science
Foundation.
(4)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)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)The
term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy, acting through the
Assistant Secretary of Energy for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
6.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.
7.Authorization of
appropriationsThe 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.
1.This Act may be cited as the United
States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act
.
2.Congress finds that—
(1)it is in the highest
national security interests of the United States to develop 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; and
(B)the United States-Israel
Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation;
(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
renewable energy sources; and
(7)enhanced cooperation
between the United States and Israel for the purpose of research and
development of renewable energy sources would be in the national interests of
both countries.
3.
(a)In
implementing the agreement entitled the Agreement between the Department
of Energy of the United States of America and the Ministry of Energy and
Infrastructure of Israel Concerning Energy Cooperation
, dated February
1, 1996, the Secretary of Energy (referred to in this Act as the
Secretary) shall establish a grant program in accordance with the
requirements of sections 988 and 989 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42
U.S.C. 16352, 16353) to support research, development, and commercialization of
renewable energy or energy efficiency.
(b)In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary may make
grants to promote—
(1)solar energy;
(2)biomass energy;
(3)energy efficiency;
(4)wind energy;
(5)geothermal energy;
(6)wave and tidal energy;
and
(7)advanced battery
technology.
(c)An applicant shall be eligible to receive a grant
under this section if the project of the applicant—
(1)addresses a requirement
in the area of improved energy efficiency or renewable energy sources, as
determined by the Secretary; or
(2)is a joint venture
between—
(A)(i)a for-profit business
entity, academic institution, National Laboratory (as defined in section 2 of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), or nonprofit entity in the
United States; and
(ii)a for-profit business
entity, academic institution, or nonprofit entity in Israel; or
(B)(i)the Federal Government;
and
(ii)the Government of
Israel.
(d)To
be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an applicant shall submit to
the Secretary an application for the grant in accordance with procedures
established by the Secretary, in consultation with the advisory board
established under subsection (e).
(e)
(1)The
Secretary shall establish an advisory board—
(A)to monitor the method by
which grants are awarded under this section; and
(B)to provide to the
Secretary periodic performance reviews of actions taken to carry out this
section.
(2)The
advisory board established under paragraph (1) shall be composed of 3 members,
to be appointed by the Secretary, of whom—
(A)1 shall be a
representative of the Federal Government;
(B)1 shall be selected from
a list of nominees provided by the United States-Israel Binational Science
Foundation; and
(C)1 shall be selected from
a list of nominees provided by the United States-Israel Binational Industrial
Research and Development Foundation.
(f)Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, United States
Code, the Secretary may accept, retain, and use funds contributed by any
person, government entity, or organization for purposes of carrying out this
section—
(1)without further
appropriation; and
(2)without fiscal year
limitation.
(g)Not
later than 180 days after the date of completion of a project for which a grant
is provided under this section, the grant recipient shall submit to the
Secretary a report that contains—
(1)a description of the
method by which the recipient used the grant funds; and
(2)an evaluation of the
level of success of each project funded by the grant.
(h)Grants
shall be awarded under this section only for projects that are considered to be
unclassified by both the United States and Israel.
4.The grant program and the advisory committee
established under this Act terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date
of enactment of this Act.
5.Authorization of
appropriationsThe Secretary
shall use amounts authorized to be appropriated under section 931 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16231) to carry out this Act.
Amend the title so as to read:
To authorize funding for eligible joint ventures between United States
and Israeli businesses and academic
persons.
.
September 17, 2007
Reported with an amendment and an amendment to the
title