[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 579 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 579

    To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of 
technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of 
the insular areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States 
 through the development of action plans aimed at reducing reliance on 
  imported fossil fuels and increasing use of indigenous clean-energy 
                   resources, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 9, 2011

  Mrs. Christensen (for herself, Ms. Bordallo, Mr. Faleomavaega, Mr. 
  Pierluisi, and Mr. Sablan) introduced the following bill; which was 
            referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
    To require the Secretary of the Interior to assemble a team of 
technical, policy, and financial experts to address the energy needs of 
the insular areas of the United States and the Freely Associated States 
 through the development of action plans aimed at reducing reliance on 
  imported fossil fuels and increasing use of indigenous clean-energy 
                   resources, 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. INSULAR AREAS AND FREELY ASSOCIATED STATES ENERGY 
              DEVELOPMENT.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Comprehensive energy plan.--The term ``comprehensive 
        energy plan'' means a comprehensive energy plan prepared and 
        updated under subsections (c) and (e) of section 604 of the Act 
        entitled ``An Act to authorize appropriations for certain 
        insular areas of the United States, and for other purposes'', 
        approved December 24, 1980 (48 U.S.C. 1492).
            (2) Energy action plan.--The term ``energy action plan'' 
        means the plan required by subsection (d).
            (3) Freely associated states.--The term ``Freely Associated 
        States'' means the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic 
        of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau.
            (4) Insular areas.--The term ``insular areas'' means 
        American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
        Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Virgin 
        Islands.
            (5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of the Interior.
            (6) Team.--The term ``team'' means the team established by 
        the Secretary under subsection (b).
    (b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a team of 
technical, policy, and financial experts--
            (1) to develop an energy action plan addressing the energy 
        needs of each of the insular areas and Freely Associated 
        States; and
            (2) to assist each of the insular areas and Freely 
        Associated States in implementing such plan.
    (c) Participation of Regional Utility Organizations.--In 
establishing the team, the Secretary shall consider including regional 
utility organizations.
    (d) Energy Action Plan.--In accordance with subsection (b), the 
energy action plan shall include--
            (1) recommendations, based on the comprehensive energy plan 
        where applicable, to--
                    (A) reduce reliance and expenditures on imported 
                fossil fuels;
                    (B) develop indigenous, nonfossil fuel energy 
                sources; and
                    (C) improve performance of energy infrastructure 
                and overall energy efficiency;
            (2) a schedule for implementation of such recommendations 
        and identification and prioritization of specific projects;
            (3) a financial and engineering plan for implementing and 
        sustaining projects; and
            (4) benchmarks for measuring progress toward 
        implementation.
    (e) Reports to Secretary.--Not later than 1 year after the date on 
which the Secretary establishes the team and annually thereafter, the 
team shall submit to the Secretary a report detailing progress made in 
fulfilling its charge and in implementing the energy action plan.
    (f) Annual Reports to Congress.--Not later than 30 days after the 
date on which the Secretary receives a report submitted by the team 
under subsection (e), the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate 
committees of Congress a summary of the report of the team.
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