[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4553 Introduced in House (IH)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4553

To authorize appropriations for fossil energy research and development 
     programs at the Department of Energy, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2014

   Mr. McKinley (for himself, Mr. Rahall, Mrs. Capito, Mr. Barr, Mr. 
    Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Doyle, Mr. Enyart, and Mr. Cramer) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                     Science, Space, and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To authorize appropriations for fossil energy research and development 
     programs at the Department of Energy, 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 ``Fossil Energy Encouragement and 
Accountability Act of 2014''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) the United States depends on fossil resources for over 
        80 percent of its energy needs;
            (2) the Department of Energy's Fossil Energy Research and 
        Development program focuses on developing affordable, safe, and 
        clean mechanisms to enhance and utilize domestic fossil energy 
        resources in the most efficient manner;
            (3) the investment in this program supports an existing 
        research and development portfolio of over 1,000 projects that 
        includes nearly $7 billion in private sector-contributed costs 
        and that represents over 55,000 job years;
            (4) the Fossil Energy Research and Development program is 
        responsible for developing innovative control technologies that 
        are now in operation on three out of every four coal-burning 
        power plants in the United States;
            (5) as a result of these technology innovations, emissions 
        of criterion pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen 
        oxide have decreased by an average of 85 percent, which 
        eliminated problems associated with acid rain;
            (6) hydraulic fracturing of natural gas shale is a product 
        of research and technological innovations initiated under the 
        Department of Energy's Fossil Energy Research and Development 
        program;
            (7) the Fossil Energy Research and Development program is 
        currently developing advanced technologies to support a 
        competitive future for our low-cost coal and gas resources for 
        use in power generation and industrial applications;
            (8) these advanced technologies will support new power 
        platforms of the future that will be highly efficient, 
        including technologies such as ultra supercritical materials 
        production, advanced gas turbines, gasification platforms that 
        can also enable the expansion of domestic fuels, the liquids 
        and chemical industry, and advanced energy platforms including 
        pressured oxycoal combustion and chemical looping; and
            (9) it is important that the Department of Energy continue 
        to develop these technologies and have sufficient funds to 
        ensure that a diverse portfolio of options are available to 
        ensure that the United States can compete in a clean energy 
        future, one which will include significant fossil fuel 
        resources.

SEC. 3. FOSSIL ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy 
for fiscal year 2015 for fossil energy research and development 
$734,000,000, of which--
            (1) $435,000,000 shall be for coal research and 
        development;
            (2) $171,000,000 shall be for program direction;
            (3) $100,000,000 shall be for natural gas and oil research 
        and development;
            (4) $17,000,000 shall be for plant and capital equipment; 
        and
            (5) $11,000,000 shall be for environmental restoration.

SEC. 4. NATIONAL ENERGY TECHNOLOGY LABORATORY.

    None of the funds authorized by section 2 may be used to--
            (1) transform any element of the National Energy Technology 
        Laboratory into a government-owned, contractor-operated 
        laboratory, or to consider or plan for any such transformation;
            (2) consolidate or close any element of the National Energy 
        Technology Laboratory; or
            (3) transfer National Energy Technology Laboratory human 
        resources functions from any laboratory.
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