[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 83 Received in Senate (RDS)]

113th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                 H. R. 83


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 16, 2014

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    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 energy action plans aimed at promoting 
  access to affordable, reliable energy, including 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 energy action plans addressing the 
        immediate, near-term, and long-term energy and environmental 
        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 an energy action plan.
    (c) Participation of Regional Utility Organizations.--In 
establishing the team, the Secretary shall consider including regional 
utility organizations.
    (d) Energy Action Plans.--In accordance with subsection (b), the 
energy action plans shall include--
            (1) recommendations, based on the comprehensive energy plan 
        where applicable, to--
                    (A) promote access to affordable, reliable energy;
                    (B) develop indigenous, nonfossil fuel energy 
                resources; 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 plans.
    (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.
    (g) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be appropriated 
for the purpose of carrying out this section, and this section shall be 
carried out using amounts otherwise available for such purpose.

            Passed the House of Representatives September 15, 2014.

            Attest:

                                                 KAREN L. HAAS,

                                                                 Clerk.