[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5349 Introduced in House (IH)]

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114th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 5349

      To reduce government-imposed obstacles to profitability and 
            accessibility for new electric energy projects.


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                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 26, 2016

  Mr. Knight introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
 Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the 
 Committees on Energy and Commerce and Natural Resources, for a period 
    to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for 
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the 
                          committee concerned

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                                 A BILL


 
      To reduce government-imposed obstacles to profitability and 
            accessibility for new electric energy projects.

    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 ``Energy Contracting Opportunities 
Act''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF CONTRACT PERIODS FOR ENERGY.

    Section 501(b)(1)(B) of title 40, United States Code, is amended to 
read as follows:
                    ``(B) Public utility contracts.--
                            ``(i) In general.--Except as provided in 
                        clause (ii), a contract for public utility 
                        services may be made for a period of not more 
                        than 10 years.
                            ``(ii) Energy contracts.--A contract may be 
                        made for a period of not more than 30 years for 
                        the acquisition of renewable energy or energy 
                        from cogeneration facilities.''.

SEC. 3. EFFECT OF ENERGY PROJECTS ON BIRDS.

    (a) Study.--The Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the 
Interior shall establish, or designate and modify as necessary, an 
interagency working group to study the effects that the development of 
the various sectors of the energy industry has had on bird populations. 
Such study shall analyze--
            (1) baseline avian populations and mortality; and
            (2) the quantifiable impacts of energy projects on birds, 
        relative to other threats to birds.
    (b) Public Availability.--Not later than 2 years after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the 
Interior shall make the results of such study publicly available on the 
websites of their respective Departments.
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