[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8961 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8961

  To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a 
     study on Federal agency use of renewable energy certificates.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              July 9, 2024

 Ms. Brownley introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
               Committee on Oversight and Accountability

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To direct the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct a 
     study on Federal agency use of renewable energy certificates.

    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 ``Renewable Energy Certificate Study 
Act of 2024''.

SEC. 2. RENEWABLE ENERGY CERTIFICATES STUDY.

    (a) In General.--The Comptroller General of the United States shall 
conduct a study of the use of renewable energy certificates by Federal 
agencies.
    (b) Consideration.--In conducting the study under subsection (a), 
the Comptroller General shall evaluate--
            (1) the extent to which the aggregate market demand for 
        each type of renewable energy certificate, or other energy 
        attribute certificate, leads to new investments in renewable 
        energy generation capacity relative to scenarios in which such 
        demand is absent;
            (2) the progress Federal agencies have made towards 
        complying with Executive Order 14057 (85 Fed. Reg 70935; 
        relating to catalyzing clean energy industries and jobs through 
        Federal sustainability), regarding the directives of such 
        Executive Order for energy procurement and compliance with 
        existing statutory requirements, by using--
                    (A) renewable energy certificates, including the 
                progress made by using each type of renewable energy 
                certificate; and
                    (B) approaches other than renewable energy 
                certificates;
            (3) whether renewable energy certificates, power purchase 
        agreements, or onsite renewables, could be used by Federal 
        agencies to meet the requirements of Executive Order 14057 and 
        section 203 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15852), 
        and the trade-offs of using one such form of compliance over 
        the others, including--
                    (A) the difference in the average cost of each form 
                of compliance to Federal agencies; and
                    (B) the risk to Federal agencies of becoming 
                noncompliant with Executive Order 14057 and section 203 
                of the Energy Policy Act for each form of compliance;
            (4) the average cost Federal agencies have incurred by 
        using renewable energy certificates to fund--
                    (A) existing renewable energy projects; and
                    (B) new renewable energy projects that otherwise 
                would not have been implemented without the sale of 
                renewable energy certificates; and
            (5) the average cost Federal agencies would incur by only 
        using renewable energy certificates, power purchase agreements, 
        or onsite renewables to fund new renewable energy projects.
    (c) Report.--The Comptroller General shall submit to Congress a 
report--
            (1) detailing the findings of the study conducted under 
        subsection (a); and
            (2) providing recommendations for legislation and 
        administrative action, the Comptroller General considers 
        appropriate, to improve the impact the renewable energy 
        certificates market has on Federal Government investments in 
        renewable energy generation.
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