[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 3315 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 3315

  To establish a voucher program for the purchase and installation of 
   emission reducing technologies for Class 8 trucks, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 15, 2023

  Mr. Peters (for himself and Mr. Ricketts) introduced the following 
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To establish a voucher program for the purchase and installation of 
   emission reducing technologies for Class 8 trucks, 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 ``Supporting Trucking Efficiency and 
Emission Reductions Act'' or the ``STEER Act''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Class 8 truck.--The term ``Class 8 truck'' means a 
        vehicle with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 33,000 
        pounds.
            (2) Covered expenditure.--The term ``covered expenditure'' 
        means an expense that is associated with the purchase and 
        installation of an emission reducing active technology, 
        including--
                    (A) the cost of an emission reducing active 
                technology; and
                    (B) material and labor costs associated with the 
                installation of an emission reducing active technology.
            (3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means an 
        applicant to which a voucher under the program may be made 
        available, including--
                    (A) an individual;
                    (B) a State or local government;
                    (C) a private entity;
                    (D) a not-for-profit entity;
                    (E) a nonprofit entity; and
                    (F) such other applicants the Secretary determines 
                to be appropriate.
            (4) Emission reducing active technology.--The term 
        ``emission reducing active technology'' means any physical 
        alterations of a Class 8 truck that can be installed as a 
        retrofit and that adapts automatically to control vehicle 
        performance factors and improve fuel efficiency, including--
                    (A) active aerodynamics;
                    (B) active rolling resistance;
                    (C) dynamic axle lift control;
                    (D) non-auxiliary power unit active idle reduction; 
                and
                    (E) such other emerging improvements as the 
                Secretary determines to be appropriate.
            (5) Program.--The term ``program'' means the program 
        established under section 3(a).
            (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.

SEC. 3. VOUCHER PROGRAM FOR EMISSION REDUCING TECHNOLOGIES ON CLASS 8 
              TRUCKS.

    (a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a program to award 
vouchers for covered expenditures associated with retrofitting emission 
reducing active technologies on Class 8 trucks.
    (b) Program Requirements.--
            (1) Eligible technologies.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 150 days after the 
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall 
                publish and maintain on the Department of Energy 
                internet website a list of emission reducing active 
                technologies that are eligible for the program, 
                including biodiesel, electrification, ethanol, and 
                hydrogen fuel cells.
                    (B) Updates.--The Secretary may add to, or 
                otherwise revise, the list of emission reducing active 
                technologies under subparagraph (A) if the Secretary 
                determines that an addition or revision will likely 
                lead to--
                            (i) greater usage of emission reducing 
                        active technologies; or
                            (ii) greater access to emission reducing 
                        active technologies by users.
                    (C) Location requirement.--To be eligible for the 
                program, the emission reducing active technologies 
                described in subparagraph (A) shall be installed in the 
                United States.
            (2) Application.--
                    (A) In general.--To be eligible to receive a 
                voucher under the program, an eligible entity shall 
                submit to the Secretary an application, which shall 
                include--
                            (i) the estimated cost of covered 
                        expenditures to be expended on the emission 
                        reducing active technologies that are eligible 
                        under paragraph (1);
                            (ii) the estimated installation cost of the 
                        emission reducing active technologies that are 
                        eligible under paragraph (1);
                            (iii) the global positioning system 
                        location, including the integer number of 
                        degrees, minutes, and seconds, where emission 
                        reducing active technologies are to be 
                        installed;
                            (iv) the technical specifications of 
                        emission reducing active technologies; and
                            (v) any other information determined by the 
                        Secretary to be necessary for a complete 
                        application.
                    (B) Review process.--The Secretary shall review an 
                application for a voucher under the program and approve 
                an eligible entity to receive a voucher if the 
                application meets the requirements of the program under 
                this subsection.
                    (C) Notification to eligible entity.--Not later 
                than 90 days after the date on which an eligible entity 
                applies for a voucher under the program, the Secretary 
                shall notify the eligible entity whether the eligible 
                entity will be awarded a voucher under the program 
                following the submission of additional materials 
                required under paragraph (4)(B).
            (3) Voucher amount.--The amount of a voucher awarded under 
        the program for covered expenditures for each emission reducing 
        active technology shall cover--
                    (A) in the case of a fleet operating not more than 
                10 Class 8 trucks, the lesser of $4,000 and 75 percent 
                of total covered expenditures per unit;
                    (B) in the case of a fleet operating more than 10 
                Class 8 trucks and not more than 50 Class 8 trucks, the 
                lesser of $3,500 and 72.5 percent of total covered 
                expenditures per unit;
                    (C) in the case of a fleet operating more than 50 
                Class 8 trucks and not more than 100 Class 8 trucks, 
                the lesser of $3,000 and 70 percent of total covered 
                expenditures per unit; and
                    (D) in the case of a fleet operating not less than 
                101 Class 8 trucks, the lesser of $2,500 and 67.5 
                percent of total covered expenditures per unit.
            (4) Disbursement of voucher.--
                    (A) In general.--After approval under paragraph 
                (2)(B) of an application submitted by an eligible 
                entity, the Secretary shall disburse a voucher to the 
                eligible entity not later than 90 days after the date 
                on which the eligible entity submits the materials 
                required under subparagraph (B).
                    (B) Materials required for disbursement of 
                voucher.--Not later than 1 year after the date on which 
                an eligible entity receives notice under paragraph 
                (2)(C) that the eligible entity has been approved for a 
                voucher, that eligible entity shall submit to the 
                Secretary--
                            (i) a record of payment for covered 
                        expenses expended on the installation of the 
                        emission reducing active technologies that are 
                        eligible under paragraph (1);
                            (ii) a record of payment for the emission 
                        reducing active technologies that are eligible 
                        under paragraph (1);
                            (iii) the global positioning system 
                        location of where emission reducing active 
                        technologies were installed;
                            (iv) the technical specifications of the 
                        emission reducing active technologies that are 
                        eligible under paragraph (1); and
                            (v) any other information determined by the 
                        Secretary to be necessary.
    (c) Report.--Not later than 3 years after the first date on which 
the Secretary awards a voucher under the program, the Secretary shall 
submit a report describing the number of vouchers awarded under 
subsection (b) to--
            (1) the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
        Senate; and
            (2) the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of 
        Representatives.
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