[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 160 (Monday, October 22, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H11820-H11822]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
INDUSTRIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 3775) to support research and development of new industrial
processes and technologies that optimize energy efficiency and
environmental performance, utilize diverse sources of energy, and
increase economic competitiveness, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
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H.R. 3775
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 ``Industrial Energy Efficiency
Research and Development Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Energy Information Administration's
2006 Annual Energy Review, the industrial sector in 2006
accounted for more energy use (32 percent) than the
residential (21 percent), commercial (18 percent), or
transportation sector (29 percent).
(2) The primary energy intensive industries vital to
maintaining our country's infrastructure and economic and
national security include steel, chemicals, metal casting,
forest products, glass, aluminum, petroleum refining, and
mining, as well as other energy intensive manufacturers.
(3) The Department of Energy has demonstrated the success
of public-private partnerships with these industries
resulting in research, development, and deployment of new
energy efficient technologies which reduce emissions and
improve manufacturing competitiveness.
(4) Innovations in manufacturing processes within these
industries may be translated into efficiency improvements in
buildings, transportation, and other economic sectors that
depend upon these industries.
(5) While past public-private partnerships have resulted in
significant energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing
processes, there is a need for new technologies to achieve
continual energy efficiency improvements.
(6) Innovations made in the last few decades assisted the
United States in remaining competitive in the global market.
Continued innovation in the areas of energy efficiency and
feedstock diversification are necessary to enable the United
States to maintain a competitive edge.
(7) The Department of Energy should continue collaborative
efforts with industry, particularly the manufacturing sector,
to broaden and accelerate the high-risk research and
development of new manufacturing processes that optimize
energy efficiency and utilize diverse sources of energy.
(8) These partnerships support critical research and
development capabilities at universities and other research
institutions while training future generations of engineers
in critical areas of energy systems and efficient industrial
process technologies for our domestic industries.
SEC. 3. INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this Act
referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a program,
in cooperation with energy-intensive industries, trade and
industry research collaborations representing such
industries, and institutions of higher education--
(1) to conduct energy research, development, demonstration,
and commercial application activities with respect to new
industrial and commercial processes, technologies, and
methods to--
(A) achieve substantial improvements in energy efficiency;
and
(B) enhance the economic competitiveness of the United
States industrial sector; and
(2) to conduct environmental research and development with
respect to new industrial and commercial processes,
technologies, and methods to achieve environmental
performance improvements such as waste reduction, emissions
reductions, and more efficient water use.
(b) Program Activities.--Research, development,
demonstration, and commercial application activities under
this section may include--
(1) activities to support the development and use of
technologies and processes that improve the quality and
quantity of feedstocks recovered or recycled from process and
waste streams;
(2) research to meet manufacturing feedstock requirements
with alternative resources;
(3) research to develop and demonstrate technologies and
processes that utilize alternative energy sources to supply
heat, power, and new feedstocks for energy-intensive
industries;
(4) research to achieve energy efficiency in steam, power,
control system, and process heat technologies, and in other
manufacturing processes; and
(5) a program to fund research, development, and
demonstration relating to inventors' and small companies'
technology proposals, based on energy savings potential,
commercial viability, and technical merit.
(c) Competitive Awards.--All awards under this section
shall be made on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
(d) Coordination and Nonduplication.--The Secretary shall,
coordinate efforts under this section with other programs of
the Department and other Federal agencies, to avoid
duplication of effort.
(e) Annual Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, and once every 2 years thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the
activities conducted pursuant to this Act, including--
(1) a description of the activities used to facilitate
cooperation with energy-intensive industries, universities,
and other participants in the program; and
(2) a description of ongoing projects and new projects
initiated, and the anticipated energy savings associated with
achievement of each project's goals.
SEC. 4. UNIVERSITY-BASED INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT
CENTERS.
To strengthen the program under section 3, the Secretary
shall provide funding to university-based industrial research
and assessment centers, whose purpose shall be--
(1) to identify opportunities for optimizing energy
efficiency and environmental performance;
(2) to promote application of emerging concepts and
technologies in small and medium-sized manufacturers;
(3) to promote the research and development for usage of
alternative energy sources to supply heat, power, and new
feedstocks for energy intensive industries;
(4) to coordinate with appropriate State research offices,
and provide a clearinghouse for industrial process and energy
efficiency technical assistance resources; and
(5) to coordinate with State-accredited technical training
centers and community colleges, while ensuring appropriate
services to all regions of the United States.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to
carry out this Act $150,000,000 for each of the fiscal years
2009 through 2013.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Lampson) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extraneous material on H.R. 3775, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I'm pleased that the House will consider my bill today, H.R. 3775,
the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act. I first
wish to thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for
their support in crafting this legislation, especially Ranking Members
Inglis and Hall, who worked with me on this bill which highlights the
critical need for research into technologies that improve industrial
energy efficiency.
An expanding economy and growing population ensure that demand for
energy will continue to grow, making energy conservation a key national
goal. In the United States, industry is responsible for more than one-
third of all energy consumed. Heavy industries such as chemical, glass
and metals production, mining, petroleum, refining, and forest and
paper products all require very large amounts of energy, making them
particularly susceptible to high energy prices. Therefore, these and
other energy-intensive U.S. industries are ideal candidates on which to
focus Federal research and development efforts and apply new
technologies to increase efficiency, raise productivity, reduce wastes,
trim costs, and ultimately make them more competitive in a global
market.
I'm very familiar with the difficulties these industries face. Texas
has the highest percentage of large energy-intensive industries, 8
percent of the U.S. total. Over half the energy used in Texas is
consumed by the industrial sector. There is significant pressure to
reduce the emissions and energy use associated with their processes,
while keeping costs low enough to maintain the region's attractiveness
to industry. That's a tall order when costs for natural gas, one of the
primary industrial feedstocks, are among the highest in the country.
The Industrial Technologies Program, ITP, at the Department of
Energy, works to improve the energy intensity of U.S. industry through
coordinated, cost-shared research and development. The ITP is
considered one of the most effective Department of Energy programs,
transferring over 170 technologies to the commercial market, improving
an estimated 13,000 U.S. manufacturing plants, and saving nearly 5
quadrillion Btus of energy, or approximately $23 billion in energy
since its inception. That's significant.
The ITP also sponsors university-based Industrial Assessment Centers,
which utilize engineering faculty and students to provide no-cost
energy assessments, mostly to small and medium-sized manufacturers.
These centers serve as valuable preparation for
[[Page H11822]]
the next generation of energy and industrial engineers, training almost
250 students per year.
The Industrial Technologies Program has suffered dramatic budget cuts
in recent years, dropping to just one-third of the funding levels of
2001. And this reflects a dramatic and untimely shift in priorities
away from industrial efficiency research and development.
So H.R. 3775 authorizes and expands the Department of Energy's
Industrial Technology Program through better coordination of
interdepartmental research, enhancement of the industrial assessment
centers program at universities, and support of more research and
development of new innovations and technologies that improve the energy
efficiency and environmental performance of most energy-intensive
manufacturing processes.
This legislation is needed to ensure continued gains in these areas
through research and development that makes the U.S. industry more
competitive and enhances the quality of life for American workers,
their families and the communities that they serve.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Inglis for working to make this a better
bill. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3775.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3775, the
Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007, and
I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The industrial sector of our economy is currently the largest user of
energy. According to the Department of Energy's Energy Information
Administration, the industrial sector consumed 32 percent of the
Nation's energy in 2006. While the industrial sector has made
impressive efficiency gains since 1980, more is needed and more can be
done.
The Department of Energy currently runs the Industrial Technology
Programs, ITP, whose mission it is to improve the energy intensity of
the United States industrial sector, whose industries include aluminum,
chemicals, forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum
refining and steel. The ITP program engages in partnerships with
industry to conduct research and development into energy efficiency
technologies, as well as demonstrating those technologies and
transferring them to the marketplace. The program has been very
successful in its efforts with over 140 projects reaching the
commercial market.
The ITP also conducts energy assessments, to help industrial
manufacturers of all sizes, through both its Save Energy Now and
university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, IACs. The Save Energy
Now program completed 265 assessments that identified energy savings of
more than $585 million per year.
The IACs serve a dual role, aiding small and medium-sized business to
reduce their energy costs and the training of university students who
will take the efficiency knowledge they have learned and apply it in
the workforce.
The bill before us today will ensure that ITP's beneficial work will
continue to help the industrial sector reduce its cost, which not only
helps them remain globally competitive while allowing them to keep
their operations in the United States of America. Further, the ITP aids
our country's goal of reducing our dependence on foreign sources of
energy by improving this critical sector's use of energy.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMPSON. Thank you for your words, Mr. Reichert. Certainly this
is important. It's something that can make a significant difference to
what we're doing for the world and for industry in the United States of
America, to make sure that we are kept competitive.
There's so many things, whether it is using waste to pelletize wood
into new kinds of fuel, whether it is solar, water, any of the many
things, wind, that we're doing and to encourage to make these things
possible is something that is very important to me.
Mr. Speaker, I will insert the following letters into the Record.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC, October 22, 2007.
Hon. Bart Gordon,
Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, Washington,
DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I write with regard to H.R. 3775, the
Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of
2007. I know it is your wish for the bill to be considered on
the House floor as soon as possible.
Some of the provisions in the bill are of jurisdictional
interest to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I am not,
however, raising the issue with the Speaker because it is my
understanding that you have agreed that the referral and
consideration of the bill do not in any way serve as a
jurisdictional precedent as to our two committees.
I request that you send to me a letter confirming our
agreement and that our exchange of letters be included in
your Committee's report on the bill and inserted in the
Congressional Record as part of the consideration of the
bill.
Please call me if you would like to discuss this matter
further.
Sincerely,
John D. Dingell,
Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Science and
Technology,
Washington, DC, October 22, 2007.
Hon. John D. Dingell,
Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding the
referral and consideration of H.R. 3775, the Industrial
Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007. I
appreciate your support of this important legislation.
I recognize your Committee's jurisdictional interest in
this area, and I agree that the inaction of the Committee on
Energy and Commerce with respect to the bill does not in any
way serve as a jurisdictional precedent as to our two
committees. The exchange of letters between our two
committees will be placed in the Committee's report on H.R.
3775 and in the Congressional Record during consideration of
the bill.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Bart Gordon,
Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I don't have further comments to be made, and so if the
gentleman is prepared to yield back his time, then I am ready to do so
as well.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Permutter). The question is on the
motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) that the House
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3775, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________