[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 166 (Thursday, September 24, 2020)]
[Daily Digest]
[Pages D847-D852]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                        House of Representatives


Chamber Action
Public Bills and Resolutions Introduced: 33 public bills, H.R. 8366-
8398; and 5 resolutions, H.J. Res. 95; and H. Res. 1148-1151 were 
introduced.                                              
  Pages H4957-58
Additional Cosponsors:                                   
  Pages H4959-60
Reports Filed: Reports were filed today as follows:
  H.R. 5126, to require individuals fishing for Gulf reef fish to use 
certain descending devices, and for other purposes, with an amendment 
(H. Rept. 116-531);
  H.R. 2075, to amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize 
school-based health centers, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 116-532);
  H.R. 8225, to amend title 18, United States Code, to prohibit certain 
types of fraud in the provision of immigration services, and for other 
purposes (H. Rept. 116-533);
  H.R. 8124, to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide for 
transportation and subsistence for criminal justice defendants, and for 
other purposes (H. Rept. 116-534);
  H.R. 6813, to amend the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act to 
improve the prevention of elder abuse and exploitation of individuals 
with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (H. Rept. 116-535);
  H.R. 7718, to address the health needs of incarcerated women related 
to pregnancy and childbirth, and for other purposes (H. Rept. 116-536); 
and
  H.R. 8134, to support the Consumer Product Safety Commission's 
capability to protect consumers from unsafe consumer products, and for 
other purposes (H. Rept. 116-537).                       
Pages H4956-57
Speaker: Read a letter from the Speaker wherein she appointed 
Representative Cuellar to act as Speaker pro tempore for today. 
                                                             Page H4887
Recess: The House recessed at 10:28 a.m. and reconvened at 11 a.m. 
                                                             Page H4896
Expanding Access to Sustainable Energy Act: The House passed H.R. 4447, 
to establish an energy storage and microgrid grant and technical 
assistance program, by a yea-and-nay vote of 220 yeas to 185 nays, Roll 
No. 206. Consideration began yesterday, September 23rd. 
                                                      Pages H4898-H4949
  Rejected the Lucas motion to recommit the bill to the Committee on 
Energy and Commerce with instructions to report the same back to the 
House forthwith with an amendment, by a yea-and-nay vote of 193 yeas to 
214 nays, Roll No. 205.                                  
Pages H4947-49
Agreed to:
  DeGette en bloc amendment No. 2 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 116-528: Barragan (No. 2) that 
establishes a $1 billion dollar a year Climate Smart Ports program at 
EPA to provide grants for ports and port users to invest in zero 
emissions technology for cargo handling equipment, drayage trucks, and 
harbor craft; program also supports the development of shore power and 
clean energy microgrids at ports; Barragan (No. 3) that increases the 
authorized appropriation by $40,000,000 for FY 2021-2030 for the EPA's 
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program, Environmental Justice 
Collaborative Problem-Solving Cooperative Agreement Program, and 
Community Action for a Renewed Environment grant programs I and II; 
Barragan (No. 4) that increases authorized appropriation levels by 
$100,000,000 for the Weatherization Assistance Program for Fiscal Year 
2021-2025; Barragan (No. 5) that establishes a climate justice grants 
program, administered by EPA, to provide local government and community 
non-profit grants to environmental justice communities for climate 
mitigation and climate adaptation projects; authorized appropriation is 
$1 billion a year for FY 2021-2025; Barragan (No. 6) that increases

[[Page D848]]

the authorized appropriation by $50 million a year for FY 2021-2025 for 
the low-income solar grant program in Subtitle D; Blunt Rochester (No. 
7) that funds clean energy and energy efficiency upgrades to critical 
infrastructure, like schools and hospitals; Brown (No. 8) that 
prohibits the use of certain hazardous substances linked to respiratory 
sensitization and asthma in thermal insulating materials for low income 
housing weatherization; Burgess (No. 9) that requires the Secretary of 
Energy to certify that this legislation will not reduce the United 
States' energy security or energy independence; Burgess (No. 10) that 
requires the Secretary of Energy to certify that this legislation will 
not increase electric rates or gasoline prices; Burgess (No. 11) that 
requires the Secretary of Interior to report to Congress on the use of 
forced labor practices to extract critical minerals from foreign 
sources for export to the United States; Clarke (NY) (No. 16) that 
establishes a pilot program within the Environmental Protection Agency 
to award funds in the form of grants, rebates and low-cost revolving 
loans to projects that either (1) replace an existing diesel-powered 
transport refrigeration unit in a heavy-duty vehicle with an electric 
unit; or (2) purchase and install shore power infrastructure or related 
equipment that enables electric transport refrigeration units to 
operate on grid electricity at places where refrigerated heavy-duty 
vehicles congregate, such as distribution centers; Cleaver (No. 17) 
that directs the Secretary of Energy to establish a grant program for 
tree planting to reduce residential energy consumption; the Secretary 
should award sufficient grants each year to plant not less than 300,000 
trees a year until 2025; DeGette (No. 19) that requires EPA to identify 
100 environmental justice communities overburdened by pollution 
violations and implement strategies for ending the violations; Delgado 
(No. 20) that requires the Department of Labor and the Department of 
Energy to project the current and future workforce needs and shortages 
within the clean energy technology industry; DeSaulnier (No. 21) that 
establishes a Department of Energy, in coordination with the Department 
of Labor, grant program for local communities to develop transition 
plans for their fossil fuel workforce to more sustainable jobs or 
sectors; Dingell (No. 22) that amends the Energy Policy and 
Conservation Act to modify and make technical changes to the definition 
of water heater under energy conservation standards; Finkenauer (No. 
25) that provides labor standards for clean energy projects being 
funded in whole or in part by provisions of this bill; Golden (No. 27) 
that incorporates biomass systems into the Distributed Renewable Energy 
section of the bill, as well as the energy workforce development and 
grant program sections; Haaland (No. 31) that ensures that the HA-LEU 
program created in the bill will not negatively impact the natural or 
cultural resources of Tribal communities or Native Nations or degrade 
ground or surface water quality as a result of uranium mining; Hayes 
(No. 35) that amends Section 6201, the Reauthorization of the Clean 
School Bus Program; reserves $100 million of $130 million per fiscal 
year between 2021-2025 for awards to eligible recipients proposing to 
replace school buses with zero-emission school buses; Hayes (No. 36) 
that ensures nothing in this bill would affect the safety and well 
being of children in carrying out the projects, programs, and other 
applicable items in this Act or affect the enforcement of child labor 
and forced labor laws; Huffman (No. 37) that ensures that harmed Indian 
Tribes have an opportunity to address the Klamath Hydroelectric 
Project's historic and ongoing damages to tribal and fishery resources, 
and that any annual license includes comprehensive studies of the 
facility's impacts; Kuster (NH) (No. 38) that doubles funding to 
$40,000,000 for the Energy Workforce Development program, which will 
help schools and workforce programs train the next generation of energy 
workers; Lee (NV) (No. 43) that amends subtitle C of Title II to 
facilitate a streamlined process for the local permitting of 
distributed energy systems; Levin (MI) (No. 44) that amends various 
programs under subtitle E-EV Infrastructure by expanding on the 
definition of ``underserved or disadvantaged community used under this 
subtitle; ensuring EV supply equipment listed as eligible for the 
rebate program is ADA compliant; requiring identification of nearby 
existing publicly available EV supply equipment in the EV 
infrastructure rebate program application; requiring the Secretary of 
Energy in developing standards for an electric vehicle charging network 
to provide considerations for addressing range anxiety and the need for 
a nationwide network of EV charging infrastructure; and ensuring State 
Energy Transportation Plans include considerations for statewide 
networks of EV charging infrastructure and modernization to electric 
grids to be powered by renewable energy sources; Levin (MI) (No. 45) 
that directs the Secretary of Labor, in consultation with the Secretary 
of Energy, and acting through the Bureau of Labor statistics to collect 
and analyze labor market data to track workforce trends resulting from 
renewable energy and energy efficiency technology initiatives; 
authorizes appropriations of $10,000,000 for each fiscal years 2021 
through 2025 to carry out this section; Loebsack (No. 48) that 
establishes a grant program within DOE for the purpose of making energy 
efficiency and renewable energy improvements at public school 
facilities; Lujan (No. 52) that supports the growth of local solar 
energy by making community

[[Page D849]]

solar more accessible to all consumers and ratepayers, including lower-
income consumers, by requiring states to consider enacting policies to 
allow community solar projects; Norcross (No. 55) that creates a rebate 
program for energy efficient electrotechnologies upgrades; Norcross 
(No. 56) that allows grant funds for Building efficiency and resiliency 
to be used to make an addition or alteration to, or to install, 
replace, or provide maintenance to, an air filtration and purification 
system of an HVAC system to help prevent the spread of COVID-19; all 
laborers and mechanics employed in the process of the project must be 
paid prevailing wages; O'Halleran (No. 58) that reauthorizes and 
increases funding for Section 609 ``Rural and Remote Communities 
Electrification Grants'' under the Public Utility Regulatory Policies 
Act (PURPA) to assist the economic transition of rural and distressed 
communities impacted by the downturn of coal-fired power generation; 
grants available under this section may be used to increase energy 
efficiency, upgrade transmission or distribution lines, or modernize 
electric generation facilities in rural and distressed communities, 
with an emphasis on renewable energy; O'Halleran (No. 59) that directs 
the Department of Energy to establish a ``Coal Community Resource 
Clearinghouse'' for the purpose of increasing awareness of Federal and 
State programs, grants, loans, and technical assistance resources DOE 
determines could assist economic development and transition activities 
in communities impacted by the downturn of coal-fired power generation; 
Omar (No. 60) that requires the Administrator to establish and carry 
out a program to award grants, on a competitive basis, to eligible 
entities for projects that are consistent with zero-waste practices; 
Omar (No. 61) that states that the Secretary of the Treasury, shall 
submit to Congress a report that contains--(1) an identification of any 
existing fossil fuel production subsidies not eliminated by this Act, 
or the amendments made by this Act; and (2) a quantification of the 
economic costs of such subsidies; Peters (No. 65) that establishes an 
interagency task force to create an action plan to reduce super 
pollutants based on policy recommendations provided by the 
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, U.S. Climate Alliance, and 
other relevant agencies; Peters (No. 66) that directs EPA, DOE and 
other relevant agencies to develop a comprehensive plan to reduce black 
carbon emissions from the international shipping industry through its 
membership in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), including 
binding limits on black carbon as part of the Polar Code; Peters (No. 
67) that requires the DOE to release the Interconnections Seams Study, 
which may support efforts to increase renewable energy transmission, 
and has reportedly been held and/or altered for political reasons; 
Plaskett (No. 70) that establishes a Department of Energy grant program 
for investments in renewable energy systems, energy efficiency 
activities, energy storage, smart grids, or microgrids in territories 
of the United States, as well as for training local residents; grants 
would be awarded to non-profit organizations and the Department of 
Energy's National Laboratories may provide technical assistance; Pocan 
(No. 71) that reauthorizes the EPA State Indoor Radon Grant (SIRG) 
Program; Quigley (No. 73) that establishes an Advanced Energy 
Technology Research Initiative at FERC to reform power system modeling 
and update grid services and grid operator software, and authorizes 
studies on advanced energy and electric grid efficiency; Rouda (No. 74) 
that suspends preemption for federal appliance and equipment efficiency 
standards when DOE misses deadlines to update such standards; Rush (No. 
75) that requires the Secretary of Energy to establish an energy jobs 
council; the council shall conduct a survey of energy employers and 
produce annually an energy and employment report; Thompson (CA) (No. 
83) that clarifies that energy use avoided through the use of 
geothermal pump technology is considered renewable energy produced for 
the purposes of this bill; Tlaib (No. 84) that requires the EPA to 
conduct a study to evaluate the disparate health impacts of emissions 
from fossil fuel facilities on minority and low and moderate income 
communities; requires EPA to report to congress a summary of the study 
conducted; Tonko (No. 85) that requires the EPA Administrator to enter 
into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to assess 
methods for life cycle greenhouse gas emissions analyses for low-carbon 
transportation fuels; Waters (No. 86) that requires the Secretary of 
Transportation's report on electric vehicle (EV) charging station 
infrastructure in underserved communities to identify the potential 
for, and obstacles to, recruiting and entering into contracts with 
locally-owned small and disadvantaged businesses, including women- and 
minority-owned businesses, to deploy EV charging infrastructure in 
these communities; Waters (No. 87) that encourages institutions of 
higher education that receive grants for the construction of training 
and assessment centers to identify and consider qualified diverse 
candidates during the procurement process; Waters (No. 88) that 
requires the Secretary of Energy to evaluate, on state applications for 
``State Leadership Grants,'' which support the implementation of smart 
manufacturing technology, whether proposed projects will benefit 
diverse communities; Waters (No. 89) that expands the Home Energy 
Savings Retrofit Rebate Program to include multifamily housing; Wild 
(No. 90) that requires the Secretary

[[Page D850]]

of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of Labor, to establish a 
program to provide competitive grants to eligible entities to pay for 
pre-apprenticeship training for individuals or on-the-job training of a 
new or existing employee; Blumenauer (No. 93) that requires the 
Secretary of Energy to file a report to the committees of jurisdiction 
documenting funds spent under the LightWater Reactor Sustainability 
program, and creates an advisory committee to submit an annual report 
to the relevant committees outlining the progress of the this program; 
Krishnamoorthi (No. 95) that requires the public awareness campaign to 
include projected environmental impact, and information on how to find 
more information on the grant; Clark (MA) (No. 96) that creates a task 
force led by the Secretary of Energy, which would be tasked with 
creating a report identifying tools that the Federal Government can use 
to advance the deployment of carbon dioxide removal projects; and Blunt 
Rochester (No. 97) that creates a competitive grant program at EPA to 
incentivize ports to create and implement climate action plans; 
                                                         Pages H4912-33
  Stevens en bloc amendment No. 1 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 116-528: Axne (No. 1) that 
adds biofuels facilities as eligible for funding under the Carbon 
Capture Program; Castor (FL) (No. 14) that adds emissions reduction and 
climate change mitigation to DOE's R&D mission; Castor (FL) (No. 15) 
that directs the Secretary of Energy to engage the National Academies 
for a study to identify barriers to equitable distribution of the 
benefits of clean energy to frontline communities; Cox (CA) (No. 18) 
that adds agricultural applications, such as solar powered smart 
agricultural monitoring and irrigation systems, as an eligible solar 
energy research subject area; Doggett (No. 23) that directs the 
National Academy of Sciences to conduct a study to evaluate the 
efficacy of carbon capture technology and to identify industries where 
energy efficiency is most enhanced by the addition of carbon capture 
technology; Escobar (No. 24) that requires the Department of Energy to 
give special consideration to minority-serving institutions, or a 
multi-institutional consortium which includes a minority-serving 
institution, when awarding grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements 
for solar energy research and development programs; Garamendi (No. 26) 
that clarifies that offshore wind projects on the Outer Continental 
Shelf are indeed subject to jurisdiction of the U.S. Constitution and 
applicable federal laws, as offshore oil/gas rigs are currently; Graves 
(LA) (No. 29) that requires actions under emissions reduction roadmap 
to be cost-competitive in developing countries as well; Lamb (No. 39) 
that authorizes fusion research program; Lamb (No. 40) that authorizes 
milestone-based nuclear demonstration projects; Lamb (No. 41) that 
authorizes produced water research, development, and demonstration 
program; Larsen (WA) (No. 42) that directs the U.S. Department of 
Transportation to catalog climate change mitigation efforts in U.S. 
aviation and aerospace, identify barriers to adoption and serve as a 
roadmap for U.S. aviation to meet emission reduction goals; Lipinski 
(No. 47) that requires the Secretary of Energy to carry out a research 
program on effects of exposure to low-dose radiation; Lowenthal (No. 
49) that requires the Department of Interior to create an online 
database to annually report the type of energy and emissions produced 
on federal public lands; Lucas (No. 50) that expresses the sense of 
Congress that in order to reduce emissions and meet 100 percent of the 
power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, or zero 
emission energy sources while maintaining U.S. leadership in science 
and technology, the Secretary of Energy must prioritize funding for 
fundamental research, and research and development infrastructure; 
Mucarsel-Powell (No. 54) that directs the Secretary to support research 
and development of underground transmission and distribution lines to 
lower costs and improve reliability and safety; Perlmutter (No. 64) 
that modifies the definition of energy storage to broaden its scope; 
Pingree (No. 69) that includes research and development that reduces 
impacts on existing ocean uses and increases coordination between 
offshore wind and existing users, including the commercial fishing 
industry, as purposes of the Department of Energy's wind energy 
research and development grant program; Quigley (No. 72) that directs 
GSA to incorporate, to the extent practicable features, practices, and 
strategies to reduce bird fatality resulting from collisions with 
public buildings; Schweikert (No. 77) that requires the Secretary of 
Energy to conduct a study on the benefits of blue hydrogen technology 
and how that can further enhance the deployment and adoption of carbon 
capture and storage; Scott (VA) (No. 78) that supports the use of 
modeling and simulation tools to more efficiently design, site, permit, 
manufacture, construct, operate, maintain, and decommission wind energy 
systems; Scott (VA) (No. 79) that supports research on the recovery of 
critical materials used in wind energy systems; Sherrill (No. 80) that 
provides explicit direction for DOE to conduct RD&D on ways to reduce 
siting and permitting issues associated with potential impacts of wind 
power systems on air traffic control, air defense, and weather radar 
systems; Stevens (No. 81) that directs the Secretary to establish

[[Page D851]]

a program of research, development, and demonstration activities on 
more efficient and sustainable materials, technologies, and processes 
for the manufacture, development, and use of the passenger and 
commercial vehicles; Bera (No. 94) that updates the methane waste 
prevention rules of the Bureau of Land Management; and Lujan (No. 98) 
that creates a congressionally-authorized Department of Energy 
foundation to support the Department's energy missions and to increase 
collaboration to accelerate the commercialization of energy 
technologies (by a yea-and-nay vote of 235 yeas to 172 nays, Roll No. 
202);                                          
Pages H4898-H4912, H4945
  Haaland amendment (No. 32 printed in part B of H. Rept. 116-528) that 
increases authorizations for renewable energy R&D accounts by 50% and 
adds an authorization for total funding for research, development, 
demonstration and commercialization activities for EERE (by a yea-and-
nay vote of 235 yeas to 173 nays, Roll No. 203); and 
                                               Pages H4938-39, H4945-46
  Levin (CA) en bloc amendment No. 4 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 116-528: Harder (No. 33) that 
directs the Secretary of Energy to generate a map that maps wildfire 
risk around utilities to allow for better planning for grid hardening, 
vegetation management, and emergency access points, among other things; 
Harder (No. 34) that requires the Centers of Excellence to consider the 
public health effects of wildfire smoke on outdoor workers, strengthens 
research and outreach, requires collaboration between centers and 
grantees, and sets a standard for determining Centers; Levin (CA) (No. 
46) that establishes a program to improve wildfire smoke emissions 
modeling and to develop smoke forecasts; directs the Environmental 
Protection Agency to collect data and coordinate research on the 
impacts of acute air pollution exposure from wildfires; McNerney (No. 
53) that directs the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
(NIST) to collect data following wildfires in the wildland-urban 
interface related to the influence of building materials on structural 
fires and how wind, terrain, and moisture affect wildland fires; NIST 
would also be required to conduct research on and develop metrics for 
economic outcomes associated with wildland-urban interface fire 
mitigation; Panetta (No. 62) that directs the Secretary of Energy to 
establish a critical infrastructure and microgrid research program; 
Panetta (No. 63) that expands financial assistance for weatherization 
enhancement and innovation to cover the use of materials that are 
resistant to high heat and fire in dwellings occupied by low-income 
persons in areas at risk from drought and wildfires; Pingree (No. 68) 
that includes agricultural and grazing practices and forest management 
and afforestation as priorities in the Department of Energy's carbon 
removal program; Schrader (No. 76) that establishes the Home Wildfire 
Risk Reduction Rebate program, to provide rebates to homeowners to 
defray the costs of retrofitting an existing home to be wildfire-
resistant; Thompson (CA) (No. 82) that establishes a reliability 
standard, within the Federal Power Act, regarding extreme weather 
events; directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to create a program and 
publish a report for states and local utilities on ways to improve the 
resiliency of their electrical grids; and Bera (No. 92) that directs 
the Secretary of Energy to support R&D on tools and technologies for 
improving electric grid and energy sector safety and resilience during 
concurrent or co-located severe weather events (by a yea-and-nay vote 
of 273 yeas to 132 nays, Roll No. 204).        
Pages H4939-45, H4946-47
Rejected:
  Pallone en bloc amendment No. 3 consisting of the following 
amendments printed in part B of H. Rept. 116-528: Burgess (No. 12) that 
sought to require the Secretary of Energy to report to Congress on the 
effect of variable and distributed energy resources on the reliability 
of the electric grid, specifically pertaining to natural disasters and 
physical or cyber attacks on the grid infrastructure; Burgess (No. 13) 
that sought to requires the Secretary of Energy to report to Congress 
on the potential duplication of research efforts in the Department of 
Energy's applied energy programs, evaluate the opportunity costs 
associated with such efforts, and examine the impact of combining 
duplicated projects; Graves (LA) (No. 28) that sought to require the 
Secretary of Energy to identify the ability to source necessary 
critical minerals necessary for solar energy production; Graves (LA) 
(No. 30) that sought to require a report on the increase or decrease in 
net imports of critical minerals as a result of actions taken in 
section 5302; Lucas (No. 51) that sought to express the sense of 
Congress that in order to reduce emissions and meet 100 percent of the 
power demand in the United States through clean, renewable, or zero 
emission energy sources while maintaining U.S. competitiveness in 
science and technology, the U.S. must prioritize investment in domestic 
energy sources and supply chains, as well as investment in the research 
and development of exportable next-generation energy technologies; and 
Wilson (SC) (No. 91) that sought to evaluate potential demonstration 
sites across the Department of Energy complex under Advanced Nuclear 
Reactor Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercial 
Application Program.                                     
Pages H4933-38
  Agreed that the Clerk be authorized in the engrossment to correct 
section numbers, punctuation,

[[Page D852]]

spelling, and cross-references and to make such other technical and 
conforming changes as may be necessary to reflect the actions of the 
House.                                                       
Page H4949
  H. Res. 1129, the rule providing for consideration of the bills (H.R. 
4447), (H.R. 6270), and (H.R. 8319) was agreed to yesterday, September 
23rd.
  Providing for the use of the catafalque situated in the crypt beneath 
the Rotunda of the Capitol in connection with memorial services to be 
conducted in the Supreme Court Building and the Capitol for the late 
honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the United States 
Supreme Court: The House agreed to take from the Speaker's table and 
agree to S. Con. Res. 45, providing for the use of the catafalque 
situated in the crypt beneath the Rotunda of the Capitol in connection 
with memorial services to be conducted in the Supreme Court Building 
and the Capitol for the late honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate 
Justice of the United States Supreme Court.              
Pages H4949-50
  Privileged Resolution--Intent to Offer: Representative Gohmert 
announced his intent to offer a privileged resolution.   
Pages H4951-52
Senate Referrals: S. Con. Res. 46 was held at the desk. S. 914 was 
referred to the Committee on Natural Resources, the Committee on 
Science, Space, and Technology, and the Committee on Financial 
Services.                                                    
  Page H4956
Senate Message: Message received from the Senate by the Clerk and 
subsequently presented to the House today appears on page H4898.
Quorum Calls Votes: Five yea-and-nay votes developed during the 
proceedings of today and appear on pages H4945, H4945-46, H4946-47, 
H4948-49, and H4949.
Adjournment: The House met at 9 a.m. and adjourned at 6:46 p.m.