[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 73 (Monday, April 29, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H2651-H2652]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLEAN ENERGY DEMONSTRATION TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2023
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1069) to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to
require reporting regarding clean energy demonstration projects, and
for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1069
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 ``Clean Energy Demonstration
Transparency Act of 2023''.
SEC. 2. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND OVERSIGHT REPORTING
REQUIREMENTS.
Subsection (h) of section 41201 of the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (42 U.S.C. 18861) is amended by
adding at the end following new paragraph:
``(3) Further reports.--
``(A) In general.--Not later than six months after the date
of the enactment of this paragraph and at least semiannually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on
Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee
on Appropriations of the Senate a report, and make publicly
available in digital online format, that contains, for the
period covered by each such report, for each covered project
or other demonstration project administered or supported by
the program, the following:
``(i) A copy of any initial contracts or financial
assistance agreements executed between the Department and an
award recipient, including any related documentation, as the
Secretary determines appropriate.
``(ii) A list of any material, technical, or financial
milestones that have or have not been met.
``(iii) Any material modifications to the scope, schedule,
funding profile (including cost-share requirements), project
partners or participating entities, or budget of the project.
``(B) Streamlining.--To the extent practicable, the
Secretary may synchronize the reports required under
subparagraph (A) with other required reports, such as those
required under--
``(i) paragraph (1); and
``(ii) section 9005(e) of the Energy Act of 2020 (42 U.S.C.
7256c(e); enacted as division Z of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021).''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Oklahoma.
General Leave
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to
include extemporaneous material on H.R. 1069, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Oklahoma?
There was no objection.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1069, the Clean Energy
Demonstration Transparency Act of 2023 offered by the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Carey). This commonsense legislation will provide Congress
with the necessary tools to conduct thorough oversight on the
Department of Energy's growing number of demonstration projects.
Specifically, H.R. 1069 requires the Secretary of Energy to report to
Congress on all demonstration projects administered by the Office of
Clean Energy Demonstrations. As part of this report, the Secretary must
include all contracts, milestones, schedules, and funding profiles,
including cost-share agreements.
DOE established OCED to carry out the technology demonstration
projects that were authorized in the Energy Act of 2020 and the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. This includes projects with
bipartisan support such as the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program
and Long-Duration Energy Storage Demonstrations.
Historically, DOE's applied energy offices have administered these
programs, creating a natural pipeline from the lab to the field. With
the creation of OCED, DOE put these activities in a new and untested
office, separating expertise and adding a new layer of bureaucracy. At
the same time, the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction Act
appropriated $27 billion to OCED to fund these projects.
This organizational change and influx of money should concern every
lawmaker given previous instances of DOE's mismanagement of
demonstration projects. Already, OCED has been slow to award recipients
and struggled to identify unique capabilities not covered by the
applied energy offices.
Currently, Congress lacks the necessary safeguards and the ability to
conduct rigorous oversight over OCED and its demonstration projects.
For example, when the Science Committee tried to get more information
on DOE waiving the cost-share requirement for a multimillion-dollar
project, DOE had no requirement to document or justify their decision.
H.R. 1069 requires DOE to submit semiannual reports which include all
contracts, agreements, and funding breakdowns, and enables Congress to
have the tools to protect taxpayers' dollars, hold OCED accountable,
and ensure a truly competitive selection process based on merits.
I am proud to cosponsor this bill, along with Ranking Member Lofgren,
and I extend my appreciation to Representative Carey for continuing his
leadership on this issue despite no longer sitting on the Science
Committee.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, this is one of the moments where we find ourselves so
grateful for the House Record, as we yet again are moving to pass a
bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 1069, the Clean Energy
Demonstration Transparency Act in a bipartisan fashion here, forever
commemorated on the House floor.
We are recognizing that here in the United States of America, our
phenomenal Department of Energy, now being run by Michigan's former
Governor, Secretary Jennifer Granholm, is doing clean energy. These are
clean energy projects that are coming to fruition because of the Invest
in America agenda promulgated by the President of the United States,
the great Joe Biden.
We have already in place, 3 years on, the Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law which established a first of its kind clean energy demonstration
office centrally coordinating the Department of Energy's larger-scale
clean energy technology development. I really appreciate when we can
say, as Democrats and Republicans, yes to transparency because we do
want the world to see that we are doing clean energy, and we will lead
the sustainability vision for the future.
We also know that $25 billion coming out of this Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law legislation is funding and scaling emerging
technologies such as clean hydrogen and advanced nuclear energy, which
is needed to tackle some of our most pressing climate challenges and
certainly to achieve our net zero goals that we have established for
ourselves.
One of the initiatives that has been supported by the Office of Clean
Energy Demonstrations, one that I am very excited about and has great
meaning for us in Michigan, the automotive supply chain innovation
capital of the world, is hydrogen hubs. We have these hydrogen hubs
that have come to fruition or are being invested in out of the
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Certainly, as I mentioned, these hubs
are helping my State of Michigan. We have got the Midwest Alliance for
Clean Hydrogen, and it is going to leverage my State's famous
industrial power to lead the Nation in this clean energy hydrogen
production.
The hubs are going to benefit from this transparency legislation,
this network of hydrogen hubs which are seeking to lower our emissions
as a Nation
[[Page H2652]]
in certainly a very trying moment for decarbonization. We see hydrogen
really coming into play with heavy-duty transportation and maritime
port equipment.
I invite everyone to take a peek at what is happening in Michigan
because it is really quite phenomenal with these supply chain corridors
and manufacturers and how they are adopting hydrogen. I will keep my
finger on the pulse of their work for many years to come.
Here we stand now with this demonstration activity. We are going to
push for transparency. We have this great group, the chairman of the
Science Committee and the ranking member of the Science Committee, that
have come together to support this legislation. We want Congress to
have a hand in it because we know when we pass these big bills, a lot
of times we just go forward and then we are hungry to implement and
hungry to keep a finger on the pulse and maybe we can have a couple of
hearings, but H.R. 1069 gives us a runway. It is really quite
essential, and it also helps the Department of Energy, particularly
President Biden's Department of Energy, continue to do what it is doing
really well.
Let us all see this phenomenal bill get passed. I join the chairman
of the Science Committee calling on my colleagues on both sides of the
aisle to continue to push forward in a bipartisan fashion the passage
of H.R. 1069.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
{time} 1645
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Carey).
Mr. CAREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of a bill that will
lead America toward an all-of-the-above energy future, H.R. 1069, the
Clean Energy Demonstration Transparency Act.
First, I thank Chairman Lucas, Ranking Member Lofgren, and Energy
Subcommittee Chairman Williams for their work on bringing this bill to
the floor. I also thank the Science, Space, and Technology Committee
staff for their bipartisan efforts in moving this legislation forward.
Strengthening the energy category of domestic energy production,
including renewables, oil, gas, coal, and nuclear, will safeguard our
supply chains, defend our national security, and, in fact, boost our
economy.
H.R. 1069 is a commonsense bill that will increase transparency and
oversight of the investments in homegrown, clean energy, including the
billions of taxpayer dollars entrusted to the newly established Office
of Clean Energy Demonstrations.
Specifically, the bill requires the Office of Clean Energy
Demonstrations to submit semiannual reports to Congress regarding the
budget, schedule, and participating entities of their demonstration
projects.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on this bill,
which will give Americans confidence that their taxpayer dollars are
being used wisely in our pursuit of energy independence.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I am
prepared to close once the gentlewoman from Michigan does.
Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, in closing, again, I feel passionate about
this legislation. I thank Mr. Carey for his remarks and for joining us
on the House floor. I look forward to seeing this bill become law.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, one of our most important responsibilities in Congress
is to serve as the steward of taxpayers' dollars. I take that job very
seriously.
I want to see DOE and all of our Federal research agencies succeed in
developing next-generation technologies. At the same time, we need to
be conscious of the body and keep a watchful eye on the progress of
these projects well before their costs balloon into multibillions of
dollars.
H.R. 1069 allows us to do exactly that. It increases transparency
between DOE and Congress, enabling both sides to have beneficial
information and insight into the successes of Federal demonstration
projects.
Once again, I thank Mr. Carey for leading this bill along with his
co-sponsors, Representatives Williams, Davids, and Donalds.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Lucas) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1069, 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.
____________________