[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 84 (Monday, May 19, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H2115-H2116]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CLEAN ENERGY DEMONSTRATION TRANSPARENCY ACT OF 2025
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill
(H.R. 1453) to amend the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to
require reporting regarding clean energy demonstration projects, and
for other purposes.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 1453
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 2025''.
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
Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Subramanyam)
each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on H.R. 1453, the bill which is now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1453, the Clean Energy
Demonstration Transparency Act of 2025, sponsored by the gentleman from
Ohio (Mr. Carey).
This sensible legislation will provide Congress with the necessary
tools to effectively oversee the Department of Energy's growing number
of large demonstration projects. DOE established the Office of Clean
Energy Demonstrations, or OCED, to carry out the technology
demonstration projects authorized in the Energy Act of 2020 and the
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. These projects include
bipartisan initiatives like the Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program
and the Long-Duration Energy Storage Demonstration Initiative.
This bill requires the Secretary of Energy to submit semiannual
reports to Congress on all demonstration projects managed by OCED.
These reports must include details on contracts, milestones, schedules,
funding profiles, and cost-share agreements.
Historically, DOE's applied energy offices have managed these
programs, ensuring a seamless transition from
[[Page H2116]]
basic laboratory research to applied field work. However, with the
creation of OCED, these activities were placed in a new office,
separating critical expertise and adding an unnecessary layer of
bureaucracy.
At the same time, the infrastructure bill and the Inflation Reduction
Act appropriated over $27 billion to OCED to fund these projects.
This combination of organizational restructuring and a large influx
of funding should raise concerns for every lawmaker of this
institution, considering DOE's past mismanagement of demonstration
projects.
Since its inception, OCED has been slow to award funding and has
struggled to identify unique capabilities not already addressed by the
applied energy offices. Congress lacks adequate safeguards and the
capacity to conduct rigorous oversight over OCED and its demonstration
projects.
For example, when the Science, Space, and Technology Committee sought
more information on DOE's decision to waive the cost-share requirement
for a multimillion-dollar project, the Department was not obliged to
document or justify its rationale. Requiring DOE to submit semiannual
reports will provide Congress with crucial tools to protect taxpayer
dollars, hold OCED accountable, and ensure that projects are based on
merit rather than crony favoritism.
Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Carey for his continued
leadership on this issue despite no longer even sitting on the Science,
Space, and Technology Committee. I also thank Representative Riley for
his work in advancing this bill forward.
Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation,
and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Clean Energy Demonstration
Transparency Act, as well.
The bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as mentioned,
established a first-of-its-kind Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations,
and this new office was tasked with coordinating the Department of
Energy's large-scale clean energy technology development. This office
is now managing more than $25 billion in funding to help scale emerging
energy technologies that will help us tackle our most pressing climate
challenges and achieve net-zero emissions as quickly as possible.
Last October, one of the initiatives supported by the office awarded
$1.1 million to a Virginia company, Roanoke Cement Company. They are
working on a project for the use of clays to minimize the use of
carbon-intensive components in cement production. This project has the
potential to decrease carbon intensity of cement production by around
83 percent. Cement production is responsible for 2 percent of energy-
related CO2 emissions in the United States, so an 83 percent
reduction in cement carbon intensity is very valuable.
This bipartisan bill authorizes simple and streamlined reporting
requirements on the activities of the office, and it is a great
transparency bill.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to support this bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Carey).
Mr. CAREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1453, the Clean
Energy Demonstration Transparency Act of 2025.
I introduced this commonsense, bipartisan legislation last Congress,
which passed the House by voice vote. With more than $25 billion in
Federal funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the
Inflation Reduction Act, and annual appropriations, the Department of
Energy's Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations aims to support first-
of-a-kind commercial-scale demonstrations and deploy them at viable and
market-ready levels.
My bill requires semiannual reports to Congress on the status of
these clean energy demonstration activities. With these reports,
Congress can oversee these projects and ensure that taxpayer money is
spent wisely and effectively.
Amid unprecedented Federal spending and soaring national debt, it is
essential that we pass this legislation to avoid more Federal
Government waste.
Overall, H.R. 1453 is a good government bill that improves
accountability and transparency for the benefit of the American
taxpayers. I thank Representative Riley for being a great partner on
this legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support it.
Mr. SUBRAMANYAM. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time
to close.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Carey) as well as
the gentleman from New York (Mr. Riley) for their work on this bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R. 1453, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time to
close.
Mr. Speaker, one of our key responsibilities in Congress is to manage
taxpayer dollars wisely. I don't take that job lightly. I want to see
DOE and all of our vital Federal research agencies succeed in
developing revolutionary next-generation technologies.
At the same time, we need to monitor the progress of these projects
well before their costs balloon to multibillions of dollars and strain
research budgets.
H.R. 1453 allows us to do precisely that. It enhances transparency
between DOE and Congress, giving both parties the necessary information
and insights into the successes of Federal demonstration projects to
foster further achievements.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Carey) and the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Riley), his cosponsor, for leading this
bill.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I
yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 1453.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________