Energy

Victoria Marie Baecher Wassmer, of Illinois, to be Under Secretary of Energy, vice Kristina M. Johnson, resigned.

United States · United States Senate · 27 July 2015

Gun Look-Alike Case Act

United States · United States Congress · 27 July 2015

Gun Look-Alike Case Act Transfers the Department of Commerce's authority to regulate the markings on toy, look-alike, or imitation firearms under the Federal Energy Management Improvement Act of 1988 to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 (CPSIA). Amends the CPSIA to prohibit a toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm from being manufactured, entered into commerce, shipped, transported, or received unless it contains, or has affixed to it, a marking approved by the CPSC. Maintains existing standards that require such firearms, subject to regulatory exceptions, to have a blaze orange plug inserted in their barrels. Sets forth exceptions that: (1) authorize the CPSC to provide for alternative markings or devices, or (2) require former Commerce regulations concerning approved markings to be considered approved by the CPSC in the absence of any CPSC regulations. Expands the categories of look-alike firearms subject to such marking requirements and regulations to include product cases or covers that have the appearance, shape, or configuration of a firearm. Repeals Commerce's authorities for approving alternative markings and penalizing violations. Requires violations to instead be treated under the CPSIA.

PURSUING NORTH AMERICAN ENERGY INDEPENDENCE: MEXICO'S ENERGY REFORMS

United States · United States House of Representatives · 23 July 2015

Drought Recovery and Resilience Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015

Drought Recovery and Resilience Act of 2015 TITLE I--EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE APPROPRIATIONS FROM RECLAMATION FUND This bill provides emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2015 from the Reclamation Fund to the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Army Corps of Engineers for water projects, programs, grants, or loans in states impacted by drought. Interior is provided additional amounts for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), including amounts for water reclamation and reuse projects, the WaterSMART program under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, and water acquisition, water conveyance, and facilities construction under the Refuge Water Supply Program. The EPA is provided additional amounts for cleanup of polluted groundwater supplies, capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds and for drinking water treatment revolving loan funds, and loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014. USDA is provided additional amounts for: (1) the Rural Utilities Service for direct and guaranteed loans and grants for rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal programs; and (2) emergency grants, upon declaration of a natural disaster, to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers to address impacts of drought. Additional amounts are also provided to: DOJ for the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist state or local law enforcement agencies in the suppression of cannabis operations; the Army Corps to carry out the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007; and projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 in drought-affected states that reduce fire risk, improve water quality or downstream water quantity, or expand ground water recharge capacity. TITLE II--NEW WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS National Water Recycling and Reclamation Act of 2015 The EPA must establish a National Water Recycling and Reclamation Program to provide private or governmental entities with grants for up to 80% of the costs for water recycling and reclamation projects for which eligible costs are anticipated to exceed $1 million. Selection criteria for such grants include the extent to which projects address water demand and supply, environmental protection, and federal return on investment through renewable water supplies. Reclamation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or RIFIA Interior may provide financial assistance, such as secured loans or loan guarantees, to private entities, state or local governments, irrigation districts, water users' associations, or other entities that contract with the United States under federal reclamation law to carry out water projects within the 17 western states served by Reclamation, other states where Reclamation is authorized to provide project assistance, Alaska, and Hawaii. Projects eligible for assistance include: reclamation and reuse of municipal, industrial, domestic, and agricultural wastewater and naturally impaired ground; water infrastructure projects that would contribute to a safe, adequate water supply for domestic, agricultural, environmental, or municipal and industrial use; new water conduits, pipelines, canals, pumping or power facilities; energy efficiency projects; accelerated repair and replacement of aging water distribution facilities; brackish or sea water desalination; or acquisition of real property or an interest therein for water storage, reclaimed or recycled water, or wastewater that is integral to an authorized project. Priority must be given to projects that promote wastewater recycling, agricultural or urban water conservation and efficiency, stormwater capture, or other innovations that reduce reliance on surface and groundwater supplies. To be eligible for assistance, eligible project costs of a project and other projects in a watershed must be reasonably anticipated to be at least $10 million. The interest of a secured loan may not be more than the yield on Treasury securities of a similar maturity. Interior may sell or reoffer into the capital markets a secured loan after the substantial completion of the project. The final maturity date of a secured loan may not be later than 35 years after the expected date of substantial completion of the underlying project. Interior may also enter into cost-shared financial assistance agreements with nonfederal entities in the 17 Reclamation-served western states or Hawaii to carry out the planning, design, and construction of any permanent water storage and conveyance facility used solely to regulate and maximize the water supply arising from a project that is eligible for assistance, including recycled water projects not congressionally authorized, to: (1) recycle wastewater or ground water, or (2) use integrated and coordinated water management on a watershed or regional scale. The federal share of the cost of such a project shall be: (1) nonreimbursable, and (2) the lesser of 50% of the total cost or $15 million (adjusted for inflation). Reclamation Title Transfer Act of 2015 Reclamation may establish a program that: (1) identifies and analyzes the potential for public benefits from the transfer of eligible facilities out of federal ownership, and (2) facilitates the transfer of such facilities to qualifying entities to promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities. "Eligible facilities" is defined as reclamation projects or facilities (including dams and appurtenant works, infrastructure, recreational facilities, buildings, distribution and drainage works, and associated land or interests in land or water) for which the United States holds title and that meet the criteria for potential transfer. A "qualifying entity" is a state, local government, Indian tribe, municipal or quasi-municipal corporation, or other entity (such as a water district) that has the capacity to continue to manage the conveyed property for the same purposes that the property has been managed under the reclamation laws. Reclamation may convey an eligible facility to a qualifying entity if Congress is notified before the conveyance and does not disapprove. A right of first refusal is granted to a qualifying entity that is operating an eligible facility at the time conveyance is being considered. The bill terminates Reclamation's authority to carry out such conveyances 15 years after this Act's enactment. Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2015 The EPA must provide grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure. One of the centers must be the national electronic clearinghouse center and must operate a website and a public database on the infrastructure. The EPA must provide grants for innovative stormwater control infrastructure projects and must give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged, or (2) an eligible entity that will use at least 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. The EPA must ensure that: (1) EPA offices promote the use of the infrastructure in, and coordinate its integration into, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) the EPA's Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of the infrastructure. The EPA must: (1) direct EPA regional offices to promote and integrate the use of the infrastructure, and (2) promote sharing information about the infrastructure approaches. The EPA must establish an innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard consisting of voluntary, measurable goals to increase the percentage of annual water managed by entities that use the infrastructure. TITLE III--IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT Restoring America's Watersheds Act of 2015 The Forest Service must establish a Water Source Protection Program within the region of the National Forest System west of the 100th Meridian. USDA is authorized to enter into water source investment partnerships with specified end water users to protect and restore the condition of National Forest watersheds that provide water to nonfederal partners. The Forest Service must establish a Watershed Condition Framework within such region to: (1) identify for restoration up to five priority watersheds in each National Forest and up to two priority watersheds in each national grassland, and (2) develop and implement a watershed restoration action plan for each priority watershed. The Forest Service must also establish a Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program within such region to: carry out critical maintenance and urgent repairs and improvements on National Forest System roads, trails, and bridges; restore fish and other aquatic organism passage by removing or replacing unnatural barriers to the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms; and decommission unneeded roads and trails. The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund is reauthorized through FY2024. Five Demonstrations of Advancing Yields by Fixing Operations of Reservoirs to Encompass Climatic and Atmospheric Science Trends Act The Department of the Army must establish up to five pilot projects to implement forecast-based reservoir operations in states with drought emergencies during water year 2015. Interior must establish a wind and solar energy leasing pilot program to conduct lease sales of certain sites located on Reclamation land for purposes of carrying out wind and solar energy projects. The bill sets forth procedures for qualified developers to bid on sites that Interior offers for lease. Interior, within five years after enactment of this Act, must determine whether to expand the pilot program to apply to all authorized Reclamation lands. The general term for issued leases is: (1) an initial term of 25 years, and (2) any additional period after the initial 25-year term during which electricity is being produced annually in commercial quantities from the lease. However, a lease term may not be more than 5 years for the placement and operation of a meteorological or data collection facility or for the development or demonstration of a new wind or solar energy technology. Interior must establish and require payment of a royalty as a condition of issued leases. The royalty must be a percentage of the gross proceeds from the sale of electricity produced on land that is the subject of the lease. Lease royalties and authorized bonuses collected by Interior must be distributed in a manner such that: 25% is paid to the states and 25% is paid to the counties within the boundaries of which the royalties or bonuses are derived; 25% is deposited into a Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund for Interior to use or make payments to states, federal agencies, or others for protecting fish and wildlife in regions impacted by the development of hydropower by federal agencies and the development of wind or solar energy on Reclamation land; 15% is paid to state Reclamation offices during the first 15 years after enactment of this Act for purposes of reducing the number of renewable energy permits that have not been processed before the enactment of this Act; and the remainder is deposited into the general fund of the Treasury for purposes of reducing the annual federal budget deficit. The Safe Drinking Water Act is amended to require a state to operate an EPA-prescribed injection control program for underground wells if the EPA finds that the state improperly issued permits under the state's underground injection control program. DOJ must maintain a registry of incidents of cultivation of marijuana on government property or while intentionally trespassing on another's property. DOJ is authorized to use amounts from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs incurred by state, local, or tribal governments in connection with the remediation of an area formerly used for the production or cultivation of marijuana in which such a government assisted in a federal prosecution related to marijuana. The bill requires court sentences for certain marijuana offenses to include an order requiring the defendant to reimburse federal, state, or local governments for costs incurred for cleanup associated with the cultivation of marijuana by the defendant or on premises or in property that the defendant owns, resides in, or does business in. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is amended to: (1) include "planning for or addressing the impact of drought" among the activities for which Reclamation may make grants and enter cooperative agreements for water management improvement, (2) include Hawaii among the states in which eligible grant and agreement applicants may be located, (3) reauthorize such grants and agreements for FY2015-FY2023, and (4) reauthorize the authority of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide grants to state water resource agencies under the national water availability and use assessment program for FY2014-FY2023. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to establish a refundable tax credit for the purchase and installation of a qualified water-harvesting system. The Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 is amended to authorize Interior, subject to feasibility studies and other specified conditions, to develop additional project benefits (such as additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works on a project in conjunction with its authority to modify Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety. Interior may expend available appropriated funds for construction of a project that meets certain environmental standards, but the bill prohibits the federal cost-share from exceeding 25% of the project costs. The USGS must establish and maintain an open water data system to advance the availability, timely distribution, and widespread use of water data and information for water management, education, research, assessment, and monitoring purposes. TITLE IV--PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Water Innovation and Prize Competition Act of 2015 The Department of Energy must establish a program to award prizes for development of water desalination technologies. The Natural Resources Conservation Service must collaborate with Reclamation to provide assistance, upon request, to water or power delivery authorities for purposes of increasing water use efficiency and providing on-farm assistance to address water quantity and water quality conservation practices. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must prepare a California salmon drought plan. The President must update the National Response Plan and the National Disaster Recovery Framework to include a plan for catastrophic drought.

Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act

United States · United States Congress · 22 July 2015

Nuclear Waste Informed Consent Act This bill prohibits the Department of Energy (DOE) from making an expenditure from the Nuclear Waste Fund for the costs incurred by DOE in connection with the transportation, treating, or packaging of spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste to be disposed of in a repository site, to be stored in a monitored, retrievable storage site, or to be used in a test and evaluation facility, or for the costs associated with acquisition, design, modification, replacement, operation, and construction of facilities at such a site, unless DOE has entered into an agreement to host a repository with: the governor of the state in which the repository is proposed to be located, each affected local government and any contiguous local government through which spent nuclear fuel or high-level radioactive waste will be transported for disposal at the repository, and each affected Indian tribe. Any such agreement must be written and signed by all parties, shall be binding on the parties, and shall not be amended or revoked except by mutual agreement of the parties.

Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015

Smart Energy and Water Efficiency Act of 2015 Directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish and carry out a smart energy and water efficiency management pilot program to award grants to three to five eligible entities (authorities that provide water, wastewater, or water reuse services) to demonstrate advanced and innovative technology-based solutions that will: (1) increase and improve the energy efficiency of water, wastewater, and water reuse systems to help communities make significant progress in conserving water, saving energy, and reducing costs; (2) support the implementation of innovative processes and the installation of advanced automated systems that provide real-time data on energy and water; and (3) improve energy and water conservation, water quality, and predictive maintenance of energy and water systems, through the use of Internet-connected technologies, including sensors, intelligent gateways, and security embedded in hardware. Directs DOE, in selecting grant recipients, to consider: energy and cost savings anticipated to result from the project; the innovative nature, commercial viability, and reliability of the technology to be used; the degree to which the project integrates next-generation sensors, software, hardware, analytics, and management tools; the anticipated cost-effectiveness of the pilot project in terms of energy efficiency savings, water savings or reuse, and infrastructure costs averted; whether the technology can be deployed in a variety of geographic regions and the degree to which the technology can be implemented on a smaller or larger scale, including whether the technology can be implemented by each type of eligible entity; whether the technology has been successfully deployed elsewhere; whether the technology is sourced from a manufacturer based in the United States; and whether the project will be completed in five years or less. Requires DOE to evaluate, annually, each project for which a grant is provided and make best practices identified available to the public.

AMPLE Oil and Gas Royalties Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015

Accounting for Methane in Production through Loophole Elimination with Oil and Gas Royalties or the AMPLE Oil and Gas Royalties Act This bill amends the Federal Oil and Gas Royalty Management Act of 1982 to require, with respect to federal oil and gas leases, a lessee or its designee of a lease in a unit or communitization agreement that contains only federal leases with the same royalty rate and funds distribution, or a lessee or its designee of a lease that is not contained in a unit or communitization agreement, to report and pay royalties on oil and gas production each month based on the actual volume of oil and gas withdrawn from the reservoir by or on behalf of that lessee, including all oil and gas not sold by or on behalf of that lessee. (Currently, such lessees pay royalties on oil and gas production based on only the actual volume of production sold by or on behalf of that lessee.) "Oil and gas withdrawn from the reservoir" is defined as any oil and gas that is produced, sold, vented, flared, used for beneficial purposes, leaked, or otherwise emitted during production.

Manufactured Housing Energy Efficiency Act

United States · United States Congress · 21 July 2015

Manufactured Housing Energy Efficiency Act This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to revise requirements governing when the Department of Energy (DOE) must update energy conservation standards for residential manufactured housing, commonly known as mobile homes. Currently, DOE's energy conservation standards for such housing are based on the most recent version of the model International Energy Conservation Code and DOE must update the standards within a year of a revision to the code, unless the code is not cost-effective, or a more stringent standard would be more cost-effective. The bill requires DOE to make a determination on whether updating its energy conservation standards based on the revised code would improve energy efficiency in manufactured housing before updating those standards. The Department of Housing and Urban Development must: (1) administer and enforce the energy conservation standards established by this bill, and (2) make public each year aggregate information on enforcement actions with respect to those standards.

Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015

Department of Defense Energy Security Act of 2015 This bill authorizes military departments to carry out pilot programs to enter into energy savings performance contracts through FY2041, for the purpose of achieving direct energy savings and secondary savings in: (1) certain mobile assets of the Armed Forces that consume energy for the purpose of transportation or maintaining a controlled environment within the vehicle, device, or equipment; and (2) any federally owned equipment used to generate electricity or transport water. Under an energy savings performance contract, a private party agrees to fund energy-efficient upgrades in the federal government and the federal agency agrees to pay the private party from reductions in the agency's energy costs. The U.S. Army must report on research since October 1, 2010, on energy efficiency of tactical vehicles. The Department of Defense (DOD) may carry out research to improve military vehicle technology to increase combat vehicle fuel economy or reduce fuel consumption. DOD shall establish an online, centralized repository for all DOD operational energy-related research and development efforts. The bill establishes a Department of Defense Alternative Fuel Vehicle Infrastructure Fund for installing and operating alternative fuel dispensing stations for DOD's alternative fueled vehicles and other related infrastructure. DOD must establish a program to develop and support projects designed to foster secure and reliable sources of energy for military installations, including incorporation of advanced energy metering, resilient energy, energy storage, and redundant power systems. DOD must report on: (1) the costs and benefits associated with requiring 25% of National Guard and Reserve facilities to have at least a 21-day on-site power storage capacity to assist civil authorities in case of man-made or natural disasters; (2) energy efficiency language in the most recent aerial refueling tanker contract and the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program contract; and (3) DOD's strategy and initiatives to mitigate the impact of expected increased water shortages, instances of wildfire, increased drought, flooding due to sea level rise, and coastal erosion from storm surges to ensure optimal military readiness.

Empowering Our Veterans Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015

Empowering Our Veterans Act of 2015 Prohibits the appropriation of funds, or the obligation or expenditure of funds by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), for any VA alternative energy generation project unless the funds for such project have been specifically authorized by law. Directs the VA to transfer all unobligated funds that were appropriated to it before this Act's enactment for an alternative energy generation project to the VA's account funding veterans' medical care.

Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015

Stop Arctic Ocean Drilling Act of 2015 This bill declares that it is the policy of the United States that the Arctic Ocean should be managed for the best interests of the people of the United States, including by keeping fossil fuels in the ground to avoid the dangerous impacts of climate change. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act is amended to prohibit the Department of the Interior from issuing or renewing a lease or any other authorization for the exploration, development, or production of oil, natural gas, or any other mineral in the Arctic Ocean, including the Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea Planning Areas.

America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 16 July 2015

America's Energy Security Trust Fund Act of 2015 Amends the Internal Revenue Code to impose an excise tax, beginning in calendar year 2016, on any taxable carbon substance sold by its manufacturer, producer, or importer. Defines "taxable carbon substance" as: (1) coal (including lignite and peat); (2) petroleum and any petroleum products; and (3) natural gas that is extracted, manufactured, or produced in the United States, or entered into the United States for consumption, use, or warehousing. Establishes in the Treasury the America's Energy Security Trust Fund to assist industries negatively affected by this Act, make transfers to the Highway Trust Fund to cover shortfalls, and provide payroll tax relief. Allows individual taxpayers a tax credit equal to carbon tax rebate amounts calculated by the Department of the Treasury. Directs Treasury to study and report to Congress on the best methods to assess and collect taxes on non-carbon greenhouse gases. Expresses the sense of Congress that the United States should establish binding agreements with major greenhouse gas emitting nations to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

To remove the authority of the Secretary of Energy to amend or issue new energy efficiency standards for ceiling fans.

United States · United States Congress · 15 July 2015

This bill amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to eliminate the Department of Energy's authority to: (1) amend energy efficiency standards for ceiling fan light kits, and (2) issue energy efficiency or energy use standards for electricity used by ceiling fans to circulate air in a room.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES ENGAGED IN ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND ENERGY INTENSIVE MANUFACTURING

United States · United States Senate · 14 July 2015

ISLANDED ENERGY SYSTEMS: ENERGY AND INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES IN ALASKA, HAWAII, AND THE U.S. TERRITORIES

United States · United States Senate · 14 July 2015

Small Business Energy Efficiency Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015

Small Business Energy Efficiency Act of 2015 This bill amends the Small Business Investment Act of 1958 to allow a state development company to use the economic development objective of helping small businesses achieve savings through energy efficiency to qualify for loan assistance.

APPROVAL Act

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015

Assuring Private Property Rights Over Vast Access to Land Act or the APPROVAL Act This bill amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to prohibit the Secretary of Energy and the Administrators of the Western Area Power Administration and of the Southwestern Power Administration from using the power of eminent domain to implement modernization of electricity transmission infrastructure, unless they have received explicit permission to do so by: (1) the state governor and the head of each applicable public utility commission or public service commission of the affected state, and (2) the head of the governing body of each Indian tribe whose land would be affected. An electricity transmission infrastructure project, to the greatest extent practicable, must be sited upon either an existing federal right-of-way or upon federal land managed by either: (1) the Bureau of Land Management, (2) the Forest Service, (3) the Bureau of Reclamation, or (4) the Corps of Engineers.

A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide for a 5-year extension of the tax credit for residential energy efficient property.

United States · United States Congress · 14 July 2015

This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to extend through 2021 the tax credit for residential energy efficient property.

Low-Income Solar Act

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015

Low-Income Solar Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a loan and grant program for photovoltaic solar (a method of converting energy from the sun into electricity) installations in low-income and underserved areas for FY2016-FY2030. Loans must be provided for: (1) community solar facilities that provide solar energy to low-income households, or (2) solar installations at federally subsidized affordable housing at multi-family complexes. The community solar facilities must: (1) be owned by an organization of electricity consumers that own a share of the facility's solar electricity generation; (2) have a certain a nameplate rating (or power generation capacity), (3) be located in or near a community that uses the electricity generated by the facility, and (4) reserve at least 25% of the electricity generated for low-income households. Grants must be given for: (1) solar electricity generating facilities installed on properties of eligible, low-income home owners; or (2) new solar projects for low-income households and individuals, including the costs of equipment and job training associated with solar projects.

CPRA

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015

Civilian Property Realignment Act of 2015 or CPRA Establishes the Civilian Property Realignment Commission to: (1) identify opportunities to reduce significantly the federal government's inventory and cost of federal real property assets and the number of high-value leases through relocation to less costly properties, (2) identify not fewer than 5 federal properties that have an anticipated sales price of not less that $500 million and that are not currently on the list of surplus or excess properties, (3) carry out an independent analysis of the inventory of federal real property assets, (4) transmit to the President its findings and recommendations for consolidating or otherwise reducing such inventory, and (5) establish and maintain a website for making relevant information about federal real property assets publicly available. Establishes as the goal of the Commission to identify a total savings of not less than $9 billion from the disposal of federal property. Terminates the Commission 10 years after the enactment of this Act. Excludes certain properties from the application of this Act, including military installations, wilderness study areas, Indian and native Eskimo property held in trust, property operated and maintained by the Tennessee Valley Authority, postal properties, and other properties necessary for national security. Requires federal agencies to submit to the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on an annual basis: (1) current data of all federal real property owned, leased, or controlled by such agencies; and (2) recommendations for the disposal of such properties to reduce inventory, for operational efficiencies, for opportunities to pursue enhanced use leasing in under-used buildings, and to reduce the number of high-value leases through relocation to less costly properties. Establishes a process for the review of the Commission's recommendations by the President and Congress. Requires each federal agency to implement the Commission's recommendations after the completion of such process. Exempts properties included in the recommendations for disposal or realignment under this Act from certain public benefit conveyance requirements, including the McKinney-Vento Act (requiring surplus property to be used to assist the homeless). Limits the authority of executive agencies to lease space for the purposes of a public building. Requires the Commission to identify and compile, on an annual basis, a list of assets located outside of the United States and its territories that are owned or managed by the Bureau of Overseas Building Operations of the Department of State and that may be sold to reduce the federal real property inventory or otherwise disposed of, transferred, or consolidated. Requires the OMB and the GSA to: (1) provide specified congressional committees, upon request, access to the Federal Real Property Profile established by Executive Order 13327, dated February 4, 2004; and (2) make such Profile available, upon request, to the Government Accountability Office, the Congressional Research Service, the Congressional Budget Office, and the Commission. Requires the GSA to include in the Federal Real Property Profile information relating to the age and condition of a federal real property asset, its size and location, and specified costs of operating such property. Requires each federal agency, not later than three years after the enactment of this Act, to sell, dispose, transfer, exchange, consolidate, co-locate, reconfigure, or redevelop any federal real property that is deemed excess property. Prohibits judicial review of certain actions taken by the Commission or the President under this Act. Requires the GSA to consider the life-cycle cost (i.e., the sum of investment, capital, installation, energy, operating, maintenance, and replacement costs) of certain public buildings that are constructed or leased after the enactment of this Act.

Tribal Tax Incentive for Renewable Energy Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015

Tribal Tax Incentive for Renewable Energy Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow Indian tribes an election to transfer a portion of the energy tax credit to another taxpayer.

Tribal Tax Incentive for Renewable Energy Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015

Tribal Tax Incentive for Renewable Energy Act of 2015 This bill amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow Indian tribes an election to transfer a portion of the energy tax credit to another taxpayer.

Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 13 July 2015

Credit Access and Inclusion Act of 2015 This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to authorize a person or the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to furnish to a consumer reporting agency information relating to the performance of a consumer in making payments: (1) under a lease agreement for a dwelling, including a lease in which HUD provides subsidized payments; or (2) pursuant to a contract for a utility or telecommunications service. Information about a consumer's usage of any utility or telecommunications services may be furnished to a consumer reporting agency only to the extent that such information relates to payment by the consumer for such services or other terms of the provision of such services, including any deposit, discount, or conditions for interruption or termination of service. An energy utility firm may not report payment information to a consumer reporting agency with respect to an outstanding balance of a consumer as late if the firm and the consumer have entered into a payment plan and the consumer is meeting the obligations of such plan.

AIR Survey Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 10 July 2015

Aerial Infrastructure Route Survey Act of 2015, or the AIR Survey Act of 2015 This bill amends the Natural Gas Act to accept data collected by aerial survey in lieu of ground survey data for the purposes of completing: any prefiling process established to facilitate the formal application process for obtaining a certificate of public convenience and necessity for a natural gas transportation facility, or an application associated with a federal authorization concerning a certificate application. An agency that accepts an aerial survey may, nevertheless, require as a condition of approval of an application associated with a federal authorization that the aerial survey data be verified through the use of ground survey data before the construction or extension of the pertinent facility.

Private Investment in Housing Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015

Private Investment in Housing Act of 2015 Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to establish a demonstration program under which, in FY2016 through FY2019, the Secretary may execute budget-neutral, performance-based agreements (for up to 12 years each) that result in a reduction in energy or water costs with appropriate entities to carry out projects for energy or water conservation improvements at up to 20,000 residential units in multifamily buildings participating in: Section 8 project-based rental assistance programs under the United States Housing Act of 1937, other than Section 8 (voucher program) assistance; supportive housing for the elderly programs under the Housing Act of 1959; or supportive housing for persons with disabilities programs under the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act. Specifies requirements for payment under an agreement, which shall be contingent on documented utility savings, as well as for agreement terms, eligibility, geographical diversity, and funding for the program. Limits this demonstration program to properties subject to affordability restrictions, which may be through an affordability agreement under a new housing assistance payments contract with HUD, or through an enforceable covenant with the property owner, for at least 15 years after completion of any conservation improvements made under the program. Requires the Secretary to submit to specified congressional committees a detailed plan for the implementation of this Act.

Renewable Energy Certainty Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015

Renewable Energy Certainty Act Amends the National Energy Conservation Policy Act to authorize federal agencies to enter into contracts for the acquisition of renewable energy or energy from cogeneration facilities for a period of up to 30 years. Directs the Federal Energy Management Program to publish a standardized energy purchase agreement that federal agencies may use for such an acquisition.

Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act

United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015

Incentivizing Offshore Wind Power Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code to: (1) allow a 30% tax credit for investment in a qualifying offshore wind facility (an offshore facility using wind to produce electricity), and (2) direct the Department of the Treasury to establish a qualifying credit for offshore wind facilities program to consider and award certifications for investments eligible for such a credit to qualifying offshore wind facility sponsors. Requires Treasury to review credits allocated under this Act periodically and authorizes Treasury to make additional allocations and reallocations of such credits upon determining that: (1) the limit on the total amount of megawatt capacity for offshore facilities with respect to which credits may be allocated under the program has not been attained, or (2) scheduled placed-in-service dates of previously certified facilities have been significantly delayed and the applicant for certification will not meet the required timeline.

Promoting Renewable Energy with Shared Solar Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 9 July 2015

Promoting Renewable Energy with Shared Solar Act of 2015 This bill amends the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) to require an electric utility, upon the request of an electric consumer, to make available to the consumer interconnection service and net billing service for a solar photovoltaic system allocating electricity to multiple individual electric consumers of the utility and meeting other specified characteristics (community solar facility). Each state regulatory authority and each nonregulated utility must, within specified time limitations, commence consideration of and finally determine ratemaking standards. The bill makes conforming technical amendments to the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Certain ratemaking time limitations set out in PURPA, and requirements in case of a failure to comply with them, shall not apply in the case of any electric utility in a state if before enactment of this Act: the state has implemented the standard under this Act (or a comparable one) for the electric utility; the state regulatory authority or the relevant nonregulated electric utility has conducted a proceeding to consider implementation of the standard (or a comparable one) for the electric utility; or the state legislature has voted on the implementation of the standard (or a comparable one).

ENERGY AND THE RURAL ECONOMY: THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EXPORTING CRUDE OIL

United States · United States House of Representatives · 8 July 2015

Fair RATES Act

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015

Fair Ratepayer Accountability, Transparency, and Efficiency Standards Act or the Fair RATES Act This bill amends the Federal Power Act to permit a party to seek a rehearing and subsequent judicial review of any rate change filed by a public utility that takes effect without the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issuing an order making such change effective. (Public utilities must give FERC and the public a 60-day notice before a proposed rate change can take effect.)

A resolution designating October 8, 2015, as "National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day".

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015

Designates October 8, 2015, as National Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Day.

Drought Recovery and Resilience Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015

Drought Recovery and Resilience Act of 2015 TITLE I--EMERGENCY DROUGHT RESPONSE APPROPRIATIONS FROM RECLAMATION FUND This bill provides emergency supplemental appropriations for FY2015 from the Reclamation Fund to the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Army Corps of Engineers for water projects, programs, grants, or loans in states impacted by drought. Interior is provided additional amounts for the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), including amounts for water reclamation and reuse projects, the WaterSMART program under the Reclamation States Emergency Drought Relief Act of 1991, and water acquisition, water conveyance, and facilities construction under the Refuge Water Supply Program. The EPA is provided additional amounts for cleanup of polluted groundwater supplies, capitalization grants for state water pollution control revolving funds and for drinking water treatment revolving loan funds, and loans under the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 2014. USDA is provided additional amounts for: (1) the Rural Utilities Service for direct and guaranteed loans and grants for rural water, wastewater, and waste disposal programs; and (2) emergency grants, upon declaration of a natural disaster, to assist low-income migrant and seasonal farmworkers to address impacts of drought. Additional amounts are also provided to: DOJ for the Drug Enforcement Administration to assist state or local law enforcement agencies in the suppression of cannabis operations; the Army Corps to carry out the Water Resources and Development Act of 2007; and projects under the Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 in drought-affected states that reduce fire risk, improve water quality or downstream water quantity, or expand ground water recharge capacity. TITLE II--NEW WATER INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM AUTHORIZATIONS National Water Recycling and Reclamation Act of 2015 The EPA must establish a National Water Recycling and Reclamation Program to provide private or governmental entities with grants for up to 80% of the costs for water recycling and reclamation projects for which eligible costs are anticipated to exceed $1 million. Selection criteria for such grants include the extent to which projects address water demand and supply, environmental protection, and federal return on investment through renewable water supplies. Reclamation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act or RIFIA Interior may provide financial assistance, such as secured loans or loan guarantees, to private entities, state or local governments, irrigation districts, water users' associations, or other entities that contract with the United States under federal reclamation law to carry out water projects within the 17 western states served by Reclamation, other states where Reclamation is authorized to provide project assistance, Alaska, and Hawaii. Projects eligible for assistance include: reclamation and reuse of municipal, industrial, domestic, and agricultural wastewater and naturally impaired ground; water infrastructure projects that would contribute to a safe, adequate water supply for domestic, agricultural, environmental, or municipal and industrial use; new water conduits, pipelines, canals, pumping or power facilities; energy efficiency projects; accelerated repair and replacement of aging water distribution facilities; brackish or sea water desalination; or acquisition of real property or an interest therein for water storage, reclaimed or recycled water, or wastewater that is integral to an authorized project. Priority must be given to projects that promote wastewater recycling, agricultural or urban water conservation and efficiency, stormwater capture, or other innovations that reduce reliance on surface and groundwater supplies. To be eligible for assistance, eligible project costs of a project and other projects in a watershed must be reasonably anticipated to be at least $10 million. The interest of a secured loan may not be more than the yield on Treasury securities of a similar maturity. Interior may sell or reoffer into the capital markets a secured loan after the substantial completion of the project. The final maturity date of a secured loan may not be later than 35 years after the expected date of substantial completion of the underlying project. Interior may also enter into cost-shared financial assistance agreements with nonfederal entities in the 17 Reclamation-served western states or Hawaii to carry out the planning, design, and construction of any permanent water storage and conveyance facility used solely to regulate and maximize the water supply arising from a project that is eligible for assistance, including recycled water projects not congressionally authorized, to: (1) recycle wastewater or ground water, or (2) use integrated and coordinated water management on a watershed or regional scale. The federal share of the cost of such a project shall be: (1) nonreimbursable, and (2) the lesser of 50% of the total cost or $15 million (adjusted for inflation). Reclamation Title Transfer Act of 2015 Reclamation may establish a program that: (1) identifies and analyzes the potential for public benefits from the transfer of eligible facilities out of federal ownership, and (2) facilitates the transfer of such facilities to qualifying entities to promote more efficient management of water and water-related facilities. "Eligible facilities" is defined as reclamation projects or facilities (including dams and appurtenant works, infrastructure, recreational facilities, buildings, distribution and drainage works, and associated land or interests in land or water) for which the United States holds title and that meet the criteria for potential transfer. A "qualifying entity" is a state, local government, Indian tribe, municipal or quasi-municipal corporation, or other entity (such as a water district) that has the capacity to continue to manage the conveyed property for the same purposes that the property has been managed under the reclamation laws. Reclamation may convey an eligible facility to a qualifying entity if Congress is notified before the conveyance and does not disapprove. A right of first refusal is granted to a qualifying entity that is operating an eligible facility at the time conveyance is being considered. The bill terminates Reclamation's authority to carry out such conveyances 15 years after this Act's enactment. Innovative Stormwater Infrastructure Act of 2015 The EPA must provide grants to eligible higher education institutions and research institutions to establish and maintain between three and five centers of excellence for innovative stormwater control infrastructure. One of the centers must be the national electronic clearinghouse center and must operate a website and a public database on the infrastructure. The EPA must provide grants for innovative stormwater control infrastructure projects and must give priority to applications from: (1) a community that has combined storm and sanitary sewers in its collection system or is low-income or disadvantaged, or (2) an eligible entity that will use at least 10% of the grant for a low-income or disadvantaged community. The EPA must ensure that: (1) EPA offices promote the use of the infrastructure in, and coordinate its integration into, permitting programs, planning efforts, research, technical assistance, and funding guidance; and (2) the EPA's Office of Water supports establishing innovative financing mechanisms in the implementation of the infrastructure. The EPA must: (1) direct EPA regional offices to promote and integrate the use of the infrastructure, and (2) promote sharing information about the infrastructure approaches. The EPA must establish an innovative stormwater control infrastructure portfolio standard consisting of voluntary, measurable goals to increase the percentage of annual water managed by entities that use the infrastructure. TITLE III--IMPROVED INFRASTRUCTURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT Restoring America's Watersheds Act of 2015 The Forest Service must establish a Water Source Protection Program within the region of the National Forest System west of the 100th Meridian. USDA is authorized to enter into water source investment partnerships with specified end water users to protect and restore the condition of National Forest watersheds that provide water to nonfederal partners. The Forest Service must establish a Watershed Condition Framework within such region to: (1) identify for restoration up to five priority watersheds in each National Forest and up to two priority watersheds in each national grassland, and (2) develop and implement a watershed restoration action plan for each priority watershed. The Forest Service must also establish a Forest Service Legacy Roads and Trails Remediation Program within such region to: carry out critical maintenance and urgent repairs and improvements on National Forest System roads, trails, and bridges; restore fish and other aquatic organism passage by removing or replacing unnatural barriers to the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms; and decommission unneeded roads and trails. The Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Fund is reauthorized through FY2024. Five Demonstrations of Advancing Yields by Fixing Operations of Reservoirs to Encompass Climatic and Atmospheric Science Trends Act The Department of the Army must establish up to five pilot projects to implement forecast-based reservoir operations in states with drought emergencies during water year 2015. Interior must establish a wind and solar energy leasing pilot program to conduct lease sales of certain sites located on Reclamation land for purposes of carrying out wind and solar energy projects. The bill sets forth procedures for qualified developers to bid on sites that Interior offers for lease. Interior, within five years after enactment of this Act, must determine whether to expand the pilot program to apply to all authorized Reclamation lands. The general term for issued leases is: (1) an initial term of 25 years, and (2) any additional period after the initial 25-year term during which electricity is being produced annually in commercial quantities from the lease. However, a lease term may not be more than 5 years for the placement and operation of a meteorological or data collection facility or for the development or demonstration of a new wind or solar energy technology. Interior must establish and require payment of a royalty as a condition of issued leases. The royalty must be a percentage of the gross proceeds from the sale of electricity produced on land that is the subject of the lease. Lease royalties and authorized bonuses collected by Interior must be distributed in a manner such that: 25% is paid to the states and 25% is paid to the counties within the boundaries of which the royalties or bonuses are derived; 25% is deposited into a Fish and Wildlife Restoration Fund for Interior to use or make payments to states, federal agencies, or others for protecting fish and wildlife in regions impacted by the development of hydropower by federal agencies and the development of wind or solar energy on Reclamation land; 15% is paid to state Reclamation offices during the first 15 years after enactment of this Act for purposes of reducing the number of renewable energy permits that have not been processed before the enactment of this Act; and the remainder is deposited into the general fund of the Treasury for purposes of reducing the annual federal budget deficit. The Safe Drinking Water Act is amended to require a state to operate an EPA-prescribed injection control program for underground wells if the EPA finds that the state improperly issued permits under the state's underground injection control program. DOJ must maintain a registry of incidents of cultivation of marijuana on government property or while intentionally trespassing on another's property. DOJ is authorized to use amounts from the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund to pay for costs incurred by state, local, or tribal governments in connection with the remediation of an area formerly used for the production or cultivation of marijuana in which such a government assisted in a federal prosecution related to marijuana. The bill requires court sentences for certain marijuana offenses to include an order requiring the defendant to reimburse federal, state, or local governments for costs incurred for cleanup associated with the cultivation of marijuana by the defendant or on premises or in property that the defendant owns, resides in, or does business in. The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 is amended to: (1) include "planning for or addressing the impact of drought" among the activities for which Reclamation may make grants and enter cooperative agreements for water management improvement, (2) include Hawaii among the states in which eligible grant and agreement applicants may be located, (3) reauthorize such grants and agreements for FY2015-FY2023, and (4) reauthorize the authority of the U.S. Geological Survey to provide grants to state water resource agencies under the national water availability and use assessment program for FY2014-FY2023. The Internal Revenue Code is amended to establish a refundable tax credit for the purchase and installation of a qualified water-harvesting system. The Reclamation Safety of Dams Act of 1978 is amended to authorize Interior, subject to feasibility studies and other specified conditions, to develop additional project benefits (such as additional conservation storage capacity) through the construction of new or supplementary works on a project in conjunction with its authority to modify Reclamation dams and related facilities to preserve their structural safety. Interior may expend available appropriated funds for construction of a project that meets certain environmental standards, but the bill prohibits the federal cost-share from exceeding 25% of the project costs. TITLE IV--PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE Water Innovation and Prize Competition Act of 2015 The Department of Energy must establish a program to award prizes for development of water desalination technologies. The Natural Resources Conservation Service must collaborate with Reclamation to provide assistance, upon request, to water or power delivery authorities for purposes of increasing water use efficiency and providing on-farm assistance to address water quantity and water quality conservation practices. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service must prepare a California salmon drought plan. The President must update the National Response Plan and the National Disaster Recovery Framework to include a plan for catastrophic drought.

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding hydroelectric power.

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015

Expresses the sense of the House of Representatives that hydroelectric power is the most abundant source of clean, renewable energy in the United States and should be fully utilized in the pursuit of energy independence and affordable energy for the people of the United States.

Solar and Water-Efficient Homes Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 8 July 2015

Solar and Water-Efficient Homes Act of 2015 This bill amends the National Housing Act, with respect to Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) insurance of financial institutions which finance housing alterations, repairs, improvements, or conversions, to increase the premium charge from 1% per annum of the net proceeds of a loan, advance of credit, or purchase, for the term of the obligation, to 1.5% per year of the remaining insured principal balance, with a specified exclusion and without taking into account delinquent payments or prepayments. There may also be a single upfront additional premium charge of 2.75% of the original insured principal obligation with respect to existing single-family or multi-family structures. HUD may increase the limitations on premium payments to percentages greater than these but only if necessary, and not in excess of the minimum increase necessary to maintain a negative credit subsidy for insurance of loans, advances of credit, or certain purchases. The maximum insurance amount (10% of the total amount of such loans, advances of credit, and purchases) any financial institution may receive is repealed. The maximum obligation of an individual loan, advance of credit, or purchase that may be insured for improvements: (1) to an existing single-family dwelling is increased from $25,000 to $42,000; and (2) to an existing multi-family structure is increased from $60,000 to $100,380, with an average amount of $20,076 (currently $12,000) per family unit. HUD shall develop a method of indexing to increase these dollar amount limitations annually, based on consumer price index data on housing collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the Department of Labor. These dollar amount limitations may also be increased by up to 150%, not to exceed the dollar amount of the loan used for purchasing or installing solar energy systems or for purchasing or implementing water conserving improvements.

To establish a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in combined cycle and simple cycle power generation systems.

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015

This bill requires the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Fossil Energy to carry out a research, development, and technology demonstration program to improve the efficiency of gas turbines used in power generation systems and to identify the technologies that will lead to gas turbine combined cycle efficiency of 65% or simple cycle efficiency of 50%. The program must: (1) support first-of-a-kind engineering and detailed gas turbine design for megawatt-scale and utility-scale electric power generation; (2) include technology demonstration through component testing, subscale testing, and full scale testing in existing fleets; (3) include field demonstrations of the developed technology elements to demonstrate technical and economic feasibility; and (4) assess overall combined cycle and simple cycle system performance. The goals of the multiphase program must be: in phase I, to develop the conceptual design of, and to develop and demonstrate the technology required for, advanced high efficiency gas turbines that can achieve at least 62% combined cycle efficiency or 47% simple cycle efficiency on a lower heating value basis; and in phase II, to develop the conceptual design for advanced high efficiency gas turbines that can achieve at least 65% combined cycle efficiency or 50% simple cycle efficiency on a lower heating value basis. In selecting program proposals, DOE must emphasize the extent to which the proposal will stimulate the creation or increased retention of jobs in the United States and promote and enhance U.S. technology leadership.

Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015

Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 Authorizes FY2016 appropriations for the conduct of intelligence and intelligence-related activities of: (1) the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI); (2) the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); (3) the Department of Defense (DOD); (4) the Defense Intelligence Agency; (5) the National Security Agency; (6) the Departments of the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force; (7) the Coast Guard; (8) the Departments of State, the Treasury, Energy (DOE), and Justice; (9) the Federal Bureau of Investigation; (10) the Drug Enforcement Administration; (11) the National Reconnaissance Office; (12) the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency; and (13) the Department of Homeland Security. Allows the DNI, if it provides prior notification to Congress, to authorize employment of civilian personnel in excess of the number authorized for FY2016 when necessary for the performance of important intelligence functions. Authorizes FY2016 appropriations for: (1) the Intelligence Community Management Account, and (2) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability Fund. Requires the DNI to establish a policy for elements of the intelligence community to provide quarterly notifications to Congress regarding each appointment of an individual to, or each separation, from a senior level position. Requires the National Counterintelligence Executive to be appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. Includes the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community within the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency. Authorizes inspectors general of the CIA and the intelligence community to request information or assistance from state or local governmental agencies. Requires the DNI to assign the Chief of the Analytic Integrity and Standards Group, in consultation with the CIA's Senior Analytic Service, to review finished CIA-produced intelligence products to assess whether the CIA's reorganization has resulted in any loss of analytic objectivity. Directs the DNI to notify Congress if the intelligence community receives intelligence that the Russian Federation has: (1) deployed, or is about to deploy, the Club-K container missile system through the Russian military; or (2) transferred or sold, or intends to transfer or sell, such system to another state or nonstate actor. Requires the DNI to submit to Congress: (1) an intelligence community assessment on the funding of political parties and nongovernmental organizations in former Soviet states and countries in Europe by the Russian Federation and its security and intelligence services since January 1, 2006; and (2) an assessment on the use of political assassinations as a form of statecraft by the Russian Federation since January 1, 2000. Directs the DNI to submit to Congress an assessment on the resources utilized for intelligence collection efforts with regard to the South and East China Seas. Requires the State Department to: (1) ensure that supervisory positions at U.S. diplomatic facilities in Cuba are occupied by U.S. citizens who have passed a thorough background check, and (2) submit to Congress a plan for reducing the reliance on locally employed staff in such U.S. diplomatic facilities in Cuba. Requires the DNI to submit reports to Congress regarding: (1) the monetary value of any direct or indirect forms of sanctions relief that Iran has received since the Joint Plan of Action first entered into effect; (2) Iran's use of such funds, including to support international terrorism and the al-Assad regime in Syria, advance nuclear weapons or ballistic missile efforts, or commit any violation of the human rights of the people of Iran; and (3) the extent to which senior Iranian officials have diverted sanctions relief funds into their personal accounts. Bars a provision of an intelligence contract that prohibits the disclosure of information from being construed to prohibit an element of the intelligence community from providing information to the congressional intelligence committees. Requires the DNI to provide notice to Congress within 15 days after learning that an electronic communication service provider that generates call detail records in the ordinary course of business has changed its retention policy to a period of less than 18 months. Requires anyone engaged in providing an electronic communication or a remote computing service to the public who obtains actual knowledge of any terrorist activity to provide the relevant facts and circumstances to authorities designated by the Attorney General. Directs the DNI to collaborate with DOD and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to develop a strategy for a comprehensive interagency review of policies for planning and acquiring national security satellite systems and architectures consistent with the National Space Policy issued on June 28, 2010. Includes the DNI among the agencies that must be consulted when DOE considers whether to authorize a person to develop or produce special nuclear material outside the United States. Requires the DNI to: (1) implement a plan to eliminate the backlog of overdue periodic reinvestigations of individuals eligible to access classified information or hold a sensitive position; and (2) direct specified executive agencies, military departments, and elements of the intelligence community to implement enhanced personnel security programs.

Low-Income Solar Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015

Low-Income Solar Act This bill requires the Department of Energy to establish a loan and grant program for photovoltaic solar (a method of converting energy from the sun into electricity) installations in low-income and underserved areas for FY2016-FY2030. Loans must be provided for: (1) community solar facilities that provide solar energy to low-income households, or (2) solar installations at federally subsidized affordable housing at multi-family complexes. The community solar facilities must: (1) be owned by an organization of electricity consumers that own a share of the facility's solar electricity generation, (2) have a certain a nameplate rating (or power generation capacity), (3) be located in or near a community that uses the electricity generated by the facility, and (4) reserve at least 25% of the electricity generated for low-income households. Grants must be given for: (1) solar electricity generating facilities installed on properties of eligible, low-income home owners; or (2) new solar projects for low-income households and individuals, including the costs of equipment and job training associated with solar projects.

Energy Efficient Government Technology Act

United States · United States Congress · 7 July 2015

Energy Efficient Government Technology Act This bill amends the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 to require each federal agency to coordinate with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Energy (DOE), and the Environmental Protection Agency to develop an implementation strategy for the maintenance, purchase, and use of energy-efficient and energy-saving information technologies. The OMB must establish performance goals for evaluating the efforts of federal agencies in improving the maintenance, purchase, and use of the technology. The Chief Information Officers Council must recommend best practices for attaining the performance goals. DOE must: make available to the public an update to the Report to Congress on Server and Data Center Energy Efficiency published on August 2, 2007; carry out a data center energy practitioner program that leads to the certification of energy practitioners qualified to evaluate the energy usage and efficiency opportunities in federal data centers; carry out an open data initiative to make information about federal data center energy usage available and accessible in a manner that encourages data center innovation, optimization, and consolidation; participate in efforts to harmonize global specifications and metrics for data center energy efficiency; and facilitate in the development of an efficiency metric that measures the energy efficiency of a data center.

Maritime and Energy Workforce Technical Training Enhancement Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015

Maritime and Energy Workforce Technical Training Enhancement Act This bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to award grants to enable eligible community colleges and other public institutions of higher education to expand upon existing programs in maritime and energy workforce technical training, including by admitting more students, training faculty, expanding facilities, creating new maritime career pathways from associate degree to baccalaureate degree programs, and awarding credit for prior learning experience, or increasing cooperation with specified federal departments or the National Science Foundation. DOE shall give priority to institutions that have entered into a partnership with one of such departments. DOE may also award a grant to a nonprofit organization with a track record of at least 10 years of expertise in working with community colleges on developing workforce development programs, to provide assistance in carrying out this Act. Recipients shall use grant amounts for: training related to maritime or energy transportation, logistics, and supply chain management or to shipbuilding and ship repair; enhancement of academic and workforce training programs for maritime and energy employment; salary supplementation for faculty in maritime or energy training and education; operation and maintenance of maritime or energy related equipment and technology for use in instructional programs; acquisition of marine vessels and other assets and equipment for use in maritime or energy related training and education; renovation or construction of buildings to house maritime or energy training and education programs; and tuition reimbursement for successful completion of a maritime or energy course, program, or certification. The bill defines an "eligible institution" as a community college or other public postsecondary educational institution located in close proximity to marine or port facilities in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, or Great Lakes that offers a maritime training and education program and that has an established association with a port authority and appropriate government agencies. DOE shall award a grant to to enable up to 10 eligible institutions to: (1) establish Centers of Excellence in Maritime and Energy Workforce Technical Training; and (2) improve and expand maritime and energy workforce training opportunities for veterans, members of the Armed Forces, federal employees, and civilians by implementing new programs in specified training areas, including port related transportation systems and job placement in maritime and energy related employment fields.

Supporting Home Owner Rights Enforcement Act

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015

Supporting Home Owner Rights Enforcement Act Amends the Federal Power Act, regarding the issuance of licenses for construction of dams, conduits, and reservoirs, to direct the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, when deciding whether to issue a license for project works, to give equal consideration to minimizing infringement on the useful exercise and enjoyment of property rights held by nonlicensees. Requires the licensee, in developing any recreational resource within the project boundary, to consider private landownership as a means to encourage and facilitate private investment, increased tourism, and recreational use.

Returning to the Senate H.R. 1735, a bill to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes, with the Senate amendment thereto.

United States · United States Congress · 25 June 2015

Returns to the Senate H.R. 1735 (National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016) with the Senate amendment because, in the opinion of the House of Representatives, the Senate amendment contravenes the clause of the Constitution requiring bills raising revenue to originate in the House and is an infringement of the privileges of the House.

U.S. ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION REPORT: ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACTS OF THE EPA'S CLEAN POWER PLAN

United States · United States House of Representatives · 24 June 2015

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of "qualifying income" for such partnerships to include income and gains from renewable and alternative fuels (in addition to fossil fuels), including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act

United States · United States Congress · 24 June 2015

Master Limited Partnerships Parity Act Amends the Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the tax treatment of publicly traded partnerships as corporations, to expand the definition of "qualifying income" for such partnerships to include income and gains from renewable and alternative fuels (in addition to fossil fuels), including energy derived from thermal resources, waste, renewable fuels and chemicals, energy efficient buildings, gasification, and carbon capture in secure geological storage.

AMERICAN ENERGY EXPORTS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR U.S. ALLIES AND U.S. NATIONAL SECURITY

United States · United States Senate · 23 June 2015

THE IMPACTS OF EPA'S PROPOSED CARBON REGULATIONS ON ENERGY COSTS FOR AMERICAN BUSINESSES, RURAL COMMUNITIES AND FAMILIES, AND A LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON S. 1324

United States · United States Senate · 23 June 2015

Providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2822) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2042) to allow for judicial review of any final rule addressing carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units before requiring compliance with such rule, and to allow States to protect households and businesses from significant adverse effects on electricity ratepayers or reliability; and providing for proceedings during the period from June 26, 2015, through July 6, 2015.

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015

Sets forth the rule for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2822) making appropriations for the Department of the Interior, environment, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2016, and for other purposes; providing for consideration of the bill (H.R. 2042) to allow for judicial review of any final rule addressing carbon dioxide emissions from existing fossil fuel-fired electric utility generating units before requiring compliance with such rule, and to allow States to protect households and businesses from significant adverse effects on electricity ratepayers or reliability; and providing for proceedings during the period from June 26, 2015, through July 6, 2015.

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 Provides FY2016 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and related agencies. Provides appropriations to Interior for: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. Provides appropriations to Interior for Departmental Offices, including the Office of the Secretary, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. Provides appropriations to Interior for Department-Wide Programs, including Wildland Fire Management, the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Fund, and the Working Capital Fund. Provides appropriations to the EPA. Provides appropriations to the Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the Forest Service. Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Provides appropriations to: the Executive Office of the President for the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Environmental Quality; the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Gallery of Art; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Commission of Fine Arts; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Capital Planning Commission; the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial Commission. Sets forth permissible, restricted, and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. Amends the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985 to require specified adjustments to discretionary spending limits in FY2016-FY2021 to accommodate appropriations for wildfire suppression operations in the Wildland Fire Management accounts at USDA and Interior.

Electrify Africa Act of 2015

United States · United States Congress · 23 June 2015

Electrify Africa Act of 2015 This bill directs the President to establish a multiyear strategy to assist countries in sub-Saharan Africa implement national power strategies and develop an appropriate mix of power solutions, including renewable energy, to provide access to reliable, affordable, and sustainable power in order to reduce poverty and drive economic growth. The President is urged to: (1) establish an interagency working group to coordinate the activities of U.S. government departments and agencies involved in carrying out the strategy, and (2) use U.S. influence to leverage international support to promote the strategy. The U.S. Agency for International Development, the Trade and Development Agency, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), and the Millennium Challenge Corporation are urged to prioritize efforts and assistance for power projects and markets in sub-Saharan Africa. The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 is amended to extend OPIC's issuing authority through September 30, 2018. OPIC is temporarily authorized to issue local currency guarantees to African subsidiaries of foreign financial institutions to facilitate eligible investor lending for power projects in sub-Saharan Africa. The President shall appoint and maintain an Inspector General in OPIC.

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016

United States · United States Congress · 18 June 2015

Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 Provides FY2016 appropriations for the Department of the Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency, and related agencies. Provides appropriations to the Department of the Interior for: the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education. Provides appropriations to Interior for Departmental Offices, including the Office of the Secretary, Insular Affairs, the Office of the Solicitor, the Office of Inspector General, and the Office of the Special Trustee for American Indians. Provides appropriations to Interior for Department-Wide Programs, including Wildland Fire Management, the FLAME Wildfire Suppression Reserve Fund, the Central Hazardous Materials Fund, the Natural Resources Damage Assessment Fund, and the Working Capital Fund. Provides appropriations to the Environmental Protection Agency. Provides appropriations to the Department of Agriculture for the Forest Service. Provides appropriations to the Department of Health and Human Services for the Indian Health Service, the National Institutes of Health for the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. Provides appropriations to: the Executive Office of the President for the Council on Environmental Quality and the Office of Environmental Quality; the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board; the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation; the Institute of American Indian and Alaska Native Culture and Arts Development; the Smithsonian Institution; the National Gallery of Art; the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts; the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; the National Foundation on the Arts and Humanities, including the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities; the Commission of Fine Arts; the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation; the National Capital Planning Commission; and the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Sets forth permissible, restricted, and prohibited uses for funds provided by this and other appropriations Acts. Rescinds specified amounts previously appropriated to agencies funded in this bill.