42 U.S.C. § 17375
In this section:
The term "regional clean energy innovation partnership" means a group of one or more persons, including a covered consortium, who perform a collection of activities that are coordinated by such covered consortium to carry out the purposes of the program under subsection (c) in a region of the United States.
The term "covered consortium" means an individual or group of individuals in partnership with a government entity, including a State, territorial, local, or tribal government or unit of such government, and at least 2 or more of the following additional entities-
The term "program" means the Regional Clean Energy Innovation Program authorized in subsection (b).
The term "institution of higher education" has the meaning given such term in section 1001 or 1002(a)(1)(B) of title 20.
The term "National Laboratory" has the meaning given that term in section 15801 of this title.
The term "clean energy technology" means a technology that significantly reduces energy use, increases energy efficiency, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, reduces emissions of other pollutants, or mitigates other negative environmental consequences of energy production, transmission or use.
The term "community-based organization" has the meaning given the term in section 3102 of title 29.
The term "community college" means-
The term "workforce development program" has the meaning given the term in section 3102 of title 29.
The Secretary shall establish a Regional Clean Energy Innovation Program, a research, development, demonstration, and commercial application program designed to enhance the economic, environmental, and energy security of the United States and accelerate the pace of innovation of diverse clean energy technologies through the formation or support of regional clean energy innovation partnerships.
The purposes of the Program established under subsection (b) are to-
The Secretary shall competitively award grants to covered consortia to establish or support regional clean energy innovation partnerships that achieve the purposes of the Program in subsection (c).
Grants awarded under this subsection shall be used for activities determined appropriate by the Secretary to achieve the purposes of the Program in subsection (c), including-
Each application submitted to the Secretary under paragraph (1) may include-
In selecting covered consortia for funding under the Program, the Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable-
Grants given out under this Program shall be in an amount not greater than $10,000,000, with the total grant award in any year less than that in the previous year.
For grants that are disbursed over the course of three or more years, the Secretary shall require, as a condition of receipt of funds under this section, that a covered consortium provide not less than 50 percent of the funding for the activities of the regional clean energy partnership under this section for years 3, 4, and 5.
Each grant under paragraph shall be for a period of not longer than 5 years.
A grant awarded under this section may be renewed for a period of not more than 5 years, subject to a rigorous merit review based on the progress of a regional clean energy innovation partnership towards achieving the purposes of the program in subsection (c) and the metrics developed under subsection (g).
Consistent with the existing authorities of the Department, the Secretary may terminate grant funding under this subsection to covered consortia during the performance period if the Secretary determines that the regional clean energy innovation partnership is underperforming.
The Secretary may allow a covered consortium that receives funds under this section to allocate a portion of the funding received to be used for administrative or indirect costs.
The Secretary may accept funds from other Federal agencies to support funding and activities under this section.
The Secretary may competitively award grants in an amount no greater than $2,000,000 for a period not longer than 2 years to an entity consisting of a government entity, including a State, territorial, local, or tribal government or unit of such government or any entity listed under subsection (a)(2) to plan a regional clean energy innovation partnership or establish a covered consortium for the purpose of applying for funds under subsection (b).
As part of the program, the Secretary shall support the gathering, analysis, and dissemination of information on best practices for developing and operating successful regional clean energy innovation partnerships.
In evaluating a grant renewal under subsection (d)(8), the Secretary shall work with program evaluation experts to develop and make publicly available metrics to assess the progress of a regional clean energy innovation partnership towards achieving the purposes of the program in subsection (c).
In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall coordinate with, and avoid unnecessary duplication of, the activities carried out under this section with the activities of other research entities of the Department or relevant programs at other Federal agencies.
In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall maintain conflict of interest procedures, consistent with the conflict of interest procedures of the Department.
Not later than 3 years after August 9, 2022, and again 3 years later, the Comptroller General shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate an evaluation on the operation of the program during the most recent 3-year period, including-
In supporting technology transfer activities at the National Laboratories, the Secretary shall encourage partnerships with entities that are located in the same region or State as the National Laboratory.
In carrying out the activities under this section, the Secretary shall ensure proper security controls are in place to protect sensitive information, as appropriate.
No funds provided to the Department of Energy under this section shall be used for construction.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027.
42 U.S.C. § 17375
- Consortium
- The term "Consortium" means the High-Performance Green Building Partnership Consortium created in response to section 17092(c)(1) of this title to represent the private sector in a public-private partnership to promote high-performance green buildings and zero-net-energy commercial buildings.
- Secretary
- The term "Secretary" means the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.1See References in Text note below.
- practices
- The term "practices" means design, financing, permitting, construction, commissioning, operation and maintenance, and other practices that contribute to achieving zero-net-energy buildings or facilities.