Bill Summary
The American Energy Opportunity Act of 2019 is a bill that requires the Secretary of Energy to establish or designate a Distributed Energy Opportunity Board. This board will be responsible for implementing a program to streamline the process of local permitting for distributed renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle charging systems. The purpose of this program is to make it easier and more efficient for individuals and businesses to install and use these types of energy systems. The Board will also work to establish a national online permitting system and develop certifications for distributed energy system installers. The bill also authorizes the Secretary of Energy to recognize and certify certain communities as "Distributed Energy Opportunity Communities" if they adopt and implement the Board's model expedited permit-to-build protocol. The Secretary is also authorized to provide financial assistance for this program. The bill authorizes $20 million in funding for each fiscal year from 2020 to 2025 to carry out these efforts.
Possible Impacts
1. The establishment of the Distributed Energy Opportunity Board could lead to a more streamlined and efficient process for obtaining permits for distributed renewable energy systems. This could make it easier and more affordable for individuals and companies to switch to renewable energy sources, potentially leading to a decrease in reliance on fossil fuels and a reduction in carbon emissions.
2. The model expedited permit-to-build protocol could help to standardize the process for building and installing qualifying distributed energy systems. This could benefit both installers and authorities having jurisdiction by providing clear guidelines and reducing the potential for delays or errors in the permitting process.
3. The designation of certain communities as Distributed Energy Opportunity Communities and the availability of grants could incentivize local governments to adopt the model expedited permit-to-build protocol and streamline their permitting and inspection processes. This could result in increased adoption of renewable energy systems and a more efficient and environmentally friendly energy infrastructure.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 5335 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 5335
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish or designate the
Distributed Energy Opportunity Board to carry out a program to
facilitate a voluntary streamlined processes for local permitting of
distributed renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle
charging systems, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 6, 2019
Mr. Tonko (for himself, Mr. Fortenberry, and Mrs. Lee of Nevada)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and
Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in
each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the
jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy to establish or designate the
Distributed Energy Opportunity Board to carry out a program to
facilitate a voluntary streamlined processes for local permitting of
distributed renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicle
charging systems, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``American Energy Opportunity Act of
2019''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Authority having jurisdiction.--The term ``authority
having jurisdiction'' means any State, county, local, or Tribal
office or official with jurisdiction--
(A) to issue permits;
(B) to conduct inspections to enforce the
requirements of a relevant code or standard; or
(C) to approve the installation of, or the
equipment and materials used in the installation of,
qualifying distributed energy systems.
(2) Board.--The term ``Board'' means the Distributed Energy
Opportunity Board established or designated under section 3(a).
(3) Distributed energy system installer.--The term
``distributed energy system installer'' means an entity or
individual--
(A) with knowledge and skills relating to--
(i) the construction and operation of the
equipment used in qualifying distributed energy
systems; and
(ii) the installation of qualifying
distributed energy systems; and
(B) that has employed safety training to recognize
and avoid the hazards involved in constructing,
operating, and installing qualifying distributed energy
systems.
(4) Qualifying distributed energy system.--The term
``qualifying distributed energy system'' means any equipment or
materials installed in, on, or near a residential, commercial,
or industrial building to support onsite or local energy use,
including--
(A) to generate electricity from distributed
renewable energy sources, including from--
(i) solar photovoltaic modules or similar
solar energy technologies;
(ii) wind power systems; and
(iii) hydrogen electrolysis and fuel cell
systems;
(B) to store and discharge electricity from
batteries with a capacity of at least 2 kilowatt hours;
(C) to charge a plug-in electric drive vehicle at a
power rate of at least 2 kilowatts;
(D) to refuel a fuel cell electric vehicle; or
(E) to store and discharge electricity from fuel
cell systems with a capacity of at least 2 kilowatt
hours.
(5) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
SEC. 3. ESTABLISHMENT OR DESIGNATION OF THE DISTRIBUTED ENERGY
OPPORTUNITY BOARD.
(a) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with trade
associations and other entities representing distributed energy system
installers and organizations representing State, local, and Tribal
governments engaged in permitting, shall establish or designate a
nonprofit corporation, to be known as the ``Distributed Energy
Opportunity Board'', to carry out a program to streamline the process
for local permitting and inspection of qualifying distributed energy
systems.
(b) Composition.--The Board shall include representatives from--
(1) relevant Federal agencies, or organizations that
represent those agencies;
(2) State, local, and Tribal governments, or organizations
that represent those governments;
(3) distributed energy generation companies;
(4) battery storage companies;
(5) associations that represent the distributed energy
generation and battery storage industry;
(6) building code agencies and organizations, including a
model energy code-setting organization;
(7) other codes and standards organizations; and
(8) fuel cell system companies.
(c) Purpose and Activities of the Board.--
(1) Purpose.--The purpose of the Board is to establish a
voluntary program for facilitating--
(A) streamlined permitting processes of qualifying
distributed energy systems; and
(B) certification of distributed energy system
installers.
(2) Activities.--The Board shall--
(A) develop and maintain a streamlined permitting
process, such as a national online permitting system
and technology platform for expediting, standardizing,
and streamlining permitting, that authorities having
jurisdiction may use, at the discretion of those
authorities, to receive, review, and approve permit
applications relating to qualifying distributed energy
systems;
(B) establish a model expedited permit-to-build
protocol for qualifying distributed energy systems;
(C) provide technical assistance to authorities
having jurisdiction on using and adopting--
(i) the streamlined permitting process
described in subparagraph (A); and
(ii) the model expedited permit-to-build
protocol described in subparagraph (B);
(D)(i) investigate the development of voluntary
national certifications for distributed energy system
installers and qualifying distributed energy systems;
and
(ii) if the Board determines that the national
certifications would expedite and streamline the
permitting and inspection process, develop the
voluntary national certifications;
(E) develop and maintain a voluntary national
inspection protocol integrated with the national online
permitting system described in subparagraphs (A) and
(B) and related tools to expedite, standardize, and
streamline the inspection of qualifying distributed
energy systems, including--
(i) by investigating the potential for
using remote inspections; and
(ii) by investigating the potential for
sample-based inspection for distributed energy
system installers with a demonstrated track
record of high-quality work; and
(F) take any other action to expedite, standardize,
streamline, or improve the process for permitting,
inspecting, or interconnecting qualifying distributed
energy systems.
(d) Fee Authority.--The Board may assess fees for the provision of
services by the Board in amounts determined reasonable and appropriate
by the Board, including fees from participating distributed energy
system installers relating to the activities of the Board described in
subsection (c)(2).
(e) Nonprofit Status.--The Board shall be considered to be an
organization described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986, and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that
Code.
(f) Support Services.--The Secretary shall--
(1) provide technical assistance to the Board in carrying
out the activities described in subsection (c)(2); and
(2) provide such financial assistance to the Board as the
Secretary determines to be appropriate from any funds
appropriated to carry out this Act.
SEC. 4. DISTRIBUTED ENERGY OPPORTUNITY COMMUNITIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall recognize and certify certain
communities as ``Distributed Energy Opportunity Communities''.
(b) Qualifications.--The Secretary may certify a State, local
community, or Tribe as a ``Distributed Energy Opportunity Community''
if that State, local community, or Tribe has adopted and implemented
the model expedited permit-to-build protocol established by the Board.
(c) Process.--The Secretary may confer a certification under
subsection (a) through existing programs of the Department of Energy.
(d) Grants.--The Secretary may award competitive grants, using
funds appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act, to encourage
communities to adopt the model expedited permit-to-build protocol and
standardized inspection processes established by the Board.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry
out this Act $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2020 through 2025.
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