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“INDUSTRIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H11820-H11822 on Oct. 22, 2007.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INDUSTRIAL ENERGY EFFICIENCY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2007
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 3775) to support research and development of new industrial processes and technologies that optimize energy efficiency and environmental performance, utilize diverse sources of energy, and increase economic competitiveness, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 3775
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 ``Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) According to the Energy Information Administration's 2006 Annual Energy Review, the industrial sector in 2006 accounted for more energy use (32 percent) than the residential (21 percent), commercial (18 percent), or transportation sector (29 percent).
(2) The primary energy intensive industries vital to maintaining our country's infrastructure and economic and national security include steel, chemicals, metal casting, forest products, glass, aluminum, petroleum refining, and mining, as well as other energy intensive manufacturers.
(3) The Department of Energy has demonstrated the success of public-private partnerships with these industries resulting in research, development, and deployment of new energy efficient technologies which reduce emissions and improve manufacturing competitiveness.
(4) Innovations in manufacturing processes within these industries may be translated into efficiency improvements in buildings, transportation, and other economic sectors that depend upon these industries.
(5) While past public-private partnerships have resulted in significant energy efficiency improvements in manufacturing processes, there is a need for new technologies to achieve continual energy efficiency improvements.
(6) Innovations made in the last few decades assisted the United States in remaining competitive in the global market. Continued innovation in the areas of energy efficiency and feedstock diversification are necessary to enable the United States to maintain a competitive edge.
(7) The Department of Energy should continue collaborative efforts with industry, particularly the manufacturing sector, to broaden and accelerate the high-risk research and development of new manufacturing processes that optimize energy efficiency and utilize diverse sources of energy.
(8) These partnerships support critical research and development capabilities at universities and other research institutions while training future generations of engineers in critical areas of energy systems and efficient industrial process technologies for our domestic industries.
SEC. 3. INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this Act referred to as the ``Secretary'') shall establish a program, in cooperation with energy-intensive industries, trade and industry research collaborations representing such industries, and institutions of higher education--
(1) to conduct energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities with respect to new industrial and commercial processes, technologies, and methods to--
(A) achieve substantial improvements in energy efficiency; and
(B) enhance the economic competitiveness of the United States industrial sector; and
(2) to conduct environmental research and development with respect to new industrial and commercial processes, technologies, and methods to achieve environmental performance improvements such as waste reduction, emissions reductions, and more efficient water use.
(b) Program Activities.--Research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities under this section may include--
(1) activities to support the development and use of technologies and processes that improve the quality and quantity of feedstocks recovered or recycled from process and waste streams;
(2) research to meet manufacturing feedstock requirements with alternative resources;
(3) research to develop and demonstrate technologies and processes that utilize alternative energy sources to supply heat, power, and new feedstocks for energy-intensive industries;
(4) research to achieve energy efficiency in steam, power, control system, and process heat technologies, and in other manufacturing processes; and
(5) a program to fund research, development, and demonstration relating to inventors' and small companies' technology proposals, based on energy savings potential, commercial viability, and technical merit.
(c) Competitive Awards.--All awards under this section shall be made on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
(d) Coordination and Nonduplication.--The Secretary shall, coordinate efforts under this section with other programs of the Department and other Federal agencies, to avoid duplication of effort.
(e) Annual Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, and once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Congress a report on the activities conducted pursuant to this Act, including--
(1) a description of the activities used to facilitate cooperation with energy-intensive industries, universities, and other participants in the program; and
(2) a description of ongoing projects and new projects initiated, and the anticipated energy savings associated with achievement of each project's goals.
SEC. 4. UNIVERSITY-BASED INDUSTRIAL RESEARCH AND ASSESSMENT
CENTERS.
To strengthen the program under section 3, the Secretary shall provide funding to university-based industrial research and assessment centers, whose purpose shall be--
(1) to identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency and environmental performance;
(2) to promote application of emerging concepts and technologies in small and medium-sized manufacturers;
(3) to promote the research and development for usage of alternative energy sources to supply heat, power, and new feedstocks for energy intensive industries;
(4) to coordinate with appropriate State research offices, and provide a clearinghouse for industrial process and energy efficiency technical assistance resources; and
(5) to coordinate with State-accredited technical training centers and community colleges, while ensuring appropriate services to all regions of the United States.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this Act $150,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2009 through 2013.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) and the gentleman from Washington (Mr. Reichert) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and to include extraneous material on H.R. 3775, the bill now under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I'm pleased that the House will consider my bill today, H.R. 3775, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act. I first wish to thank my colleagues on the Science and Technology Committee for their support in crafting this legislation, especially Ranking Members Inglis and Hall, who worked with me on this bill which highlights the critical need for research into technologies that improve industrial energy efficiency.
An expanding economy and growing population ensure that demand for energy will continue to grow, making energy conservation a key national goal. In the United States, industry is responsible for more than one-
third of all energy consumed. Heavy industries such as chemical, glass and metals production, mining, petroleum, refining, and forest and paper products all require very large amounts of energy, making them particularly susceptible to high energy prices. Therefore, these and other energy-intensive U.S. industries are ideal candidates on which to focus Federal research and development efforts and apply new technologies to increase efficiency, raise productivity, reduce wastes, trim costs, and ultimately make them more competitive in a global market.
I'm very familiar with the difficulties these industries face. Texas has the highest percentage of large energy-intensive industries, 8 percent of the U.S. total. Over half the energy used in Texas is consumed by the industrial sector. There is significant pressure to reduce the emissions and energy use associated with their processes, while keeping costs low enough to maintain the region's attractiveness to industry. That's a tall order when costs for natural gas, one of the primary industrial feedstocks, are among the highest in the country.
The Industrial Technologies Program, ITP, at the Department of Energy, works to improve the energy intensity of U.S. industry through coordinated, cost-shared research and development. The ITP is considered one of the most effective Department of Energy programs, transferring over 170 technologies to the commercial market, improving an estimated 13,000 U.S. manufacturing plants, and saving nearly 5 quadrillion Btus of energy, or approximately $23 billion in energy since its inception. That's significant.
The ITP also sponsors university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, which utilize engineering faculty and students to provide no-cost energy assessments, mostly to small and medium-sized manufacturers. These centers serve as valuable preparation for the next generation of energy and industrial engineers, training almost 250 students per year.
The Industrial Technologies Program has suffered dramatic budget cuts in recent years, dropping to just one-third of the funding levels of 2001. And this reflects a dramatic and untimely shift in priorities away from industrial efficiency research and development.
So H.R. 3775 authorizes and expands the Department of Energy's Industrial Technology Program through better coordination of interdepartmental research, enhancement of the industrial assessment centers program at universities, and support of more research and development of new innovations and technologies that improve the energy efficiency and environmental performance of most energy-intensive manufacturing processes.
This legislation is needed to ensure continued gains in these areas through research and development that makes the U.S. industry more competitive and enhances the quality of life for American workers, their families and the communities that they serve.
Again, I want to thank Mr. Inglis for working to make this a better bill. I encourage my colleagues to support H.R. 3775.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 3775, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007, and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
The industrial sector of our economy is currently the largest user of energy. According to the Department of Energy's Energy Information Administration, the industrial sector consumed 32 percent of the Nation's energy in 2006. While the industrial sector has made impressive efficiency gains since 1980, more is needed and more can be done.
The Department of Energy currently runs the Industrial Technology Programs, ITP, whose mission it is to improve the energy intensity of the United States industrial sector, whose industries include aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, metal casting, mining, petroleum refining and steel. The ITP program engages in partnerships with industry to conduct research and development into energy efficiency technologies, as well as demonstrating those technologies and transferring them to the marketplace. The program has been very successful in its efforts with over 140 projects reaching the commercial market.
The ITP also conducts energy assessments, to help industrial manufacturers of all sizes, through both its Save Energy Now and university-based Industrial Assessment Centers, IACs. The Save Energy Now program completed 265 assessments that identified energy savings of more than $585 million per year.
The IACs serve a dual role, aiding small and medium-sized business to reduce their energy costs and the training of university students who will take the efficiency knowledge they have learned and apply it in the workforce.
The bill before us today will ensure that ITP's beneficial work will continue to help the industrial sector reduce its cost, which not only helps them remain globally competitive while allowing them to keep their operations in the United States of America. Further, the ITP aids our country's goal of reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy by improving this critical sector's use of energy.
I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMPSON. Thank you for your words, Mr. Reichert. Certainly this is important. It's something that can make a significant difference to what we're doing for the world and for industry in the United States of America, to make sure that we are kept competitive.
There's so many things, whether it is using waste to pelletize wood into new kinds of fuel, whether it is solar, water, any of the many things, wind, that we're doing and to encourage to make these things possible is something that is very important to me.
Mr. Speaker, I will insert the following letters into the Record.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC, October 22, 2007.Hon. Bart Gordon,Chairman, Committee on Science and Technology, Washington,
DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: I write with regard to H.R. 3775, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007. I know it is your wish for the bill to be considered on the House floor as soon as possible.
Some of the provisions in the bill are of jurisdictional interest to the Committee on Energy and Commerce. I am not, however, raising the issue with the Speaker because it is my understanding that you have agreed that the referral and consideration of the bill do not in any way serve as a jurisdictional precedent as to our two committees.
I request that you send to me a letter confirming our agreement and that our exchange of letters be included in your Committee's report on the bill and inserted in the Congressional Record as part of the consideration of the bill.
Please call me if you would like to discuss this matter further.
Sincerely,
John D. Dingell,Chairman.
____
House of Representatives, Committee on Science and
Technology,
Washington, DC, October 22, 2007.Hon. John D. Dingell,Chairman, Committee on Energy and Commerce, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: Thank you for your letter regarding the referral and consideration of H.R. 3775, the Industrial Energy Efficiency Research and Development Act of 2007. I appreciate your support of this important legislation.
I recognize your Committee's jurisdictional interest in this area, and I agree that the inaction of the Committee on Energy and Commerce with respect to the bill does not in any way serve as a jurisdictional precedent as to our two committees. The exchange of letters between our two committees will be placed in the Committee's report on H.R. 3775 and in the Congressional Record during consideration of the bill.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Bart Gordon,
Chairman.
Mr. Speaker, I don't have further comments to be made, and so if the gentleman is prepared to yield back his time, then I am ready to do so as well.
Mr. REICHERT. Mr. Speaker, I have no further speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. LAMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Permutter). The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Lampson) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3775, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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