The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“TRIBAL POWER ACT” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Energy was published in the House of Representatives section on pages H7068-H7071 on Dec. 9, 2020.
The Department oversees energy policies and is involved in how the US handles nuclear programs. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, said the Department's misguided energy regulations have caused large losses to consumers for decades.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
TRIBAL POWER ACT
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 5541) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to reauthorize programs to assist consenting Indian Tribes in meeting energy education, planning, and management needs, and for other purposes, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5541
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 ``Tribal Power Act''.
SEC. 2. INDIAN ENERGY.
(a) Definition of Indian Land.--Section 2601(2) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3501(2)) is amended--
(1) in subparagraph (B)(iii), by striking ``and'';
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking ``land.'' and inserting ``land;''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following subparagraphs:
``(D) any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are Natives (as defined in section 3(b) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. 1602(b))); and
``(E) any land located in a census tract in which the majority of residents are persons who are enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe or village.''.
(b) Reduction of Cost Share.--Section 2602(b)(5) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3502(b)(5)) is amended by adding at the end the following subparagraphs:
``(D) The Secretary of Energy may reduce any applicable cost share required of an Indian tribe, intertribal organization, or tribal energy development organization in order to receive a grant under this subsection to not less than 10 percent if the Indian tribe, intertribal organization, or tribal energy development organization meets criteria developed by the Secretary of Energy, including financial need.
``(E) Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352) shall not apply to assistance provided under this subsection.''.
(c) Authorization.--Section 2602(b)(7) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (25 U.S.C. 3502(b)(7)) is amended by striking
``$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2016'' and inserting ``$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2021 through 2025''.
SEC. 3. REPORT ON ELECTRICITY ACCESS AND RELIABILITY.
(a) Assessment.--The Secretary of Energy shall conduct an assessment of the status of access to electricity by households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land, and the reliability of electric service available to households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land, as compared to the status of access to and reliability of electricity within neighboring States or within the State in which Indian land is located.
(b) Consultation.--The Secretary of Energy shall consult with Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, the North American Electricity Reliability Corporation, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in the development and conduct of the assessment under subsection (a). Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations shall have the opportunity to review and make recommendations regarding the development of the assessment and the findings of the assessment, prior to the submission of the report under subsection (c).
(c) Report.--Not later than 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a report on the results of the assessment conducted under subsection (a), which shall include--
(1) a description of generation, transmission, and distribution assets available to provide electricity to households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land;
(2) a survey of the retail and wholesale prices of electricity available to households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land;
(3) a description of participation of Tribal members in the electric utility workforce, including the workforce for construction and maintenance of renewable energy resources and distributed energy resources;
(4) the percentage of households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land that do not have access to electricity;
(5) the potential of distributed energy resources to provide electricity to households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land;
(6) the potential for tribally-owned electric utilities or electric utility assets to participate in or benefit from regional electricity markets;
(7) a description of the barriers to providing access to electric service to households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land; and
(8) recommendations to improve access to and reliability of electric service for households residing in Tribal communities or on Indian land.
(d) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Tribal member.--The term ``Tribal member'' means a person who is an enrolled member of a federally recognized Tribe or village.
(2) Tribal community.--The term ``Tribal community'' means a community in a United States census tract in which the majority of residents are persons who are enrolled members of a federally recognized Tribe or village.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New Jersey.
General Leave
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 5541.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5541, the Tribal Power Act. This is a bipartisan bill that was introduced by Representative O'Halleran from Arizona and Representative Mullin from Oklahoma, both members of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
This important legislation addresses some of the urgent energy needs of Tribal communities by improving access to energy sources that are affordable and reliable.
H.R. 5541 reauthorizes the Department of Energy's Office of Indian Energy and reauthorizes programs to assist Indian Tribes in meeting energy education, planning, and management needs.
Mr. Speaker, we must work with Tribal Governments to ensure the members of Tribal Nations have access to affordable, reliable energy. We have made some strong bipartisan strides on these matters during this Congress, including this bill before us today.
As we prepare for the upcoming Congress, I am committed to working with the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee Chairman Rush and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to do even more to help Native American communities on these matters in the 117th Congress.
I thank the sponsors of this bill for their continued work and leadership on Tribal issues. I also thank House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Grijalva, a champion of Native American priorities, for his support which was crucial to bringing this bill to the floor today.
This is an important bipartisan bill that deserves to become law. I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting passage, and I reserve the balance of my time.
House of Representatives,
Committee on Natural Resources,
Washington, DC, December 7, 2020.Hon. Frank Pallone Jr.,Chair, Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of
Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Chair Pallone: In recognition of the goal of expediting consideration of H.R. 5541, the ``Tribal Power Act,'' the Committee on Natural Resources agrees to waive formal consideration of the bill as to provisions that fall within the Rule X jurisdiction of the Committee on Natural Resources.
The Committee on Natural Resources takes this action with the mutual understanding that, in doing so, we do not waive any jurisdiction over the subject matter contained in this or similar legislation, and that the Committee will be appropriately consulted and involved as the bill or similar legislation moves forward so that we may address any remaining issues within our jurisdiction. Our Committee also reserves the right to seek appointment of conferees to any House-Senate conference involving this or similar legislation.
Thank you for agreeing to include our exchange of letters in the Congressional Record. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work with you as this measure moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Raul M. Grijalva,
Chair,House Natural Resources Committee.
____
House of Representatives,
Committee on Energy and Commerce,
Washington, DC, December 8, 2020.Hon. Raul M. Grijalva,Chairman, Committee on Natural Resources, Washington, DC.
Dear Chairman Grijalva: Thank you for consulting with the Committee on Energy and Commerce and agreeing to discharge H.R. 5541, the Tribal Power Act, from further consideration, so that the bill may proceed expeditiously to the House floor.
I agree that your forgoing further action on this measure does not in any way diminish or alter the jurisdiction of your committee or prejudice its jurisdictional prerogatives on this measure or similar legislation in the future. I would support your effort to seek appointment of an appropriate number of conferees from your committee to any House-Senate conference on this legislation.
I will ensure our letters on H.R. 5541 are entered into the Congressional Record during floor consideration of the bill. I appreciate your cooperation regarding this legislation and look forward to continuing to work together as this measure moves through the legislative process.
Sincerely,
Frank Pallone, Jr.,
Chairman.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
I rise in support of H.R. 5541, the Tribal Power Act.
This legislation was introduced by my colleagues on the Energy and Commerce Committee, Representatives O'Halleran and Mullin, and it does strengthen the Department of Energy's Tribal Energy Program, which is really important to do. This bill went through regular order in the committee and passed out of the full committee by a voice vote.
H.R. 5541 updates and reauthorizes programs at the Department of Energy to provide funding and technical assistance to Tribal Governments and organizations so that they can carry out projects that would expand access to energy and provide jobs and economic development on Indian lands.
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American Indian and Alaska Native communities continue to struggle with energy affordability and access in many cases. Households on some Tribal lands also have higher rates of unemployment and lower incomes, meaning it may not be feasible to increase electricity rates to energize homes that are not currently connected to the electric grid. As a result, communities often rely on relatively expensive diesel microgrids and generators to power homes and businesses.
H.R. 5541 would help improve energy security and affordability on Indian lands by reauthorizing important government programs, and it would remove some barriers to providing access to electric service and recommends ways to improve energy education, planning, and management.
Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5541, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers on this side, and I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin). It is a great honor and privilege to recognize Mr. Mullin, a Tribal member, an incredibly important member of our committee who has given great voice to people who need help, and a cosponsor of this legislation.
Mr. MULLIN. Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 5541, the Tribal Power Act.
As the only Native American that serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and one who has lived in Indian Country my entire life, this bill is extremely important to Tribes. It can strategically help us receive capital that we need to become energy efficient and enhance our energy infrastructure.
I have long been a supporter of the economic benefits American energy brings to our communities. As sovereign nations, Tribes should have the ability to choose and deploy this kind of energy and the best kind of energy that works for them. I am proud to be a colead in this very important issue.
Now, with the remainder of my time, Mr. Speaker, I would like to take a second and recognize our good leader and a friend that we are going to lose here in Chairman Walden.
Our committee is better because of your leadership. Anybody who can put up with my attitude and my great personality and still stay calm and effectively lead our committee, I just want to tell you that shows a good leader. It shows somebody I would love to follow and someone I have enjoyed being able to follow.
Since my time in Congress, you have been a friend and a mentor, one that I can always count on to give the right advice--not necessarily something I always wanted to hear, but the right advice. And, as I said before, that is the character of a good leader.
So, for your 22 years of service, and as someone who only got to serve with you for 8 of those years, it has been a great honor, and you will be missed.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, but I do want to say that I never thought that Mr. Mullin had a bad attitude.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), my friend, for his very generous, over-the-top words. We have had a great working relationship. He is a fierce fighter for the causes he believes in and has been a terrific legislator and will continue to blossom and grow on the Energy and Commerce Committee, I have no doubt. The country will be better served. Indian Country has few stronger voices than his, and none stronger on the Energy and Commerce Committee, I would say.
Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Louisiana (Mr. Scalise), my good friend, the distinguished Republican whip of the House and an incredibly important member of the Energy and Commerce Committee who always came prepared, always did great work, and always presented us with his brick phone.
Mr. SCALISE. Mr. Speaker, I want to first thank my friend, the gentleman from Oklahoma (Mr. Mullin), for bringing this legislation, the Tribal Power Act. It is an important piece of legislation to help those Tribal communities. He does, as the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) said, provide great leadership for Tribal issues, and this is surely one I am sure we will work with.
Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, Mr. Pallone, for bringing this as well.
Now, with my time, Mr. Speaker, and you may want to cut it short if this turns into a roast, my friend from Oregon is, as Mr. Mullin said, departing at the end of this Congress.
I am not sure why you would want to leave after 22 years in Congress, but you have surely earned the right.
I got to know Mr. Walden when I was a freshman coming onto the Energy and Commerce Committee back in 2009 in my first year in Congress.
When you look at the dais now, it has surely changed a lot, but back in those days, I would offer, of my own good will, to make coffee for Mr. Walden. He was one of those senior members of the committee--
probably more of a junior member, but I was the most junior member. But we actually developed a really good friendship.
As we do around here, we all battle it out on issues. We come up here to fight for the things that are important to our districts, important to the country from our perspective, and then you find people along the way you befriend who have that same perspective, and Mr. Walden has been one of those. I have learned a lot from him.
We have really, I think, achieved so many things on the Energy and Commerce Committee, and especially during his time as chairman.
I just want to mention a few of those areas where he has made this a better country, because we can all talk about the things that we want to do when we come up here and you would like to work with others, but then to be able to look back and see real, tangible achievements that make this a better country, it really does pay tribute that your time here was well spent. And for Mr. Walden, it surely was, and, you know, maybe none more obvious than what we just saw yesterday.
President Trump had a summit to talk about the rollout of a vaccine for COVID-19, a vaccine that came through work that we did in this Congress and the CARES Act to give money to the administration so that they could focus on finding a vaccine, but then it takes the ability, the tools.
The FDA is the gold standard in the world. The FDA has had problems over the years, and this committee, the Energy and Commerce Committee, has had to come together to address some of those problems so that FDA can continue to be the gold standard that not only ensures that the trials go through the proper process, because you don't want a drug to come to market that has adverse consequences, but you also don't want government to get in the way and slow down the ability for a drug that will save lives to go through years and years of bureaucracy, and that had been going on.
When we were able to pass the bill to modernize FDA approval of drugs a few years ago when Mr. Walden was chairman, some of those reforms actually are what got us to the brink of an FDA-approved vaccine for COVID-19, and that will save millions of lives in America and around the world. You have seen people like the 90-year-old woman in Great Britain who is the first person to get the vaccine. That is from the work of what we did here at the FDA.
FDA is on the verge of approving that vaccine in America, and it will also, in addition to saving lives, allow us to reopen our economy fully, and I think that is another objective we all have.
That doesn't happen by accident. It happened because of leadership.
Again, without your leadership in reforming the FDA, we may be waiting years, not months, to get that vaccine to market.
We had the SUPPORT Act to address the opioid crisis in this country. Every community in America had been touched by the opioid crisis, and Congress had to take action. Again, working, Republicans and Democrats together, under your leadership as chairman, we did just that, and there are millions of lives that are saved because of that work.
The FCC modernization and reauthorization, which typically happens, but when it was done in 2018, it was named after Ray Baum, who was the staffer who ran the Energy and Commerce Committee. I believe you all served together in the legislature. Unfortunately, we lost him, and to name that important piece of legislation after Ray Baum, I know, was not only important to keep the FCC going, but also to pay tribute to someone who came up here to do good public service for the country and did.
Finally, the reauthorization was to free up spectrum. This has been a challenge for years as we worked to get more spectrum, which has improved everybody's lives, to get to a 5G network.
That work was done, and the leadership of Chairman Walden to get that done when even the scorekeepers here said it wouldn't really produce anything for the country, well, billions and billions of dollars later that this country has to pay down our debt came out of that legislation, as well as spectrum to allow us to get to a 5G network, spectrum to allow us to build up more rural broadband.
All of the things that improve people's quality of life happened because of the leadership of Chairman Walden, during your time as chairman of the committee. You have earned the opportunity to go and enjoy the next phase of your life.
But while you will be missed here, you leave a great legacy where you can point to the things you have done that make America a greater country, and for that, I thank you. I know all of us join in in applauding your time here in this great institution.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend and colleague from the Energy and Commerce Committee and the whip, the Republican whip of the House, for his overly generous comments, his fine leadership, and the fun we have had on the Energy and Commerce Committee. We do have a lot of fun there on both sides of the aisle, and then we do wrestle and tumble and we work things out, too.
But Mr. Scalise has always been a real warrior on the committee, an incredible fighter for what he believes in, an effective legislator, a terrific spokesperson. He has fallen down a little bit, though, I must stipulate, in that he has failed to get me coffee in recent years. He has been otherwise consumed with other duties, and that will be noted in the historical record, I am sure.
Mr. Speaker, I inquire how much time I have remaining.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Oregon has 9\1/2\ minutes remaining.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Indiana (Mr. Bucshon), whom we are glad to have back on the floor and looking well.
Mr. BUCSHON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Walden) for yielding me the time.
Mr. Speaker, it is an honor and a privilege to call Greg Walden a colleague and friend. His time as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is another chapter of accomplishment and success in the committee's storied history.
As chairman, Greg approached every issue before the committee with his eye on achieving results for the American people. That is why we are here. He strove to reach across the political divide, because he understood, and still does, our work on behalf of the American people is far too important to always be derailed by needless partisanship. Of course, we will have our squabbles back and forth, but at the end of the day, it is about the American people, and Greg understands that.
From the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act to RAY BAUM'S Act, as well as too numerous bills signed into law to even list here, Greg's leadership of the Energy and Commerce Committee produced important legislation that is, today, making a difference in the lives of the American people.
Mr. Speaker, I want to personally thank Greg for taking the time to bring me in and ask for my professional medical diagnosis of many major healthcare-related issues or other pieces of legislation before the committee.
I know at times we doctors can tell you things you don't want to hear--and quit laughing--but Greg always listened intently and worked with me to help find a cure, so to speak, or a remedy, and for that, I will always be appreciative.
Greg, your wisdom, charisma, and unflappable leadership will be greatly missed in the 117th Congress.
I wish you and Mylene the best as you both begin this new chapter of your lives, and I look forward to continuing to call you friend.
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Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WALDEN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my friend and colleague, the good doctor from Indiana. We are so blessed in this institution to have people with such incredible backgrounds, intellect, capability, and just the overall human experience that they can bring to help us be better legislators and develop better policy.
I think when we listen to each other, when we are challenged in our views and our ideas by each other, we end up with a better product for the American people, Mr. Speaker.
Certainly, Dr. Bucshon has been a forceful figure in trying to get to better healthcare policy outcomes. I have greatly valued his counsel and his leadership, and I know incredible things await him in the next Congress and in the years thereafter, where I hope he will continue to serve with great distinction, honor, and ability.
Mr. Speaker, I don't think I have anybody else on our side at this time, so I encourage passage of the legislation, the Tribal Power Act, and I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I urge support for the legislation and I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) that the House suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 5541, 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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