,,ii #aafth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #bddg ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,september #i1 #bjai ,mr4 ,heinrich 7for himself and ,ms4 ,collins7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,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 process for local permitting of distributed renewable energy1 energy storage1 and electric vehicle charging systems1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,american ,energy ,opportunity ,act of #bjai4 #b4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,authority having jurisdiction ,the term authority having jurisdiction means any ,state1 county1 local1 or ,tribal office or official with jurisdiction-- 7,a7 to issue permits2 7,b7 to conduct inspections to enforce the requirements of a relevant code or standard2 or 7,c7 to approve the installation of1 or the equipment and materials used in the installation of1 qualifying distributed energy systems4 7#b7 ,board ,the term ,board means the ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,board established or designated under section #c7;a74 7#c7 ,distributed energy system installer ,the term distributed energy system installer means an entity or individual-- 7,a7 with knowledge and skills relating to-- 7i7 the construction and operation of the equipment used in qualifying distributed energy systems2 and 7ii7 the installation of qualifying distributed energy systems2 and 7,b7 that has employed safety training to recognize and avoid the hazards involved in constructing1 operating1 and installing qualifying distributed energy systems4 7#d7 ,qualifying distributed energy system ,the term qualifying distributed energy system means any equipment or materials installed in1 on1 or near a residential1 commercial1 or industrial building to support onsite or local energy use1 including-- 7,a7 to generate electricity from distributed renewable energy sources1 including from-- 7i7 solar photovoltaic modules or similar solar energy technologies2 and 7ii7 wind power systems2 7,b7 to store and discharge electricity from batteries with a capacity of at least #b kilowatt hours2 7,c7 to charge a plug-in electric drive vehicle at a power rate of at least #b kilowatts2 or 7,d7 to refuel a fuel cell electric vehicle4 7#e7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,energy4 #c4 ,establishment or designation of the ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,board 7a7 ,in general ,not later than #ahj days after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary1 in consultation with trade associations and other entities representing distributed energy system installers and organizations representing ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments engaged in permitting1 shall establish or designate a nonprofit corporation1 to be known as the ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,board1 to carry out a voluntary program to streamline the process for local permitting and inspection of qualifying distributed energy systems4 7b7 ,composition ,the ,board shall include representatives from-- 7#a7 relevant ,federal agencies1 or organizations that represent those agencies2 7#b7 ,state1 local1 and ,tribal governments1 or organizations that represent those governments2 7#c7 distributed energy generation companies2 7#d7 battery storage companies2 7#e7 associations that represent the distributed energy generation and battery storage industry2 7#f7 building code agencies and organizations1 including a model energy code-setting organization2 and 7#g7 other codes and standards organizations4 7c7 ,purpose and activities of the ,board 7#a7 ,purpose ,the purpose of the ,board is to establish a voluntary program for facilitating-- 7,a7 streamlined permitting processes of qualifying distributed energy systems2 and 7,b7 certification of distributed energy system installers4 7#b7 ,activities ,the ,board shall-- 7,a7 develop and maintain a streamlined permitting process1 such as a national online permitting system and technology platform for expediting1 standardizing1 and streamlining permitting1 that authorities having jurisdiction may use1 at the discretion of those authorities1 to receive1 review1 and approve permit applications relating to qualifying distributed energy systems2 7,b7 establish a model expedited permit-to-build protocol for qualifying distributed energy systems2 7,c7 provide technical assistance to authorities having jurisdiction on using and adopting-- 7i7 the streamlined permitting process described in subparagraph 7,a72 and 7ii7 the model expedited permit-to-build protocol described in subparagraph 7,b72 7,d7 7i7 investigate the development of voluntary national certifications for distributed energy system installers and qualifying distributed energy systems2 and 7ii7 if the ,board determines that the national certifications would expedite and streamline the permitting and inspection process1 develop the voluntary national certifications2 7,e7 develop and maintain a voluntary national inspection protocol integrated with the national online permitting system described in subparagraphs 7,a7 and 7,b7 and related tools to expedite1 standardize1 and streamline the inspection of qualifying distributed energy systems1 including-- 7i7 by investigating the potential for using remote inspections2 and 7ii7 by investigating the potential for sample-based inspection for distributed energy system installers with a demonstrated track record of high-quality work2 and 7,f7 take any other action to expedite1 standardize1 streamline1 or improve the process for permitting1 inspecting1 or interconnecting qualifying distributed energy systems4 7d7 ,fee authority ,the ,board may assess fees for the provision of services by the ,board in amounts determined reasonable and appropriate by the ,board1 including fees from participating distributed energy system installers relating to the activities of the ,board described in subsection 7c77#b74 7e7 ,nonprofit status ,the ,board shall be considered to be an organization described in section #eja7;c77#c7 of the ,internal ,revenue ,code of #aihf1 and exempt from taxation under section #eja7;a7 of that ,code4 7f7 ,support services ,the ,secretary shall-- 7#a7 provide technical assistance to the ,board in carrying out the activities described in subsection 7c77#b72 and 7#b7 provide such financial assistance to the ,board as the ,secretary determines to be appropriate from any funds appropriated to carry out this ,act4 #d4 ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,communities 7a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall recognize and certify certain communities as ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,communities4 7b7 ,qualifications ,the ,secretary may certify a ,state1 local community1 or ,tribe as a ,distributed ,energy ,opportunity ,community if that ,state1 local community1 or ,tribe has adopted and implemented the model expedited permit-to-build protocol established by the ,board4 7c7 ,process ,the ,secretary may confer a certification under subsection 7a7 through existing programs of the ,department of ,energy4 7d7 ,grants ,the ,secretary may award competitive grants1 using funds appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this ,act1 to encourage communities to adopt the model expedited permit-to-build protocol and standardized inspection processes established by the ,board4 #e4 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,secretary to carry out this ,act #bj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjai through #bjbd4