,i #aaith ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #efib ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,october #f1 #bjbe,ms4 ,barragn 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,bonamici1 and ,ms4 ,pingree7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,science1 ,space1 and ,technology1 and in addition to the ,committees on ,energy and ,commerce1 ,natural ,resources1 and ,education and ,workforce1 for a period to be subsequently determined by the ,speaker1 in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned ,a ,,bill ,to accelerate the competitiveness of the ,united ,states in marine energy technologies1 and for other purposes4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,marine ,energy ,technologies ,acceleration ,act4 #b4 ,marine energy acceleration 7a7 ,definitions ,in this section3 7#a7 ,fund ,the term ,fund means the ,marine ,energy ,acceleration ,fund established under subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,marine energy ,the term marine energy has the meaning given that term in section #fcb of the ,energy ,independence and ,security ,act of #bjjg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agbaa74 7#c7 ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers ,the term ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers means the ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers referred to in1 or established under1 section #fcf of the ,energy ,independence and ,security ,act of #bjjg 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #agbae74 7#d7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,energy4 7b7 ,marine energy acceleration fund 7#a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish a fund1 to be known as the ,marine ,energy ,acceleration ,fund4 7#b7 ,authorization of appropriations ,there is authorized to be appropriated to the ,fund #a1jjj1jjj1jjj1 to remain available until expended4 7c7 ,marine energy demonstration projects 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall conduct competitive solicitations for not fewer than twenty marine energy demonstration projects that export power to microgrids1 community grids1 or utility-scale grids4 7#b7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary may coordinate with the ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers and other entities with proven technical expertise to support marine energy demonstration projects4 7#c7 ,priority ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary shall prioritize-- 7,a7 projects that integrate marine energy technologies with existing onshore and offshore transmission infrastructure1 nearshore and offshore marine structures1 or projects with all necessary local1 ,state1 and ,federal licenses or permits in place2 7,b7 open water prototype testing2 7,c7 projects that support energy resilience and economic opportunities for rural communities1 remote areas1 ,tribal communities1 and low-income communities2 and 7,d7 projects that power ocean-based scientific research and education1 and support workforce development1 national security1 and commercial activities limited by the availability of existing energy resources4 7#d7 ,funds ,of the amounts in the ,fund1 #fjj1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection4 7d7 ,advancement of marine energy technologies 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall conduct competitive solicitations for-- 7,a7 research and development projects to advance marine energy technologies2 and 7,b7 upgrades to research and development facilities that advance marine energy technologies4 7#b7 ,coordination ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary may coordinate with industry1 the ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers1 non-profits1 entities with all necessary local1 ,state1 and ,federal licenses or permits in place1 ,national ,laboratories1 ,federal agencies involved in the development of marine energy technology1 other existing marine energy research and development programs1 and other entities with proven technical expertise to support marine energy research1 development1 and demonstration4 7#c7 ,priority ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary shall prioritize research and development projects that-- 7,a7 rapidly design1 fabricate1 and test marine energy systems1 subsystems1 components1 controls1 domestic manufacturing1 and materials to improve efficiency1 reduce costs1 reduce environmental impacts1 increase power production1 and improve reliability at a variety of technology readiness levels that promote domestic manufacturing1 a domestic supply chain1 and energy independence2 7,b7 educate the public1 policymakers1 investors1 educators1 and other stakeholders about the potential for deployment of marine energy technologies1 and identify the needs and concerns of local communities where marine energy projects may be placed2 and 7,c7 support the development of technologies to monitor and mitigate impacts to marine and coastal ecosystems and communities4 7#d7 ,funds ,of the amounts in the ,fund-- 7,a7 #bcj1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary for technology research and development activities under this subsection2 and 7,b7 #bj1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary for providing marine energy and education activities under this subsection through the ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers4 7e7 ,assessment of technical resource potential 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the ,bureau of ,ocean ,energy ,management1 and other agencies1 as appropriate1 shall assess the economic potential of marine energy at not fewer than #ej sites that previous agency assessments and modeling have determined to have significant marine energy potential4 7#b7 ,requirements ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary shall-- 7,a7 develop1 with input from interested parties1 in-depth marine energy resource and conditions characterizations for each site2 7,b7 deploy environmental monitoring technologies1 tools1 and data collection to understand and mitigate potential environmental risks1 characterize potential conflicts with other users of the local marine resources1 optimize marine energy devices and arrays1 and reduce costs2 7,c7 ensure1 to the maximum extent practicable1 that the sites are geographically distributed to assess marine energy resources and technologies in different regions of the ,united ,states2 7,d7 where applicable1 carry out technical resource assessments in coordination with ,regional ,ocean ,partnerships of the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration ,office for ,coastal ,management2 and 7,e7 use such technical resource assessments to inform the location of the marine energy demonstration projects under subsection 7c74 7#c7 ,data sharing ,data collected under this subsection shall be shared with public data repositories for use among regional ocean data portals and partnerships4 7#d7 ,funds ,of the amounts in the ,fund1 #ej1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection4 7f7 ,improvement of permitting 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary1 in coordination with the ,federal ,energy ,regulatory ,commission1 the ,bureau of ,ocean ,energy ,management1 the ,national ,oceanic and ,atmospheric ,administration1 the ,corps of ,engineers1 and other agencies as needed1 shall convene a task force with the appropriate ,federal and ,state agencies to prepare a report that-- 7,a7 describes any barriers under the jurisdiction of such agencies to the development of marine energy projects2 and 7,b7 provides recommendations on reducing such barriers1 including identification and determination of opportunities to improve the regulatory process associated with the authorities required to deploy and license marine energy projects1 consistent with the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act4 7#b7 ,requirements ,the task force convened under paragraph 7#a7 shall-- 7,a7 develop recommendations for efficient permitting processes that reduce the time1 cost1 and uncertainty for marine energy projects1 consistent with the ,national ,environmental ,policy ,act2 7,b7 determine whether additional staff are required to be hired and trained at the appropriate ,federal agencies to process permits and conduct environmental reviews in a timely and efficient manner2 7,c7 conduct outreach to stakeholders2 7,d7 facilitate ,federal coordination with ,state permitting processes for marine energy projects1 including by providing staff training for ,state and territory permitting agencies2 and 7,e7 not later than #a year after the date of enactment of this ,act1 submit to ,congress the report prepared under paragraph 7#a74 7#c7 ,funds ,of the amounts in the ,fund1 to carry out this subsection-- 7,a7 #e1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,department of ,energy2 7,b7 #e1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,federal ,energy ,regulatory ,commission2 and 7,c7 #e1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,bureau of ,ocean ,energy ,management4 7g7 ,workforce 7#a7 ,assessment ,not later than #b years after the date of enactment of this ,act1 the ,secretary shall conduct a national assessment of the prospective marine energy workforce and hiring needs and the educational pathways and programs that would address those needs4 7#b7 ,development programs ,the ,secretary shall launch workforce development programs based on the assessment conducted under paragraph 7#a71 in partnership with the ,national ,marine ,energy ,centers1 the marine energy industry1 institutions of higher education1 labor unions1 non-profits1 and career and technical education programs4 7#c7 ,priority ,in carrying out this subsection1 the ,secretary shall prioritize workforce development programs in communities near the location of the marine energy demonstration projects under subsection 7c74 7#d7 ,funds ,of the amounts in the ,fund1 #he1jjj1jjj shall be available to the ,secretary to carry out this subsection4