Ethanol Infrastructure Expansion Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the Secretary of Transportation, to: (1) award up to $1 million to one or more eligible firms to conduct feasibility studies for the construction of one or more dedicated ethanol pipelines; and (2) award up to $1 million to one or more eligible firms to carry out a program to address technical factors that prevent the transportation of ethanol and biodiesel in existing hazardous liquid interstate transmission pipelines.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2426 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2426
To require the Secretary of Energy to award funds to study the
feasibility of constructing dedicated ethanol pipelines, to address
technical factors that prevent transportation of ethanol in existing
pipelines, and to increase the energy, economic, and environmental
security of the United States, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
May 22, 2007
Mr. Boswell (for himself, Mr. Moran of Kansas, and Mr. Salazar)
introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on
Transportation and Infrastructure
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To require the Secretary of Energy to award funds to study the
feasibility of constructing dedicated ethanol pipelines, to address
technical factors that prevent transportation of ethanol in existing
pipelines, and to increase the energy, economic, and environmental
security of the United States, 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 ``Ethanol Infrastructure Expansion Act
of 2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) it is in the national interest to make greater use of
ethanol in transportation fuels;
(2) ethanol is a clean, renewable fuel that provides public
health benefits in the form of reduced emissions, including
reduced greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change;
(3) ethanol use provides economic gains to agricultural
producers, biofuels producers, and rural areas;
(4) ethanol use benefits the national security of the
United States by displacing the use of petroleum, much of which
is imported from foreign countries that are hostile to the
United States;
(5) ethanol can reduce prices at the pump for motoring
consumers by extending fuel supplies due to the competitive
cost of ethanol relative to conventional gasoline;
(6) ethanol faces shipping challenges in pipelines that
transport other liquid transportation fuels;
(7) additional research and development can provide
solutions to overcome the barriers of shipping ethanol in
pipelines that transport other liquid transportation fuels;
(8) currently ethanol is shipped by rail tanker cars,
barges, and trucks, all of which could, as ethanol production
expands, encounter capacity limits due to competing use demands
for the rail tanker cars, barges, and trucks;
(9) as the United States ethanol market expands in the
coming years there is a need to evaluate the feasibility and
value for new construction of dedicated ethanol pipelines to
transport ethanol from the Midwest, where ethanol generally is
produced, to the Eastern and Western United States;
(10) as of the date of enactment of this Act, dedicated
ethanol pipelines do not exist in the United States and will be
challenging to construct, at least initially;
(11) ascertaining solutions to the technical barriers of
transporting ethanol in the existing pipeline system is
important because of the safety, reliability, and cost savings
pipeline transportation provides to the public; and
(12) having an ethanol pipeline study completed in the very
near term is important because the construction of 1 or more
dedicated ethanol pipelines would take at least several years
to complete.
SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF SECRETARY.
In this Act, the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Energy.
SEC. 4. FEASIBILITY STUDIES.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary
of Transportation, shall spend up to $1,000,000 to fund feasibility
studies for the construction of dedicated ethanol pipelines.
(b) Conduct of Studies.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(A) through a competitive solicitation process,
select 1 or more firms having capabilities in the
planning, development, and construction of dedicated
ethanol pipelines to carry out the feasibility studies
described in subsection (a); or
(B) carry out the feasibility studies in
conjunction with such firms.
(2) Timing.--
(A) In general.--If the Secretary elects to select
1 or more firms under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary
shall award funding under this section not later than
120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(B) Studies.--As a condition of receiving funds
under this section, a recipient of funding shall agree
to submit to the Secretary a completed feasibility
study not later than 360 days after the date of
enactment of this Act.
(c) Study Factors.--Feasibility studies funded under this Act shall
include consideration of--
(1) existing or potential barriers to dedicated ethanol
pipelines, including technical, siting, financing, and
regulatory barriers;
(2) potential evolutionary pathways for the development of
an ethanol pipeline transport system, such as starting with
localized gathering networks as compared to major interstate
ethanol pipelines to carry larger volumes from the Midwest to
the East or West coast;
(3) market risk, including throughput risk, and ways of
mitigating the risk;
(4) regulatory, financing, and siting options that would
mitigate risk in these areas and help ensure the construction
of dedicated ethanol pipelines;
(5) financial incentives that may be necessary for the
construction of dedicated ethanol pipelines, including the
return on equity that sponsors of the first dedicated ethanol
pipelines will require to invest in the pipelines;
(6) the quantity of ethanol production that would make
dedicated pipelines economically feasible;
(7) technical factors that may compromise the safe
transportation of ethanol in pipelines;
(8) identifying remedial and preventative measures to
ensure pipeline integrity; and
(9) such other factors as the Secretary considers to be
appropriate.
(d) Confidentiality.--If a recipient of funding under this section
requests confidential treatment for critical energy infrastructure
information or commercially-sensitive data contained in a feasibility
study submitted by the recipient under subsection (b)(2)(B), the
Secretary shall offer to enter into a confidentiality agreement with
the recipient to maintain the confidentiality of the submitted
information.
(e) Review; Report.--The Secretary shall--
(1) review the feasibility studies submitted under
subsection (b)(2)(B) or carried out under subsection (b)(1)(B);
and
(2) not later than 15 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, submit to Congress a report that includes--
(A) information about the potential benefits of
constructing dedicated ethanol pipelines; and
(B) recommendations for legislation that could help
provide for the construction of dedicated ethanol
pipelines.
SEC. 5. EXISTING PIPELINE TECHNICAL AND SAFETY RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT.
(a) In General.--The Secretary, in coordination with the Secretary
of Transportation, shall expend up to $1,000,000 to carry out a program
of research, development, and demonstration to address technical
factors that prevent the transportation of ethanol and biodiesel in
existing hazardous liquid interstate transmission pipelines.
(b) Conduct of Studies.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(A) through a competitive solicitation process,
select 1 or more firms having capabilities in the
planning, development, construction, and modification
of existing hazardous liquids interstate pipelines to
carry out the program described in subsection (a); or
(B) carry out the program in conjunction with such
firms.
(2) Timing.--
(A) In general.--If the Secretary elects to select
1 or more firms under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary
shall award funding under this section not later than
120 days after the date of enactment of this Act.
(B) Studies.--As a condition of receiving funds
under this section, a recipient of funding shall agree
to submit to the Secretary a completed report on the
recipient's findings not later than 360 days after the
date of enactment of this Act.
(c) Program Elements.--The program shall include research,
development, and demonstration activities related to--
(1) identifying and preventing conditions that lead to
stress corrosion cracking or that might otherwise compromise
the integrity of the pipeline system;
(2) product quality assurance during pipeline
transportation; and
(3) other technical factors for the transportation of
ethanol and biodiesel that might compromise the integrity of
the pipeline system.
(d) Confidentiality.--If a recipient of funding under this section
requests confidential treatment for critical energy infrastructure
information or commercially-sensitive data contained in a report
submitted by the recipient under subsection (b)(2)(B), the Secretary
shall offer to enter into a confidentiality agreement with the
recipient to maintain the confidentiality of the submitted information.
(e) Review; Report.--The Secretary shall--
(1) review the report submitted under subsection (b)(2)(B)
or carried out under subsection (b)(1)(B); and
(2) not later than 15 months after the date of enactment of
this Act, submit to Congress a report that includes--
(A) information about the potential benefits of
modifying existing hazardous liquid interstate
transmission pipelines to allow the transportation of
ethanol and biodiesel; and
(B) recommendations for legislation that could help
provide for the modification of existing hazardous
liquid interstate transmission pipelines to allow the
transportation of ethanol and biodiesel.
SEC. 6. FUNDING.
(a) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to
carry out section 4 of this Act $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, to
remain available until expended.
(b) There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to
carry out section 5 of this Act $1,000,000 for fiscal year 2008, to
remain available until expended.
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Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials.
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