ARPA–E Reauthorization Act of 2019

ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019

This bill revises and reauthorizes through FY2024 the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) of the Department of Energy (DOE).

The bill expands the goals of ARPA-E to include the development of energy technologies that (1) provide transformative solutions to improve the management, clean-up, and disposal of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; and (2) improve the resilience, reliability, and security of infrastructure to produce, deliver, and store energy.

ARPA-E must ensure that it does not provide grants for projects unless the prospective grantees demonstrate sufficient attempts to secure private financing or indicate that the projects are not independently commercially viable.

The bill also authorizes DOE to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences to evaluate how well ARPA-E is achieving its goals and missions.

[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4091 Introduced in House (IH)]

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116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 4091

 To amend the America COMPETES Act to reauthorize the ARPA-E program, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             July 30, 2019

    Ms. Johnson of Texas (for herself and Mr. Lamb) introduced the 
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, 
                             and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To amend the America COMPETES Act to reauthorize the ARPA-E program, 
                        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 ``ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 
2019''.

SEC. 2. ARPA-E AMENDMENTS.

    (a) Establishment.--Section 5012(b) of the America COMPETES Act (42 
U.S.C. 16538(b)) is amended by striking ``development of energy 
technologies'' and inserting ``development of transformative science 
and technology solutions to address the energy and environmental 
missions of the Department''.
    (b) Goals.--Section 5012(c) of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 
16538(c)) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (1)(A) and inserting the 
        following:
                    ``(A) to enhance the economic and energy security 
                of the United States through the development of energy 
                technologies that--
                            ``(i) reduce imports of energy from foreign 
                        sources;
                            ``(ii) reduce energy-related emissions, 
                        including greenhouse gases;
                            ``(iii) improve the energy efficiency of 
                        all economic sectors;
                            ``(iv) provide transformative solutions to 
                        improve the management, clean-up, and disposal 
                        of radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel; 
                        and
                            ``(v) improve the resilience, reliability, 
                        and security of infrastructure to produce, 
                        deliver, and store energy; and''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2), in the matter preceding subparagraph 
        (A), by striking ``energy technology projects'' and inserting 
        ``advanced technology projects''.
    (c) Responsibilities.--Section 5012(e)(3)(A) of the America 
COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538(e)(3)(A)) is amended by striking 
``energy''.
    (d) Reports and Roadmaps.--Section 5012(h) of the America COMPETES 
Act (42 U.S.C. 16538(h)) is amended to read as follows:
    ``(h) Reports and Roadmaps.--
            ``(1) Annual report.--As part of the annual budget request 
        submitted for each fiscal year, the Director shall provide to 
        the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of 
        Congress a report describing--
                    ``(A) projects supported by ARPA-E during the 
                previous fiscal year; and
                    ``(B) current, proposed, and planned projects to be 
                carried out pursuant to subsection (e)(3)(D).
            ``(2) Strategic vision roadmap.--Not later than October 1, 
        2021, and every four years thereafter, the Director shall 
        provide to the relevant authorizing and appropriations 
        committees of Congress a roadmap describing the strategic 
        vision that ARPA-E will use to guide the choices of ARPA-E for 
        future technology investments over the following 4 fiscal 
        years.''.
    (e) Evaluation.--Section 5012(l) of the America COMPETES Act (42 
U.S.C. 16538(l)) is amended--
            (1) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of 
        enactment of the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2019, the 
        Secretary is authorized to enter into a contract with the 
        National Academy of Sciences under which the National Academy 
        shall conduct an evaluation of how well ARPA-E is achieving the 
        goals and mission of ARPA-E.''; and
            (2) in paragraph (2)--
                    (A) in the matter preceding subparagraph (A), by 
                striking ``shall'' and inserting ``may''; and
                    (B) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``the 
                recommendation of the National Academy of Sciences'' 
                and inserting ``a recommendation''.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--Paragraph (2) of section 
5012(o) of the America COMPETES Act (42 U.S.C. 16538(o)) is amended to 
read as follows:
            ``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--Subject to 
        paragraph (4), there are authorized to be appropriated to the 
        Director for deposit in the Fund, without fiscal year 
        limitation--
                    ``(A) $428,000,000 for fiscal year 2020;
                    ``(B) $550,000,000 for fiscal year 2021;
                    ``(C) $675,000,000 for fiscal year 2022;
                    ``(D) $825,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; and
                    ``(E) $1,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2024.''.
    (g) Technical Amendments.--Section 5012 of the America COMPETES Act 
(42 U.S.C. 16538) is amended--
            (1) in subsection (g)(3)(A)(iii), by striking ``subpart'' 
        each place it appears and inserting ``subparagraph''; and
            (2) in subsection (o)(4)(B), by striking ``(c)(2)(D)'' and 
        inserting ``(c)(2)(C)''.
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