Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§15851 Assessment of renewable energy resources

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 149— - NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY AND PROGRAMS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER II— - RENEWABLE ENERGY › Part Part A— - General Provisions › § 15851

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

Within 6 months after August 8, 2005, and every year after, the Secretary must review what is known about U.S. renewable energy sources — solar, wind, biomass, marine, geothermal, and hydroelectric — and do new studies when market conditions or technologies change. Within 1 year after August 8, 2005, and each year after, the Secretary must publish a report with a detailed inventory of how much of each resource exists and its main features, plus helpful details (terrain, nearby towns and power centers, local energy and water links, cost estimates), any transmission problems for remote resources, ways to fix those problems, and ideas for fair access to the power grid. Up to $10,000,000 is authorized for the Secretary each year for fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §15851

The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Not later than 6 months after August 8, 2005, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall review the available assessments of renewable energy resources within the United States, including solar, wind, biomass, marine, geothermal, and hydroelectric energy resources, and undertake new assessments as necessary, taking into account changes in market conditions, available technologies, and other relevant factors.
(b)Not later than 1 year after August 8, 2005, and each year thereafter, the Secretary shall publish a report based on the assessment under subsection (a). The report shall contain—
(1)a detailed inventory describing the available amount and characteristics of the renewable energy resources; and
(2)such other information as the Secretary believes would be useful in developing such renewable energy resources, including descriptions of surrounding terrain, population and load centers, nearby energy infrastructure, location of energy and water resources, and available estimates of the costs needed to develop each resource, together with an identification of any barriers to providing adequate transmission for remote sources of renewable energy resources to current and emerging markets, recommendations for removing or addressing such barriers, and ways to provide access to the grid that do not unfairly disadvantage renewable or other energy producers.
(c)For the purposes of this section, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2006 through 2010.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2020—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 116–260 substituted “marine” for “ocean (including tidal, wave, current, and thermal)”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 15851

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73