Title 42The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73

§16181 Goals

Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 149— - NATIONAL ENERGY POLICY AND PROGRAMS › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER IX— - RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT › § 16181

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Secretary must run a balanced set of energy programs for research, development, testing, and getting new technologies into use. The programs have five main goals: make energy use more efficient in heavy-use sectors, increase the variety of energy supplies, reduce U.S. reliance on foreign energy, strengthen U.S. energy security, and cut the environmental harm from energy activities. Each year with the budget, the Secretary must publish measurable cost and performance goals that can be compared over time for key areas (energy efficiency for buildings/industry/vehicles; electric generation, transmission, and storage; renewable technologies like wind, solar, geothermal, biofuels, hydropower, and hydrogen; fossil energy including fuels and oil/gas recovery; and nuclear energy and workforce education). The Secretary must get input from industry, colleges, and the public. These goals do not give federal agencies new powers and cannot be used to create or justify regulatory rules.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §16181

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

(a)In order to achieve the purposes of this subchapter, the Secretary shall conduct a balanced set of programs of energy research, development, demonstration, and commercial application with the general goals of—
(1)increasing the efficiency of all energy intensive sectors through conservation and improved technologies;
(2)promoting diversity of energy supply;
(3)decreasing the dependence of the United States on foreign energy supplies;
(4)improving the energy security of the United States; and
(5)decreasing the environmental impact of energy-related activities.
(b)The Secretary shall publish measurable cost and performance-based goals, comparable over time, with each annual budget submission in at least the following areas:
(1)Energy efficiency for buildings, energy-consuming industries, and vehicles.
(2)Electric energy generation (including distributed generation), transmission, and storage.
(3)Renewable energy technologies, including wind power, photovoltaics, solar thermal systems, geothermal energy, hydrogen-fueled systems, biomass-based systems, biofuels, and hydropower.
(4)Fossil energy, including power generation, onshore and offshore oil and gas resource recovery, and transportation fuels.
(5)Nuclear energy, including programs for existing and advanced reactors, and education of future specialists.
(c)The Secretary shall provide mechanisms for input on the annually published goals from industry, institutions of higher education, and other public sources.
(d)Nothing in subsection (a) or the annually published goals creates any new authority for any Federal agency, or may be used by any Federal agency, to support the establishment of regulatory standards or regulatory requirements.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This subchapter, referred to in subsec. (a), was in the original “this title”, meaning title IX of Pub. L. 109–58, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 856, which enacted this subchapter, amended section 8101 and 8102 of Title 7, Agriculture, and section 5523 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, enacted provisions set out as notes under section 15801 of this title, section 8102 of Title 7, and section 2001 of Title 30, Mineral Lands and Mining, and amended provisions set out as notes under section 8101 of Title 7 and section 1902 of Title 30. For complete classification of title IX to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 15801 of this title and Tables.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Short Title

For

Short Title

of title IX of Pub. L. 109–58, which enacted this subchapter, as the “Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Commercial Application Act of 2005”, see section 431 of Pub. L. 109–58, set out as a note under section 15801 of this title.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 16181

Title 42The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73