22 U.S.C. § 7909: Authorization for the Clean…

Summary

In fiscal year 2010, up to $300,000,000 was allowed as the U.S. contribution to the Clean Technology Fund. The Treasury Secretary must use the U.S. vote in the Fund to make sure no more than 15 percent of Fund money goes to any one country. Before money is promised, a country must give the Fund’s governing board an investment plan that the board reviews and that will achieve significant net reductions in national greenhouse gas emissions. If a country is classified as “IDA blend,” at least 15 percent of the public-sector part of the plan must come from the country’s public funds. If a country is “IBRD only,” at least 25 percent must come from its public funds. Fund help must be used only to deploy clean energy technologies in developing countries, including technical help or policy or institutional reforms, and must achieve substantial net greenhouse gas reductions. Net reductions: how much a project cuts greenhouse gas emissions compared with what would have happened without it, counting wider effects when practical. Public sector activities: can include sovereign loans the country takes on for the plan. Clean energy technology: a technology that, compared with what is widely used in that country, cuts greenhouse gases a lot, does not cause big new health or environmental harms, and either makes energy from renewables, greatly raises energy efficiency (including buildings, industry, electricity, or transport), or increases use of transport fuels with much lower lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions than fossil fuels.

Title 22, §7909

Foreign Relations and Intercourse, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(1)Limitations on authorization of appropriations

For fiscal year 2010, up to $300,000,000 is authorized to be appropriated for a United States contribution to the Clean Technology Fund (the Fund).

(2)Limits on country access

The Secretary of the Treasury shall use the voice and vote of the United States to ensure that—

(A)The Fund does not provide more than 15 percent of Fund resources to any one country;

(B)Prior to the obligation of funds, recipient countries submit to the governing body of the Fund, and the governing body of the Fund appropriately reviews and considers, an investment plan that will achieve significant net reductions in national-level greenhouse gas emissions;

(C)The investment plan for a recipient country, whose borrowing status is classified by the World Bank as “International Development Association (IDA) blend”, shall have at least 15 percent of its total cost for public sector activities contributed from the public funds of the recipient country, and any recipient country whose borrowing status is classified by the World Bank as “International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) Only” status, shall have at least 25 percent of its total cost for public sector activities contributed from public funds of the recipient country; and

(D)Assistance made available by the Fund is used exclusively to support the deployment of clean energy technologies in developing countries (including, where appropriate, through the provision of technical support or support for policy or institutional reforms) in a manner that achieves substantial net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

(3)Repealed. Pub. L. 113–76, div. K, title VII, § 7034(i), Jan. 17, 2014, 128 Stat. 514

(4)Definitions

For purposes of this section

(A) Net reductions

(B)Public sector activities

The term “public sector activities” may include sovereign loans assumed by the recipient country to contribute to the financing of the investment plan.

(C)Clean energy technology

The term “clean energy technology” means a technology that, as compared with technologies being deployed at that time for widespread commercial use in the country involved—

(i)achieves substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions;

(ii)does not result in significant incremental adverse effects on public health or the environment; and

(iii)does one or more of the following:

(I)generates electricity or useful thermal energy from a renewable resource;

(II)substantially increases the energy efficiency of buildings, industrial, or agricultural processes, or of electricity transmission, distribution, or end-use consumption; or

(III)substantially increases the energy efficiency of the transportation system or increases utilization of transportation fuels that have lifecycle greenhouse gas emissions that are substantially lower than those attributable to fossil fuel-based alternatives.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification Section was enacted as part of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2010, and also as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010, and not as part of part C of the Global Environmental Protection Assistance Act of 1989 which comprises this chapter.

Amendments

2014—Par. (3). Pub. L. 113–76 struck out par. (3), which established a reporting requirement for operations and governance of the Fund.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Continuation of Prior Law Pub. L. 113–235, div. J, title VII, § 7060(c)(9), Dec. 16, 2014, 128 Stat. 2672, provided that: “section 7081(g)(2) and (4) of division F of Public Law 111–117 [22 U.S.C. 7909(2), (4)] shall continue in effect during fiscal year 2015 as if part of this Act [div. J of Pub. L. 113–235, 128 Stat. 2573].” Prior continuations were contained in the following acts: Pub. L. 113–76, div. K, title VII, § 7060(c)(9), Jan. 17, 2014, 128 Stat. 554. Pub. L. 112–74, div. I, title VII, § 7062(c)(8), Dec. 23, 2011, 125 Stat. 1250.

§7909 Authorization for the Clean Technology Fund