§17383 Smart Grid Advisory Committee and Smart Grid Task Force

Summary

Creates a Smart Grid Advisory Committee and a Smart Grid Task Force to help guide the federal smart-grid effort. The Secretary must set up the Advisory Committee within 90 days of December 19, 2007. The Secretary must appoint eight or more members who have experience across smart-grid technologies and who represent private and non-Federal public interests. The Secretary also must pick one member to be Chair. The Committee must advise the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and other federal officials on smart-grid development, the national move to smart-grid systems, standards and device interoperability, and how federal incentives can help. Chapter 10 of Title 5 applies to the Committee. The Assistant Secretary of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability must set up the Smart Grid Task Force within 90 days of December 19, 2007. It will be made of employees from that office who work on smart-grid issues. The Assistant Secretary or a designee will be the Task Force Director. The Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology must each designate at least one employee to join. Other agencies may send members by invitation or nomination. The Task Force must coordinate federal smart-grid work, including research and development, standards, regulation, infrastructure, reliability and security, and how smart-grid technology affects supply, demand, transmission, distribution, and policy. It must work with the Advisory Committee and meet when the Director calls meetings. Money as needed is authorized for fiscal years 2008 through 2020 to support both the Committee and the Task Force.