42 U.S.C. § 5907a: Small grant program

Summary

The Department of Energy must set up a small-grant program to pay for local energy projects. The money is for developing, testing, and sharing information about energy systems that help communities use local or renewable resources, save nonrenewable fuel, adapt existing technology to new uses, and are small, low-cost, durable, energy-saving, and easy to install and run. No person or group (including affiliates) can get more than $50,000 in support in any two-year period. Grants can go to individuals, local nonprofits and institutions, State and local agencies, Indian tribes, and small businesses. The Secretary must make the application process simple, require full written reports from recipients, use criteria like potential energy savings, fuel type, and local impact when choosing projects, and issue guidelines with public comment. The Secretary must send a detailed implementation plan to Congress by October 1, 1977, and include the program in the annual report required by section 15(a)(1) of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 beginning in 1977.

Title 42, §5907a

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

(a)Establishment

There shall be established within the Department of Energy a program for appropriate technology under the direction of the Secretary. The Secretary shall develop and implement a program of small grants for the purpose of encouraging development and demonstration projects described in subsection (c) of this section.

(b)Limitation

The aggregate amount of financial support made available to any participant in such program, including affiliates, under this section shall not exceed $50,000 during any two-year period.

(c)Systems and technologies to be developed and demonstrated

Funds made available under this section shall be used to provide for a coordinated and expanded effort for the development and demonstration of, and the dissemination of information with respect to, energy-related systems and supporting technologies appropriate to—

(1)the needs of local communities and the enhancement of community self-reliance through the use of available resources;

(2)the use of renewable resources and the conservation of nonrenewable resources;

(3)the use of existing technologies applied to novel situations and uses;

(4)applications which are energy-conserving, environmentally sound, small scale, durable and low cost; and

(5)applications which demonstrate simplicity of installation, operation and maintenance.

(d)Eligible participants; simplified application procedures; report to Secretary; allocation criteria; guidelines

(1)Grants, agreements or contracts under this section may be made to individuals, local nonprofit organizations and institutions, State and local agencies, Indian tribes and small businesses. The Secretary shall develop simplified procedures with respect to application for support under this section.

(2)Each grant, agreement or contract under this section shall be governed by the provisions of section 9 of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 [42 U.S.C. 5908] and shall contain effective provisions under which the Secretary shall receive a full written report of activities supported in whole or in part by funds made available by the Secretary; and

(3)In determining the allocation of funds among applicants for support under this section the Secretary may take into consideration:

(A)the potential for energy savings or energy production;

(B)the type of fuel saved or produced;

(C)the potential impact on local or regional energy or environmental problems; and

(D)such other criteria as the Secretary finds necessary to achieve the purposes of this Act or the purposes of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 [42 U.S.C. 5901 et seq.].

Guidelines implementing this section shall be promulgated with full opportunity for public comment.

(e)Reports to Congress

The Secretary shall—

(1)prepare and submit no later than October 1, 1977, a detailed report on plans for implementation, including the timing of implementation, of the provisions of this section to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Science and Technology of the House of Representatives and shall keep such committees fully and currently informed concerning the development of such plans; and

(2)include as a part of the annual report required by section 15(a)(1) of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 beginning in 1977, a full and complete report on the program under this section.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

This Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(3)(D), means Pub. L. 95–39, June 3, 1977, 91 Stat. 180, which to the extent classified to the Code enacted section 5816a, 5817a, 5903c, 5907a, 5915a, 5918, and 7001 to 7011 of this title, amended section 5813, 5818, and 5912 of this title, and enacted provisions set out as notes under section 5906, 5907, 5914, and 7001 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Tables. The Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (d)(3)(D), is Pub. L. 93–577, Dec. 31, 1974, 88 Stat. 1878, which is classified generally to this chapter (§ 5901 et seq.). For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 5901 of this title and Tables. section 15 of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974, referred to in subsec. (e)(2), was classified to section 5914 of this title and was omitted from the Code. Codification Section was not enacted as part of the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 which comprises this chapter.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Science and Technology of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Jan. 5, 2011.

Transfer of Functions

“Secretary”, meaning Secretary of Energy, substituted for “Administrator”, “Administration”, and “Assistant Administrator for Conservation and Development”, meaning Energy Research and Development Administration and Administrator thereof, in subsecs. (a), (d), and (e) and “Department of Energy” substituted for “Administration” in subsec. (a) pursuant to section 301(a), 703, and 707 of Pub. L. 95–91, which are classified to section 7151(a), 7293, and 7297 of this title and which terminated Energy Research and Development Administration and transferred its functions and functions of Administrator thereof (with certain exceptions) to Secretary of Energy.

§5907a Small Grant Program