Title II — Industrial efficiency and competitiveness
II Industrial efficiency and competitiveness
A Manufacturing energy efficiency
Sec. 202 Future of Industry program and industrial research and assessment centers
“(E) water and wastewater treatment facilities, including systems that treat municipal, industrial, and agricultural waste; and”
“454. Industrial research and assessment centers
“(a) Definitions—In this section:
“(1) Energy service provider—The term energy service provider means—
“(A) any business providing technology or services to improve the energy efficiency, water efficiency, power factor, or load management of a manufacturing site or other industrial process in an energy-intensive industry (as defined in section 452(a)); and
“(B) any utility operating under a utility energy service project.
“(2) Industrial research and assessment center—The term industrial research and assessment center means—
“(A) an institution of higher education-based industrial research and assessment center that is funded by the Secretary under subsection (b); and
“(B) an industrial research and assessment center at a trade school, community college, or union training program that is funded by the Secretary under subsection (f).
“(b) Institution of higher education-Based industrial research and assessment centers
“(1) In general—The Secretary shall provide funding to institution of higher education-based industrial research and assessment centers.
“(2) Purpose—The purpose of each institution of higher education-based industrial research and assessment center shall be—
“(A) to identify opportunities for optimizing energy efficiency and environmental performance, including implementation of—
“(i) smart manufacturing;
“(ii) energy management systems;
“(iii) sustainable manufacturing; and
“(iv) information technology advancements for supply chain analysis, logistics, system monitoring, industrial and manufacturing processes, and other purposes;
“(B) to promote applications of emerging concepts and technologies in small- and medium-sized manufacturers (including water and wastewater treatment facilities and federally owned manufacturing facilities);
“(C) to promote research and development for the use of alternative energy sources to supply heat, power, and new feedstocks for energy-intensive industries;
“(D) to coordinate with appropriate Federal and State research offices;
“(E) to provide a clearinghouse for industrial process and energy efficiency technical assistance resources; and
“(F) to coordinate with State-accredited technical training centers and community colleges, while ensuring appropriate services to all regions of the United States.
“(c) Coordination—To increase the value and capabilities of the industrial research and assessment centers, the centers shall—
“(1) coordinate with Manufacturing Extension Partnership Centers of the National Institute of Standards and Technology;
“(2) coordinate with the Federal Energy Management Program and the Building Technologies Program of the Department of Energy to provide building assessment services to manufacturers;
“(3) increase partnerships with the National Laboratories of the Department of Energy to leverage the expertise, technologies, and research and development capabilities of the National Laboratories for national industrial and manufacturing needs;
“(4) increase partnerships with energy service providers and technology providers to leverage private sector expertise and accelerate deployment of new and existing technologies and processes for energy efficiency, power factor, and load management;
“(5) identify opportunities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and other air emissions; and
“(6) promote sustainable manufacturing practices for small- and medium-sized manufacturers.
“(d) Outreach—The Secretary shall provide funding for—
“(1) outreach activities by the industrial research and assessment centers to inform small- and medium-sized manufacturers of the information, technologies, and services available; and
“(2) coordination activities by each industrial research and assessment center to leverage efforts with—
“(A) Federal and State efforts;
“(B) the efforts of utilities and energy service providers;
“(C) the efforts of regional energy efficiency organizations; and
“(D) the efforts of other industrial research and assessment centers.
“(e) Centers of Excellence
“(1) Establishment—The Secretary shall establish a Center of Excellence at not more than 5 of the highest-performing industrial research and assessment centers, as determined by the Secretary.
“(2) Duties—A Center of Excellence shall coordinate with and advise the industrial research and assessment centers located in the region of the Center of Excellence, including—
“(A) by mentoring new directors and staff of the industrial research and assessment centers with respect to—
“(i) the availability of resources; and
“(ii) best practices for carrying out assessments, including through the participation of the staff of the Center of Excellence in assessments carried out by new industrial research and assessment centers;
“(B) by providing training to staff and students at the industrial research and assessment centers on new technologies, practices, and tools to expand the scope and impact of the assessments carried out by the centers;
“(C) by assisting the industrial research and assessment centers with specialized technical opportunities, including by providing a clearinghouse of available expertise and tools to assist the centers and clients of the centers in assessing and implementing those opportunities;
“(D) by identifying and coordinating with regional, State, local, and utility energy efficiency programs for the purpose of facilitating efforts by industrial research and assessment centers to connect industrial facilities receiving assessments from those centers with regional, State, local, and utility energy efficiency programs that could aid the industrial facilities in implementing any recommendations resulting from the assessments;
“(E) by facilitating coordination between the industrial research and assessment centers and other Federal programs described in paragraphs (1) through (3) of subsection (c); and
“(F) by coordinating the outreach activities of the industrial research and assessment centers under subsection (d)(1).
“(3) Funding—Subject to the availability of appropriations, for each fiscal year, out of any amounts made available to carry out this section under subsection (i), the Secretary shall use not less than $500,000 to support each Center of Excellence.
“(f) Expansion of industrial research and assessment centers
“(1) In general—The Secretary shall provide funding to establish additional industrial research and assessment centers at trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs.
“(2) Purpose
“(A) In general—Subject to subparagraph (B), to the maximum extent practicable, an industrial research and assessment center established under paragraph (1) shall have the same purpose as an institution of higher education-based industrial research center that is funded by the Secretary under subsection (b)(1).
“(B) Consideration of capabilities—In evaluating or establishing the purpose of an industrial research and assessment center established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall take into consideration the varying capabilities of trade schools, community colleges, and union training programs.
“(g) Workforce training
“(1) Internships—The Secretary shall pay the Federal share of associated internship programs under which students work with or for industries, manufacturers, and energy service providers to implement the recommendations of industrial research and assessment centers.
“(2) Apprenticeships—The Secretary shall pay the Federal share of associated apprenticeship programs under which—
“(A) students work with or for industries, manufacturers, and energy service providers to implement the recommendations of industrial research and assessment centers; and
“(B) employees of facilities that have received an assessment from an industrial research and assessment center work with or for an industrial research and assessment center to gain knowledge on engineering practices and processes to improve productivity and energy savings.
“(3) Federal share—The Federal share of the cost of carrying out internship programs described in paragraph (1) and apprenticeship programs described in paragraph (2) shall be 50 percent.
“(h) Small business loans—The Administrator of the Small Business Administration shall, to the maximum extent practicable, expedite consideration of applications from eligible small business concerns for loans under the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 631 et seq.) to implement recommendations developed by the industrial research and assessment centers.
“(i) Funding—There is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $30,000,000 for each fiscal year, to remain available until expended.”
Sec. 203 Sustainable manufacturing initiative
“376. Sustainable manufacturing initiative
“(a) In general—As part of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy of the Department of Energy, the Secretary, on the request of a manufacturer, shall carry out onsite technical assessments to identify opportunities for—
“(1) maximizing the energy efficiency of industrial processes and cross-cutting systems;
“(2) preventing pollution and minimizing waste;
“(3) improving efficient use of water in manufacturing processes;
“(4) conserving natural resources; and
“(5) achieving such other goals as the Secretary determines to be appropriate.
“(b) Coordination—To implement any recommendations resulting from an onsite technical assessment carried out under subsection (a) and to accelerate the adoption of new and existing technologies and processes that improve energy efficiency, the Secretary shall coordinate with—
“(1) the Advanced Manufacturing Office of the Department of Energy;
“(2) the Building Technologies Office of the Department of Energy;
“(3) the Federal Energy Management Program of the Department of Energy; and
“(4) the private sector and other appropriate agencies, including the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
“(c) Research and development program for sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes—As part of the industrial efficiency programs of the Department of Energy, the Secretary shall carry out a joint industry-government partnership program to research, develop, and demonstrate new sustainable manufacturing and industrial technologies and processes that maximize the energy efficiency of industrial plants, reduce pollution, and conserve natural resources.”