Section 1 Short title
This Act may be cited as the “Technology Transitions Act of 2019”.
Technology Transitions Act of 2019
A BILL
To amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to establish an Office of Technology Transitions, and for other purposes.
Sec. 2 Office of Technology Transitions
Section 1001 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16391) is amended—
by striking subsection (a) and all that follows through “The Coordinator” in subsection (b) and inserting the following:
“(a) Office of Technology Transitions
“(1) Establishment—There is established within the Department an Office of Technology Transitions (referred to in this section as the “Office”).
“(2) Mission—The mission of the Office shall be—
“(A) to expand the commercial impact of the research investments of the Department; and
“(B) to focus on commercializing technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and technologies that support other missions of the Department.
“(3) Goals
“(A) In general—In carrying out the mission and activities of the Office, the Chief Commercialization Officer appointed under paragraph (4) shall, with respect to commercialization activities, meet not less than two of the goals described in subparagraph (B) and, to the maximum extent practicable, meet all of the goals described in that subparagraph.
“(B) Goals described—The goals referred to in subparagraph (A) are the following:
“(i) Reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
“(ii) Ensuring economic competitiveness.
“(iii) Enhancement of domestic energy security and national security.
“(iv) Enhancement of domestic jobs.
“(v) Any other missions of the Department, as determined by the Secretary.
“(4) Chief Commercialization Officer
“(A) In general—The Office shall be headed by an officer, who shall be known as the “Chief Commercialization Officer”, and who shall report directly to, and be appointed by, the Secretary.
“(B) Principal advisor—The Chief Commercialization Officer shall be the principal advisor to the Secretary on all matters relating to technology transfer and commercialization.
“(C) Qualifications—The Chief Commercialization Officer”
in subsection (c)—
in paragraph (1), by striking “subsection (d)” and inserting “subsection (b)”;
by redesignating paragraphs (1) through (4) as clauses (i) through (iv), respectively, and indenting appropriately; and
by striking the subsection designation and heading and all that follows through “The Coordinator” in the matter preceding clause (i) (as so redesignated) and inserting the following:
“(D) Duties—The Chief Commercialization Officer”
by adding at the end of subsection (a) (as amended by paragraph (2)(C)) the following:
“(5) Coordination—In carrying out the mission and activities of the Office, the Chief Commercialization Officer shall coordinate with the senior leadership of the Department, other relevant program offices of the Department, National Laboratories, the Technology Transfer Working Group established under subsection (b), the Technology Transfer Policy Board, and other stakeholders (including private industry).”
by redesignating subsections (d) through (h) as subsections (b) through (f), respectively; and
in subsection (f) (as so redesignated), by striking “subsection (e)” and inserting “subsection (c)”.
Sec. 3 Review of applied energy programs
In general— Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Energy (referred to in this section as the “Secretary”) shall conduct a review of all applied energy research and development programs under the Department of Energy (referred to in this section as the “Department”) that focus on researching and developing technologies that reduce emissions.
Requirements— In conducting the review under subsection (a), the Secretary shall—
identify each program described in that subsection the mission of which is to research and develop technologies that reduce emissions;
determine the type of services provided by each program identified under paragraph (1), such as grants and technical assistance;
determine whether there are written program goals for each program identified under paragraph (1);
examine the extent to which the programs identified under paragraph (1) overlap or are duplicative; and
develop recommendations—
as to how any overlapping or duplicative programs identified under paragraph (4) should be restructured or consolidated, including by any necessary legislation;
as to how to identify technologies described in paragraph (1) that—
are not served by a single program office at the Department; or
the research and development of which may require collaboration with other Federal agencies; and
for methods to improve the programs identified under paragraph (1), including by establishing program goals, assessing workforce considerations and technical skills, or increasing collaboration with other Federal agencies and stakeholders (including private industry).
Report— Not later than 60 days after the Secretary completes the review under subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committees on Science, Space, and Technology and Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report describing the results of and the recommendations developed under the review.