---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 17216"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "17216"
heading: "Organization and administration of programs"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/17216"
units:
  - "Chapter 152 — Energy Independence and Security"
  - "Subchapter V — Accelerated Research and Development"
  - "Part C — Water Power Research and Development"
---

# §17216. Organization and administration of programs

- (a) **Coordination—** In carrying out this part, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall coordinate activities, and effectively manage cross-cutting research priorities across [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5) of the [Department](/usc/42/17001.md?p=1) and other relevant Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), including the [National Laboratories](/usc/42/17211.md?p=4) and the National [Marine Energy](/usc/42/17211.md?p=3) Centers.
- (b) **Collaboration—**
  - (1) **In general—** In carrying out this part, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall collaborate with industry, [National Laboratories](/usc/42/17211.md?p=4), other relevant Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1), institutions of higher education, including Minority Serving Institutions, National [Marine Energy](/usc/42/17211.md?p=3) Centers, Tribal entities, including Alaska Native [Corporations](/usc/42/2297h.md?p=2), and international bodies with relevant scientific and technical expertise.
  - (2) **Participation—** To the extent practicable, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall encourage research [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) that promote collaboration between entities specified in [paragraph (1)](#b-1) and include entities not historically associated with National [Marine Energy](/usc/42/17211.md?p=3) Centers, such as Minority Serving Institutions.
  - (3) **International collaboration—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3), in coordination with other appropriate Federal and multilateral [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) (including the United States [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) for International Development) shall support collaborative efforts with international partners to promote the research, development, and demonstration of [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) technologies used to develop hydropower, pump storage, and [marine energy](/usc/42/17211.md?p=3) resources.
- (c) **Dissemination of results and public availability—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall—
  - (1) publish the results of [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) supported under this part through [Department](/usc/42/17001.md?p=1) websites, reports, databases, training materials, and industry conferences, including information discovered after the completion of such [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2), withholding any industrial proprietary information; and
  - (2) share results of such [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) with the public except to the extent that the information is protected from disclosure under [section 552(b) of title 5](/usc/5/552.md?p=b).
- (d) **Award frequency—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall solicit applications for awards under this part no less frequently than once per fiscal year.
- (e) **Education and outreach—** In carrying out the activities described in this part, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall support education and outreach activities to disseminate information and promote public understanding of [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) technologies and the [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) workforce, including activities at the National [Marine Energy](/usc/42/17211.md?p=3) Centers.
- (f) **Technical assistance and workforce development—** In carrying out this part, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) may also conduct, for purposes of supporting technical, non-hardware, and information-based advances in [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) systems development and operations—
  - (1) technical assistance and analysis activities with [eligible entities](/usc/42/17151.md?p=1), including activities that support expanding access to advanced [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) technologies for rural, Tribal, and low-income communities; and
  - (2) workforce development and training activities, including to support the dissemination of standards and best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) for enabling [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) production.
- (g) **Strategic plan—** In carrying out the activities described in this part, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall—
  - (1) not later than one year after December 27, 2020, draft a plan, considering input from relevant stakeholders such as industry and academia, to implement the [programs](/usc/42/17151.md?p=5) described in this part and update the plan on an annual basis; and
  - (2) the plan[^1] shall address near-term (up to 2 years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up to 15 years) challenges to the advancement of [water power](/usc/42/17211.md?p=5) systems.
- (h) **Report to Congress—** Not later than 1 year after December 27, 2020, and at least once every 2 years thereafter, the [Secretary](/usc/42/17001.md?p=3) shall provide, and make available to the public and the relevant authorizing and appropriations committees of Congress, a report on the findings of research conducted and activities carried out pursuant to this part, including the most current strategic plan under [subsection (g)](#g) and the progress made in implementing such plan.

## Footnotes

[^1]: So in original.

## Source credit

(Pub. L. 110–140, title VI, § 637, as added Pub. L. 116–260, div. Z, title III, § 3001(a), Dec. 27, 2020, 134 Stat. 2485.)