Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023

Floor Speech

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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 342) to amend the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to require reporting relating to certain cost-share requirements, and for other purposes.

The Clerk read the title of the bill.

The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 342

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023''. SEC. 2. REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

Section 988 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16352) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:

``(g) Reporting.--Not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection and at least quarterly thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate, and shall make publicly available, a report on the use by the Department during the period covered by the report of the authority to reduce or eliminate cost-sharing requirements provided by subsection (b)(3) or (c)(2).''.

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Mr. LUCAS. 342, the bill now under consideration.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 342, the Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023 introduced by my friend, Representative Obernolte.

H.R. 342 is a good-government bill that does exactly what it says it will: it improves accountability.

When making awards, the Department of Energy is subject to cost-share requirements for most research, development, demonstration, and commercial application activities.

DOE can modify or eliminate those requirements when necessary, an authority which has been critical to supporting and developing new technologies.

This bill is very simple. It requires DOE to submit a quarterly report to Congress describing the instances where they have modified or waived those cost-share requirements. The bill also makes those reports publicly available.

H.R. 342 doesn't prevent DOE from waiving cost-share requirements. It just ensures that those decisions are made public. This transparency and accountability is important because it allows us to ensure we are making the best possible use of taxpayer resources. It is a smart, bipartisan policy.

I thank Representative Obernolte and Representative Foster for working on this legislation.

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Mr. LUCAS. Mr. Speaker, H.R. 342 will create more transparency around the DOE awards and help us better oversee our investments in cutting- edge energy technologies. It is bipartisan, commonsense legislation, which is why it passed the House on suspension last year.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill once again, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 342--``The Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023.''

H.R. 342 requires the Department of Energy to report quarterly to Congress on the use of the department's authority to reduce or eliminate cost-sharing requirements for various research, development, and demonstration projects.

Specifically, this bill aims to establish the necessary requirements to effectively set the standards for quarterly reporting to Congress in order to ensure proper management of capital allotment between energy departments.

Mr. Speaker, The Energy Policy Act (EPAct) of 2005 (Public Law 109- 58), the underlying statute of H.R. 342 which provides the background history for H.R. 342, calls for the development of grant programs, demonstration and testing initiatives, and tax incentives that promote alternative fuels and advanced vehicles production and use.

H.R. 342--``The Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023'' will provide advancements towards energy innovations that will benefit both the state of energy independence of the United States as well as critical energy advancements for the future.

The Secretary of Energy has the authority to reduce or eliminate cost sharing requirements for applied research and development as necessary and appropriate.

Moreover, the Secretary may reduce cost sharing requirements for demonstration and commercial application activities as necessary and appropriate, taking into consideration any technological risk relating to the activity.

Mr. Speaker, based on the S&P Global macroeconomic model completed on January 5th, it is expected that the U.S. real GDP will grow by 0.5 percent in 2023, with economic growth returning after contraction in the first quarter of 2023.

In 2024, the estimated real GDP will grow by 1.9 percent, driven primarily by an increase in household consumption. This means that there will be relatively flat economic growth in 2023 resulting in total U.S. energy consumption falling by 0.9 percent in the forecast. However, total energy consumption then rises by 1.0 percent in 2024.

This evidence provides us a basis for making sure we have the proper standards in place for effective accounting for key departments performing various research, development, and demonstration projects.

As a senior Member of the Budget Committee, I understand the importance of providing clarity and transparency to the American people on the allocation of funds.

I urge all my colleagues to join me in voting in favor of H.R. 342, ``The Cost-Share Accountability Act of 2023'' so we can provide transparency to the American people while addressing the proper implementations towards efficient allotment of cost-sharing.

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