Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act
The Marine Energy Technologies Acceleration Act would create a dedicated Marine Energy Acceleration Fund and use competitive programs to advance the United States’ leadership in marine energy technologies. The bill directs the Department of Energy (DOE) to fund at least 20 demonstration projects that export power to local grids or larger utility grids, fund research and development (R&D) and facility upgrades, assess the technical potential at dozens of candidate sites, and pursue reforms to streamline permitting. It also emphasizes workforce development and public education, coordination with existing national energy centers, environmental monitoring, and engagement with rural, Tribal, and low-income communities. The overall goal is to speed up innovation, reduce costs, improve reliability, and strengthen domestic manufacturing and energy independence in marine energy. In short, the bill would invest up to $1 billion (authorized) across demonstration projects, R&D, site assessments, permitting improvements, and workforce programs to accelerate the deployment of marine energy technologies in the United States.
Key Points
- 1Establishes the Marine Energy Acceleration Fund and authorizes $1,000,000,000 (1 billion dollars) to be appropriated for the fund, to remain available until expended.
- 2Requires competitive solicitations for at least 20 marine energy demonstration projects that export power to microgrids, community grids, or utility-scale grids, with preference for projects that integrate with existing infrastructure, enable open-water testing, support rural/remote/Tribal/low-income communities, and support ocean science, education, and workforce development.
- 3Allocates funding for advancing marine energy technologies, including $230,000,000 for technology R&D and $20,000,000 for education activities through National Marine Energy Centers; emphasizes coordination with industry, labs, and other partners.
- 4Includes a structured assessment of technical resource potential at no fewer than 50 sites, with environmental monitoring, data sharing, and alignment with regional ocean partnerships to inform future project siting and demonstrations; allocates $50,000,000 for this work.
- 5Establishes a permitting improvement process via a cross-agency task force (DOE, FERC, BOEM, etc.) to identify barriers, propose streamlined regulatory procedures, evaluate staffing needs, and report to Congress within one year; funds include $5,000,000 for DOE, $5,000,000 for FERC, and $5,000,000 for BOEM.