Sec. 29. Economic revitalization for fossil fuel dependent communities
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The purpose of this section is to promote economic revitalization, diversification, and development in communities that depend on fossil fuel mining, extraction, or refining for a significant amount of economic opportunities, or where a significant proportion of the population is employed at electric generating stations that use fossil fuels as the predominant fuel supply. There is established in the Treasury of the United States a fund, to be known as the Federal Energy Transition Economic Development Assistance Fund .
Such fund consists of amounts deposited under section 28. Of the amounts deposited into the Fund— 35 percent shall be distributed by the Secretary to States in which extraction of fossil fuels occurs on public lands, based on a formula reflecting existing production and extraction in each such State; 35 percent shall be distributed by the Secretary to States based on a formula reflecting the quantity of fossil fuels historically produced and extracted in each such State on public lands before the date of enactment of this Act; and 30 percent shall be allocated to a competitive grant program pursuant to subsection (e).
Funds distributed by the Secretary to States under paragraphs
(1)and
(2)of subsection
(c)may be used for— environmental remediation of lands and waters impacted by the full life-cycle of fossil fuel extraction and mining; building partnerships to attract and invest in the economic future of historically fossil-fuel dependent communities; increasing capacity and other technical assistance fostering long-term economic growth and opportunity in historically fossil-fuel dependent communities; guaranteeing pensions, healthcare, and retirement security and providing a bridge of wage support until a displaced worker either finds new employment or reaches retirement; severance payments for displaced workers; carbon sequestration projects in natural systems on public lands; or expanding broadband access and broadband infrastructure. In distributing funds under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall place a priority on displaced assisting workers dislocated from fossil fuel mining and extraction industries. The Secretary shall establish a competitive grant program to provide funds to eligible entities for the purposes described in paragraph (3). For the purposes of this subsection, the term eligible entities means local, State, and Tribal Governments, development districts (as such term is defined in section 382E of the Consolidated Farm and Rural Development Act ( 7 U.S.C. 2009aa–4 )), nonprofits, labor unions, economic development agencies, and institutions of higher education, including community colleges. The Secretary may award grants from amounts in the Fund for the purposes listed in subsection
(d)and for— existing job retraining and apprenticeship programs for displaced workers or for programs designed to promote economic development in communities affected by a downturn in fossil fuel extraction and mining; developing projects that diversify local and regional economies, create jobs in new or existing non-fossil fuel industries, attract new sources of job-creating investment, and provide a range of workforce services and skills training; internship programs in a field related to clean energy; and the development and support of a clean energy— certificate program at a labor organization; or a major or minor program at an institution of higher education, as such term is defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 ). Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an advisory committee to be known as the Just Transition Advisory Committee . The President shall appoint a Chair of the Advisory Committee. The Advisory Committee shall— advise, assist, and support the Secretary in the management and allocation of funds available under subsection
(c)and in the establishment and administration of the Competitive Grant Program under subsection (e); and develop procedures to ensure that States and applicants eligible to participate in the Competitive Grant Program established pursuant to subsection
(e)are notified of availability of Federal funds pursuant to this Act. The total membership of the Advisory Committee shall not exceed 20 members and the Advisory Committee shall be composed of the following members appointed by the Chair: A representative of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development. A representative of the Secretary of Labor. A representative of the Under Secretary for Rural Development. Two individuals with professional economic development or workforce retraining experience. An equal number of representatives from each of the following: Labor unions. Nonprofit environmental organizations. Environmental justice organizations. Fossil fuel transition communities. Public interest groups. Tribal and indigenous communities. The Just Transition Advisory Committee shall not terminate except by an Act of Congress. Not more than 7 percent of the amounts in the Fund may be used for administrative costs incurred in implementing this Act. Not more than 5 percent of the amounts in the Fund may be awarded to a single eligible entity. At least 15 percent of the amount in the Fund must be spent in each calendar year. None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act may be used for a project for the construction, alteration, maintenance, or repair of a public building or public work unless all of the iron, steel, and manufactured goods used in the project are produced in the United States unless such manufactured good is not produced in the United States. The Secretary shall submit to the Committees on Appropriations and Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and to the Committees on Appropriations and Natural Resources in the House of Representatives, with the annual budget submission of the President, a list of projects, including a description of each project, that received funding under this section in the previous calendar year. For the purposes of this section: The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Interior. The term Advisory Committee means the Just Transition Advisory Committee established by this section. The term public land means any land and interest in land owned by the United States within the several States and administered by the Secretary of the Interior or the Chief of the United States Forest Service, without regard to how the United States acquired ownership, including lands located on the Outer Continental Shelf but excluding lands held in trust for an Indian or Indian Tribe. The term fossil fuel means coal, petroleum, natural gas, tar sands, oil shale, or any derivative of coal, petroleum, or natural gas. The term displaced worker means an individual who, due to efforts to reduce net emissions from public lands or as a result of a downturn in fossil fuel mining, extraction, or production, has suffered a reduction in employment or economic opportunities. The term fossil fuel transition communities means a community— that has been adversely affected economically by a recent reduction in fossil fuel mining, extraction, or production related activity, as demonstrated by employment data, per capita income, or other indicators of economic distress; that has historically relied on fossil fuel mining, extraction, or production related activity for a substantial portion of its economy; or in which the economic contribution of fossil fuel mining, extraction or production related activity has significantly declined. The term fossil fuel dependent communities means a community— that depends on fossil fuel mining, and extraction, or refining for a significant amount of economic opportunities; or where a significant proportion of the population is employed at electric generating stations that use fossil fuels as the predominant fuel supply.
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- 7 USC 2009aa–4
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