Sec. 3. Networked geothermal heating and cooling grant program
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Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, under the State Energy Program, the Secretary shall establish a program under which the Secretary shall provide grants to States— that are eligible for funding under the State Energy Program; in accordance with the allocation formula established under section 420.11 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations); and that the States shall use to provide grants to eligible recipients in accordance with this section.
A State seeking a grant under the program shall submit to the Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including— a description of the expected benefits that networked geothermal heating and cooling systems will have on communities in the State; and a plan for the use of the grant to assist the State in achieving those benefits. A State that receives a grant under the program shall award grants to eligible recipients in accordance with paragraphs
(2)and (3). A State that receives a grant under the program may provide a grant to an eligible recipient to finance the deployment of a networked geothermal heating and cooling system that meets the requirements described in subparagraph (B), including the installation of in-building or behind-the-meter equipment. A networked geothermal heating and cooling system deployed pursuant to subparagraph
(A)shall— use— geothermal heat pumps to provide heating, cooling, or heating and cooling of space, water, or space and water from— the ground through 1 or more closed-loop geo-exchange boreholes in which water pumped through pipes that exchange heat with the surrounding rock or soil returns to the surface; groundwater using 1 or more open-loop well doublets that pump groundwater from an aquifer and inject the water into a second well following heat exchange in a heat pump or water-to-water heat exchanger; surface water through heat exchange in a heat pump or water-to-water heat exchanger, with the water returned to the surface water body; or greywater, sewage, or treated sewage effluent through a heat exchanger installed in a sewage pipe, treated sewage effluent pipe, or above-ground plant consisting of a water-to-water heat exchanger or heat pump; hot water obtained from geothermal wells to produce hot water through a water-to-water heat exchanger for direct use in building heating; hot water produced by deep geothermal wells in which water is pumped through pipes containing a fluid that exchanges heat with the surrounding rock or soil and returns to the surface for direct use for building heating; industrial process waste heat; or a combination of the systems described in subclauses
(I)through (IV); reduce the greenhouse gas emissions associated with heating and cooling the building, set of buildings, or facility of the eligible recipient; and reduce the site energy intensity of the building, set of buildings, or facility of the eligible recipient in comparison to the baseline energy usage intensity of the building, set of buildings, or facility, as applicable; improve the control and management of energy usage of the building, set of buildings, or facility to reduce demand during peak times; substantially reduce the amount of water used to provide heating and cooling to the building, set of buildings, or facility; or improve, with respect to the building, set of buildings, or facility of the eligible recipient— the physical comfort of the building, set of buildings, or facility occupants; the energy efficiency of the building, set of buildings, or facility; or the quality of the air in the building, set of buildings, or facility. Each State providing grants under this paragraph shall give priority— to the maximum extent practicable, to eligible recipients that do not have access to private capital; to larger block-scale projects comprising at least 100,000 square feet of building space for which the networked geothermal heating and cooling system will be used; to projects that may be extended to multiple blocks or wider scales, including systems featuring decentralized heat pumps interconnected by a single underground shared loop pipe of ambient-temperature water; or to projects located in an energy community (as defined in section 45(b)(11)(B) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986), a low-income community, or a disadvantaged community. All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the performance of construction, alteration, or repair work on a project assisted in whole or in part by a grant awarded by a State under this paragraph shall be paid wages at rates not less than those prevailing on similar projects in the locality, as determined by the Secretary of Labor in accordance with subchapter IV of chapter 31 of title 40, United States Code (commonly referred to as the Davis-Bacon Act ). With respect to the labor standards specified in clause (i), the Secretary of Labor shall have the authority and functions set forth in Reorganization Plan Numbered 14 of 1950 (64 Stat. 1267; 5 U.S.C. App.) and section 3145 of title 40, United States Code. All laborers and mechanics employed by contractors or subcontractors in the performance of construction, alteration, or repair work on a project assisted in whole or in part by a grant awarded by a State under this paragraph shall participate in, and all such contractors or subcontractors shall sponsor, a registered apprenticeship program for each crafts or trade employed on the project. In order to remain eligible for funding under a grant awarded by a State under this paragraph, each contractor and subcontractor described in subclause
(I)shall annually submit to the Secretary of Labor a certification verifying that— the contractor or subcontractor sponsors a registered apprenticeship program for each applicable craft or trade; and the sponsored registered apprenticeship program has graduated apprentices for at least 3 of the preceding 5 years. A State that receives a grant under the program may use not more than 50 percent of the grant funds— to award grants or provide technical assistance to eligible recipients to carry out the activities described in subparagraph (B); and to conduct broad surveys to ascertain the localities or projects in the State that are best suited to receive grants under paragraph (2). Grant funds received by eligible recipients under subparagraph (A)(i) may be used to partially or fully fund— community thermal opportunity assessments— to identify potential thermal resources, including heat sources or sinks, including the geological nature or other characteristics of the local ground, groundwater, surface water, greywater, sewage or sewage effluent thermal, waste heat from commercial or industrial sources, or deep earth geological heat potential; and to assess proximity of thermal sources, sinks, or storage, as applicable, to existing or potential concentrations of thermal loads; studies to demonstrate the relative potential of different locations for deployment of networked geothermal heating and cooling systems; feasibility studies and designs for networked geothermal heating and cooling systems; geoscientific investigation, including test bores, thermal response tests, and thermal conductivity tests, to determine underground thermal and hydraulic characteristics; and activities, studies, or research to assess and overcome barriers to the implementation of networked geothermal heating and cooling systems, including financial, contracting, siting, permitting, technical, and technology barriers. A State may provide more than 1 grant under this subsection to the same eligible recipient to facilitate multiple steps in the planning and deployment of a networked geothermal heating and cooling system. A State that receives a grant under the program may use not more than 5 percent of the grant funds for administrative expenses. A State receiving a grant under the program is encouraged to utilize and build on existing programs and infrastructure, including physical infrastructure such as pipes or wells, existing rights-of-way, and land leases, within the State that may aid the State in awarding grants under subsection (c). The Secretary shall engage in outreach to inform States of the availability of grants under the program. A State receiving a grant under the program shall not be subject, for that grant, to the matching requirement under the item relating to under the heading Energy conservation in title II of the Department of the Interior and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1985 ( Department of Energy 42 U.S.C. 6323a ; 98 Stat. 1861). Nothing in section 420.18 of title 10, Code of Federal Regulations (or successor regulations), shall prohibit projects carried out using grants provided by States under this section. Each State that receives a grant under the program shall, not later than 18 months after a grant is received, and annually thereafter, submit to the Secretary a report that describes— for each grant awarded to an eligible recipient under subsection (c)(2), data on the projects to be carried out using the grant, organized in a format to be determined by the Secretary; for each grant awarded or any technical assistance provided under subsection (c)(3), any output in the form of feasibility studies, geoscientific investigation, thermal mapping of heat sources or sink or waste heat sources in an area, or other study results; and any statutory or regulatory changes undertaken by the State or other local regulatory body to facilitate projects carried out using a grant awarded or technical assistance provided by the State under subsection (c). There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section, to remain available until expended— $150,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; and $120,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029. Of the amounts made available under paragraph
(1)for a fiscal year, not less than 2 percent shall be used to award grants under the program to Indian Tribes.
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U.S. Code
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- 64 Stat. 1267
- 98 Stat. 1861
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Sec. 3
Networked geothermal heating and cooling grant program
Stat.64 Stat. 1267
Stat.98 Stat. 1861
Cites 3Cited by 0 across 0 sources