1.This Act may be cited as
the Cleanfields Investment
Act
.
2.The purpose of this Act is to establish a
program to fund grants—
(1)to inventory, characterize, assess, and
conduct planning relating to brownfield sites for the purpose of locating
renewable electricity generation facilities on those brownfield sites;
or
(2)for use in remediating brownfield sites for
the purpose of locating renewable electricity generation facilities on those
brownfield sites.
3.Section 101 of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C.
9601) is amended by adding at the end the following:
(42)Renewable
electricity generation facilityThe term renewable
electricity generation facility means a facility that generates
renewable electricity from wind energy, solar energy, or geothermal
energy.
.
4.Renewable
electricity brownfield site fundingSection 104(k) of the Comprehensive
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (42 U.S.C.
9604(k)) is amended—
(1)by redesignating
paragraph (12) as paragraph (13);
(2)by inserting
after paragraph (11) the following:
(12)Renewable
electricity brownfield site funding
(A)The Administrator shall establish a program to provide
grants to—
(i)eligible
entities, to be used for capitalization of revolving loan funds to provide
assistance in accordance with subparagraph (B); and
(ii)eligible
entities or nonprofit organizations, as determined by the Administrator in
accordance with subparagraph (C), to be used directly—
(I)to inventory,
characterize, assess, and conduct planning relating to 1 or more brownfield
sites for the purpose of locating a renewable electricity generation facility
on those brownfield sites; or
(II)for remediation
of 1 or more brownfield sites for the purpose of locating a renewable
electricity generation facility on those brownfield sites.
(B)Use of loan and
grant funds provided by eligible entitiesAn eligible entity that
receives a grant under subparagraph (A)(i) shall use the grant to provide
assistance for a purpose described in subparagraph (A)(ii) in the form of 1 or
more—
(i)loans to an
eligible entity, site owner, site developer, or other person; or
(ii)grants to an
eligible entity or other nonprofit organization, where warranted, as determined
in accordance with subparagraph (C) by the eligible entity that is providing
the assistance.
(C)
(i)Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the
Cleanfields Investment Act, the Administrator shall issue guidance describing
the considerations to be used in determining whether a grant under subparagraph
(A) is warranted for a purpose described in subparagraph (A)(ii).
(ii)The guidance issued under clause (i) shall be used by
the Administrator or an eligible entity, as the case may be, to determine
whether a grant under subparagraph (A) is warranted.
(D)
(i)The Administrator shall issue ranking criteria to be used
in determining whether a grant under subparagraph (A) is warranted for a
purpose described in subparagraph (A)(ii).
(ii)The ranking criteria issued under clause (i) shall be
used by the Administrator or an eligible entity, as the case may be, to
determine whether a grant under subparagraph (A) is warranted.
(E)Paragraphs
(4), (5)(A), (5)(B), and (6) through (11) shall apply to the implementation of
this paragraph.
;
and
(3)in paragraph (13)
(as so redesignated), by adding at the end the following:
(C)Authorization
of appropriations for renewable electricity generation facility brownfields
fundingThere is authorized to be appropriated to the
Administrator, to fund grants to inventory, characterize, assess, and conduct
planning relating to brownfield sites for the purpose of locating renewable
electricity generation facilities on those brownfield sites, or for remediation
of brownfield sites for the purpose of locating renewable electricity
generation facilities on those brownfield sites, $50,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2011 through
2016.
.