S458-118

1. Short title This Act may be cited as the North American Transatlantic Resource Security Partnership Act of 2023.

2. Definition of Secretaries In this Act, the term Secretaries means the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior.

4. Domestic energy and mineral security evaluation Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretaries shall develop and submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives a report that evaluates the energy and mineral security of the United States, including— identification of any threats posed to the supply, transmission, distribution, or use of energy in the United States; identification of any threats posed to the supply, processing, refining, and distribution of minerals in the United States; the potential impact of the threats described in paragraphs (1) and (2) on— the economy of the United States; consumers and well-functioning and competitive energy and mineral markets in the United States; and the national security of the United States; and identification of means to strengthen domestic production while standardizing a system to support projects with ally or partner nations to establish resilient and responsible energy and mineral supply chains. In developing the report under subsection (a), the Secretaries may consult with relevant Federal, State, private sector, and other entities, as the Secretaries determine appropriate.

6. North American energy security cooperation In this section, the term covered energy source means any of the following: Solar energy. Biomass energy. Energy efficiency technology. Wind energy. Geothermal energy. Wave and tidal energy. Advanced battery technology. Hydrogen technology. Nuclear energy. Carbon capture, utilization, and storage technology. Natural gas energy, including conventional and unconventional natural gas technologies and other associated technologies, and natural gas projects. Water technologies, including water desalination, wastewater treatment and reclamation, and other water treatment refining. Petroleum, petroleum derivatives, and petroleum products. Critical materials (as defined in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a))) necessary for use of any of the energy sources described in paragraphs (1) through (13). It is the sense of Congress that— it is in the highest economic and national security interests of the United States to develop covered energy sources in the United States; the states of Mexico and provinces of Canada are steadfast allies of the United States and have the capacity to produce energy and mineral resources that contribute to economic and national security; enhanced cooperation between the United States, Mexico, and Canada for the purpose of research and development of covered energy sources would be in the national interests of all 3 countries; energy cooperation between the United States, Mexico, and Canada and the development of natural resources by all 3 countries are in the strategic interests of the United States; the United States can play a role in assisting Mexico and Canada with regional safety and security issues; the Secretaries, as appropriate and in consultation with the National Science Foundation, should collaborate with Mexico and Canada with respect to research, development, and deployment of covered energy sources; the United States, Mexico, and Canada should strive to develop more robust academic cooperation with respect to— energy innovation technology and engineering; water science; technology transfer; and analysis of— emerging geopolitical dynamics, threats, and crises from acquisitions of natural resources and energy supplies by foreign countries; and the development of domestic resources as a response to those threats; and the United States strongly urges open dialogue and continued mechanisms for regular engagement and encourages further cooperation between applicable departments, agencies, ministries, institutions of higher education, and the private sector of the United States, Mexico, and Canada on energy security issues, including with respect to— identifying policy priorities associated with the development of natural resources of Mexico and Canada; discussing and sharing best practices with respect to securing cyber energy infrastructure and other energy security matters; leveraging natural gas to positively impact regional stability; issues relating to the energy-water nexus, including improving energy efficiency and the overall performance of water technologies through research and development in water desalination, wastewater treatment and reclamation, water treatment in gas and oil production processes, and other water treatment refiners; technical and environmental management of deep-water exploration and production; emergency response and coastal protection and restoration; academic outreach and engagement; private sector and business development; regulatory consultations; leveraging alternative transportation fuels and technologies; and any other areas determined appropriate by the governments of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The Secretaries, in consultation with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the heads of other relevant agencies, shall carry out a program to promote cooperation on energy issues with the governments of Mexico and Canada. Under the program required by paragraph (1), the Secretaries shall coordinate with the governments of Mexico and Canada— to increase the production of energy supplies; to improve energy efficiency; to assist in the development and transfer of energy supply and efficiency technologies that would have a beneficial impact on world energy markets; to align energy-related regulations to reduce the burden on energy companies conducting trans-border activities and to align regulations and standards in the appropriate sectors; to streamline the United States presidential permitting process to ensure that requirements are consistently implemented by having a fair and reliable process for obtaining presidential permits for trans-border energy infrastructure projects; to implement processes for cross-border movement of equipment and workers to avoid delays in business and trade transactions; and to involve States of the United States, states of Mexico, and provinces of Canada in efforts to advance North American energy integration. In implementing cooperative agreements with the governments of Mexico and Canada entered into under this subsection, the Secretary of Energy shall establish a program under which the Secretary may provide loans and loan guarantees to support projects relating to the research, development, and commercialization of covered energy sources. A project is eligible for a loan or loan guarantee under subparagraph (A) if the project— addresses a requirement relating to improvement of covered energy sources, as determined by the Secretary of Energy; and is a joint venture between— a for-profit business entity, institution of higher education (as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), National Laboratory (as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), or nonprofit entity in the United States; and a for-profit business entity, institution of higher education, or nonprofit entity in Mexico or Canada; or 2 or more of the following: The United States Government. The Government of Mexico. The Government of Canada. An entity seeking a loan or loan guarantee under subparagraph (A) shall submit to the Secretary of Energy an application for the loan or loan guarantee in accordance with procedures established by the Secretary, in consultation with the advisory board established under subparagraph (D). The Secretary of Energy shall require any entity seeking a loan guarantee to pay all credit subsidy costs associated with the loan guarantee. The Secretary of Energy shall establish an advisory board— to monitor the method by which loans and loan guarantees are awarded under subparagraph (A); and to provide to the Secretary of Energy periodic performance reviews of actions taken to carry out this paragraph. The advisory board established under clause (i) shall be composed of 3 members, to be appointed by the Secretary of Energy, of whom— 1 shall be a representative of the United States Government; 1 shall be selected from a list of nominees provided by the Government of Mexico; and 1 shall be selected from a list of nominees provided by the Government of Canada. Notwithstanding section 3302 of title 31, United States Code, the Secretary of Energy may accept, retain, and use funds contributed by any person, government entity, or organization for purposes of carrying out this paragraph— without further appropriation; and without fiscal year limitation. Not later than 180 days after the date of completion of a project for which a loan or loan guarantee is provided under subparagraph (A), the recipient of the loan or loan guarantee shall submit to the Secretary of Energy a report that contains— a description of how the recipient used the loan or loan guarantee; and an evaluation of the level of success of the project for which a loan or loan guarantee was provided. The Secretary of Energy may enter into cooperative agreements supporting and enhancing dialogue and planning involving international partnerships between the Department of Energy, including the National Laboratories (as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), and the government of Mexico or Canada. The Secretary of Energy may not pay more than 50 percent of the costs of implementing cooperative agreements entered into pursuant to paragraph (1). If the Secretary of Energy enters into agreements authorized by paragraph (1), the Secretary shall, not less frequently than annually, submit to the committees specified in paragraph (4) a report that describes, for the year preceding submission of the report— actions taken to implement such agreements; and any projects undertaken pursuant to such agreements. The committees specified in this paragraph are— the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate; and the Committee on Energy and Commerce, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives. The Secretary of Energy shall seek to establish, jointly with the governments of Mexico and Canada, a United States-Mexico-Canada Energy Center (in this subsection referred to as the Center) located in the United States. The purpose of the Center shall be to further dialogue and collaboration between the United States, Mexico, and Canada to develop more robust academic cooperation with respect to— energy innovation technology and engineering, water science, and technology transfer; analysis of emerging geopolitical dynamics, threats, and crises from acquisitions by foreign governments of natural resources and energy supplies; and the development of domestic resources as a response to those implications, crises, and threats. In establishing the Center, the Secretary of Energy shall seek to leverage the experience, knowledge, and expertise of institutions of higher education and entities in the private sector, among others, with respect to offshore energy development.

1455. Strategic energy and minerals portfolio The Corporation— may provide support under title II for projects related to any type of energy, including fossil fuels, renewables (including hydropower), and nuclear energy, or the production, processing, manufacturing, or recycling of critical minerals (as defined in section 7002(a) of the Energy Act of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606(a))); and may not prohibit, restrict, or otherwise impede the provision of support on the basis of the type of energy involved in a project.