Duties of Secretary of Energy
Designation of management entity for program
Monitoring and management of program; agreements with other Federal departments and agencies
Assurances respecting scope of program activities
In assuring the effective management of this program, the Secretary shall have specific responsibility to ascertain that the program includes activities to—
promote basic and applied research on methane-fueled vehicle construction, modification, and safety;
conduct research and development on optimum overall specifications for methane-fueled vehicles;
determine appropriate means and facilities for safely and economically storing, transporting, and dispensing methane for use as a vehicular fuel;
conduct demonstration projects with respect to the feasibility of methane-fueled vehicles and methane transmission, storage and dispensing facilities (A) by providing necessary financial or technical assistance for the construction, modification, or operation of motor vehicles to be methane-fueled for practical use or of methane transmission, storage and dispensing facilities, and (B) by entering into agreements or arrangements with other entities, governmental and nongovernmental, for the demonstration of such vehicles and facilities;
gather performance data, including but not limited to emissions data, on methane-fueled vehicles and related transmission and storage facilities;
determine that the participants in each demonstration assisted under this chapter have made satisfactory arrangements to obtain an adequate supply of methane for vehicular use in the project;
ascertain the need for modifications in available methane-fueled vehicles to improve their efficiency and performance and to facilitate their widespread use by fleet owners; and
ascertain any changes in fuel supply patterns, tax policies, and standards governing the manufacture of vehicles which are needed to facilitate the manufacture and use of methane-fueled vehicles.
Implementation of program; administrative procedures, etc., applicable
The Secretary of Energy shall insure that the conduct of the research and development program of this chapter—
supplements the automotive propulsion system research and development efforts of industry;
is not formulated in a manner that will supplant private industry research and development or displace or lessen industry’s research and development; and
avoids duplication of private research and development.
To that end, the Secretary of Energy shall issue administrative regulations, within 60 days after
Such certifications shall be available to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate. The provisions of chapter 5 of title 5 shall not apply to such certifications and no court shall have any jurisdiction to review the preparation or adequacy of such certifications; but section 553 of title 5 and section 5916 of title 42 shall apply to public disclosure of such certifications.
The Secretary of Energy also shall include in the report required by section 3808 1
Further, the Secretary of Energy in each annual budget submission to the Congress, or amendment thereto, for the programs authorized by this chapter shall describe how each identified research and development effort in such submission satisfies the requirements of this subsection.
The provisions and requirements of this subsection shall not apply with respect to any contract, grant, or project which was entered into, made, or formally approved and initiated prior to the enactment of this chapter, or with respect to any renewal or extension thereof.