[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[S. 991 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
103d CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 991
To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to
undertake initiatives to address certain needs in the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 19 (legislative day, April 19), 1993
Mr. Johnston (for himself, Mr. Bumpers, Mr. Ford, and Mr. Shelby)
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To direct the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Energy to
undertake initiatives to address certain needs in the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be
referred to as the ``Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives Act of 1993''.
SECTION 1. TABLE OF CONTENTS.
Sec. 1. Table of Contents.
Sec. 2. Findings.
Sec. 3. Definitions.
TITLE I--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Sec. 101. Definitions.
Sec. 102. Natural Resources and Environmental Education Initiatives.
Sec. 103. Lower Mississippi Delta Region Heritage Study.
Sec. 104. Delta Heritage Trails and Cultural Centers.
Sec. 105. Historic and Prehistoric Structures Survey.
TITLE II--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Sec. 201. Definitions.
Sec. 202. Delta Energy Technology and Business Development Center.
Sec. 203. Institutional Conservation Program for the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region.
Sec. 204. Energy Related Education Initiatives.
Sec. 205. Integrated Biomass Energy Systems.
Sec. 206. Weatherization Assistance Program for the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
(a) The Congress finds that--
(1) in 1988 Congress enacted Public Law 100-460, which
established the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission
to assess the needs, problems and opportunities of people
living in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region which includes 219
counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee;
(2) the Commission conducted a thorough investigation to
assess these needs, problems, and opportunities, and held
several public hearings throughout the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region;
(3) on the basis of these investigations, the Commission
issued the Delta Initiatives Report, which included
recommendations on natural resource protection, historic
preservation, and enhancing educational and other opportunities
in the areas of math and science and technology for Delta
residents;
(4) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended the
implementation of pre-college enrichment programs in math and
science as well as other initiatives to enhance the education
and technical capabilities of the Delta Region's workforce;
(5) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that States
and local school systems seek ways of expanding the pool of
qualified educators in math and sciences;
(6) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that
institutions of higher education in the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region should work with local school districts to promote math
and science education;
(7) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that all
Federal grant making agencies target more research and
development monies in selected areas to institutions of higher
education, including Historically Black Colleges and
Universities, in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
(8) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that
institutions of higher education establish a regional
consortium to provide technical assistance and training to
increase international trade between businesses in the Delta
Region and other countries;
(9) the Commission included recommendations for designation
of the Great River Road as a scenic byway, and for the
designation of other hiking and motorized trails throughout the
Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
(10) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that the
Federal government identify sites of historic and prehistoric
importance throughout the Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
(11) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended the further
study of potential new units of the National Park System within
the Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
(12) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that the
Federal government should create economic incentives to
encourage the location of value-added facilities for processing
agricultural products within the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region; and
(13) the Delta Initiatives Report recommended that Congress
provide practical incentives to encourage the construction of
alternative fuel production facilities in the region.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act, the term--
(1) ``Commission'' means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Development Commission established pursuant to Public Law 100-
460;
(2) ``Delta Initiatives Report'' means the Final Report of
the Commission entitled ``The Delta Initiatives: Realizing the
Dream . . . Fulfilling the Potential'' and dated May 14, 1990;
(3) ``Delta Region'' means the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region including the 219 counties and parishes within the
States of Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi,
Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined in the ``Final Report The
Delta Initiatives: A Report by the Lower Mississippi Delta
Development Commission'' dated May 14, 1990, except that, for
any State for which the Delta Region as defined in such report
comprises more than half of the geographic area of such State,
the entire State shall be considered as part of the Delta
Region for purposes of this Act;
(4) ``disadvantaged'' has the same meaning as that term has
in section 8(a) (5) and (6) of the Small Business Act (15
U.S.C. 637(a) (5) and (6));
(5) ``Historically Black College or University'' means a
college or university that would be considered a `part B
institution' by section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)); and
(6) ``minority college or university'' means a historically
black college or university that would be considered a ``part B
institution'' by section 322(2) of the Higher Education Act of
1965 (20 U.S.C. 1061(2)) or any other institution of higher
education where enrollment includes a substantial percentage of
students who are disadvantaged.
TITLE I--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
SEC. 101. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term--
(1) ``Department'' means the United States Department of
the Interior, unless otherwise specifically stated; and
(2) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of the Interior,
unless otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 102. NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION INITIATIVES.
(a) Minority Colleges or University Initiative.--(1) Within one
year after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually
thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the United States Senate and to the United States
House of Representatives a report addressing opportunities for minority
colleges and universities to participate in programs and activities
carried out by the Department. The Secretary shall consult with
representatives of minority colleges or universities in preparing the
report. Such report shall--
(A) describe current education and training programs
carried out by the Department with respect to, or in
conjunction with, minority colleges or universities in the
areas of natural resources, the environment, the sciences,
cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects;
(B) describe current research, development or demonstration
programs involving the Department and minority colleges or
universities;
(C) describe funding levels for the programs referred to in
subparagraphs (A) and (B);
(D) identify ways for the Department to assist minority
colleges or universities in providing education and training in
the fields of natural resources, the environment, the sciences,
cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects;
(E) make specific proposals and recommendations for
providing assistance to minority colleges and universities to
enter into memoranda of understanding and other appropriate
forms of agreement with the Department in order to plan and
develop programs to foster greater involvement of these schools
in the contract, research, education, training, and recruitment
activities of the Department;
(F) address the need for, and potential role of, the
Department in providing minority colleges or universities with:
(i) increased research opportunities for faculty
and students;
(ii) assistance in faculty development and
recruitment;
(iii) curriculum enhancement and development; and
(iv) improved laboratory instrumentation and
equipment, through purchase, loan, or other transfer
mechanisms;
(G) address the need for and potential role of the
Department in providing financial and technical assistance for
the development of infrastructure, including buildings and
laboratory facilities, at minority colleges and universities;
and
(H) make specific proposals and recommendations, together
with estimates of necessary funding levels, for initiatives to
be carried out by the Department in order to assist minority
colleges and universities in providing education and training
in the areas of natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects, and in order to enter into
memoranda of understanding and other appropriate forms of
agreement with the Department as referred to in subparagraph
(E).
(2) The Secretary shall encourage memoranda of understanding and
other appropriate forms of agreement between the Department and
minority colleges and universities directed at jointly planning and
developing programs to foster greater involvement of minority colleges
and universities in research, education, training, and recruitment
activities of the Department.
(b) Scholarship Program.--The Secretary shall establish a
scholarship program for students pursuing degrees in natural resource
and environmental related fields, including but not limited to:
biology, wildlife biology, forestry, botany, horticulture, historic
preservation, cultural resource management, archeology, anthropology,
geology, petroleum engineering, the environment, the sciences, and
ecology, at colleges and universities in the Delta Region. The
scholarship program shall include tuition assistance. Recipients of
such scholarships shall be students deemed by the Secretary to have
demonstrated (1) a need for financial assistance and (2) academic
potential in the particular area of study.
(c) Pre-College Enrichment.--The Secretary shall undertake
activities to encourage pre-college enrichment programs in subjects
relating to natural resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural
resource management, historic preservation, archeology, and related
subjects, for students in the Delta Region. Such activities shall
include, but not be limited to the following:
(1) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region to
develop and carry out after school and summer enrichment
programs for elementary, middle, and secondary school students
in subjects relating to natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects;
(2) cooperation with, and assistance to, institutions of
higher education in the Delta Region to develop and carry out
pre-college enrichment programs in subjects relating to natural
resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural resource
management, historic preservation, archeology, and related
subjects, for middle and secondary students;
(3) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region in
the development and use of curriculum and educational materials
in subjects relating to natural resources, the environment, the
sciences, cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects; and
(4) the establishment of enrichment programs in subjects
relating to natural resources, the environment, the sciences,
cultural resource management, historic preservation,
archeology, and related subjects, for elementary, middle, and
secondary school teachers in the Delta Region at research
facilities of the Department.
(d) Volunteer Program.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out
a program to encourage the involvement on a voluntary basis of
qualified employees of the Department in education enrichment programs
relating to natural resources, the environment, the sciences, cultural
resource management, historic preservation, archeology, and related
subjects, in cooperation with State departments of education and local
school districts in the Delta Region.
(e) Women and Minorities in the Sciences.--The Secretary shall
establish and carry out a program to encourage women and minority
students in the Delta Region to study and pursue careers in the
sciences.
(f) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary shall
ensure that the programs authorized in this section are coordinated
with, and complimentary to, education assistance programs administered
by other Federal agencies in the Delta Region. These agencies include,
but are not limited to, the Department of Energy, the Department of
Agriculture, the Department of Education, the National Science
Foundation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There is hereby
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry
out the purpose of this section.
(2) There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the purposes
of carrying out the memoranda of understanding and other appropriate
forms of agreement referred to in paragraph (a)(2) of section 102 and
for related facilities and equipment, such sums as may be necessary.
SEC. 103. LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA REGION HERITAGE STUDY.
(a) In General.--The Secretary is directed to prepare and transmit
to the Congress a study of significant natural, recreational,
historical or prehistorical, and cultural lands, waters, and structures
located within the Delta Region.
(b) Transportation Routes.--(1) The study shall include
recommendations on appropriate designation and interpretation of
historically significant roads, trails, byways, waterways, or other
routes within the Delta Region.
(2) In order to provide for public appreciation, education,
understanding, interpretation, and enjoyment of the nationally
significant sites identified pursuant to subsection (a), which are
accessible by public roads, the Secretary shall recommend in the study
vehicular tour routes along existing public roads linking such sites
within the Delta Region.
(3) Such recommendations shall include an analysis of designating
the Great River Road (as depicted on the map entitled ``Proposed Delta
Transportation Network'' on pages 102-103 of the Delta Initiatives
Report) and other sections of the River Road between Baton Rouge and
New Orleans, Louisiana and an analysis of designating that portion of
El Camino Real which extends along Highway 84 from Vidalia, Louisiana,
to Clarence, Louisiana, and Louisiana Highway 6 from Clarence,
Louisiana, to the Toledo Bend Reservoir as a National Scenic Byway, or
as a component of the National Trails System, or such other designation
as the Secretary deems appropriate.
(4) The Secretary shall also recommend in the study an appropriate
route along existing public roads to commemorate the importance of
timber production and trade to the economic development of the region
in the early twentieth century, including an analysis of designating
that portion of US 165 which extends from Alexandria, Louisiana, to
Monore, Louisiana, as a National Scenic Byway, or as a component of the
National Trails System, or such other designation as the Secretary
deems appropriate.
(5) The Secretary shall also develop a comprehensive recreation,
interpretive, and visitor use plan for the routes described in the
above paragraphs, including bicycle and hiking paths, and make specific
recommendations for the acquisition and construction of related
interpretive and visitor information facilities at selected sites along
such routes.
(6)(A) In furtherance of the purposes of this subsection, the
Secretary is authorized to make grants to States for work necessary to
stabilize, maintain, and widen such public roads to allow for adequate
access to the nationally significant sites identified by the study, to
allow for proper utilization of the vehicular tour route, trails,
byways, or other public roads within the Lower Mississippi Delta Region
and to implement the comprehensive recreation, interpretive, and
visitor use plan required in paragraph (5).
(B) For the purposes of this paragraph, the term ``Secretary''
shall mean the Secretary of the Interior acting through the Secretary
of Transportation.
(c) Listing.--On the basis of the study, the Secretary shall
prepare a list of the most appropriate sites, including an analysis of
the suitability and feasibility of their inclusion in the National Park
System, or for designation as a National Historic Landmark, or such
other designation, as the Secretary deems appropriate.
(d) Completion Date.--The study shall be completed not later than
three years after the date funds are made available for the study.
(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is hereby authorized to
be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes
of this section.
SEC. 104. DELTA HERITAGE TRAILS AND CULTURAL CENTERS.
(a) Findings.--The Congress finds that--
(1) in 1990, the Congress authorized the Institute of
Museum Services to prepare a report assessing the needs of
small, emerging, minority, and rural museums in order to
identify the resources such museums needed to meet their
educational mission, to identify the areas of museum operation
in which the needs were greatest, and to make recommendations
on how these needs could best be met;
(2) the Institute of Museum Services undertook a
comprehensive eighteen-month study of such needs with the
assistance of two advisory groups, surveyed five hundred and
twenty-four museums from throughout the Nation, held discussion
groups in which representatives of twenty-five museum groups
participated, and conducted case studies of twelve museum
facilities around the Nation;
(3) on the basis of this assessment, the Institute of
Museum Services issued a report entitled National Needs
Assessment of Small, Emerging, Minority and Rural Museums in
the United States in September 1992, which found that small,
emerging, minority, and rural museums provide valuable
educational and cultural resources for their communities and
contain a reservoir of the Nation's material, cultural, and
scientific heritage, but due to inadequate resources are unable
to meet their full potential or the demands of the surrounding
communities;
(4) the needs of these institutions are not being met
through existing Federal programs;
(5) fewer than half of the participants in the survey had
applied for Federal assistance in the past two years and that
many believe existing Federal programs do not meet their needs;
(6) based on the national needs assessment, that funding
agencies should increase support available to small, emerging,
minority, and rural museums and make specific recommendations
for increasing technical assistance in order to identify such
institutions and provide assistance to facilitate their
participation in Federal programs;
(7) the May 1990 Delta Initiatives Report made specific
recommendations for the creation and development of centers for
the preservation of the cultural, historical, scientific, and
literary heritage of the Delta area, including recommendations
for the establishment of a Native American Cultural Center and
a Delta African American Cultural museum with additional
satellite museums linked throughout the delta; and
(8) the Delta Initiatives Report stated that new ways of
coordinating, preserving, and promoting the Delta Region's
literature, art, and music should be established including the
creation of a network to promote the region's literary,
artistic, and musical heritage.
(b) In General.--(1) The Secretary is directed to prepare and
transmit to the Congress, in consultation with the States of the Delta
Region, a study outlining specific recommendations, including
recommendations for necessary funding, for the establishment of a
Native American Heritage Route and a Delta African American Heritage
Trail in the Delta Region as identified on pages 148 and 149 of the
Delta Initiatives Report.
(2) The Secretary, in consultation with the Chairman of the
National Endowment for the Arts, is further directed to prepare and
transmit to the Congress a report outlining specific recommendations,
including recommendations for necessary funding, for the establishment
of a Native American Heritage Cultural Center, a Delta African American
Heritage and Cultural Center with a network of satellite or cooperative
units, and an appropriate arrangement to serve as a clearinghouse for
providing incremental financial and technical assistance to small,
emerging, rural or minority institutions seeking to preserve the Delta
Region's literary, artistic, and musical heritage.
(c) Native American Route and Center.--(1) The study referred to in
subsection (b) of this section shall include recommendations for
establishing a network of archaeological parks and museums in the Delta
Region, including a master plan and ten year development strategy for
such network.
(2) Such study shall include specific proposals for the development
of a Native American Heritage and Cultural Center in the Delta Region,
along with recommendations for the appropriate Federal role in such a
center including matching grants, technical and interpretive
assistance.
(3) Such study shall be conducted in consultation with tribal
leaders.
(4) Such study shall also include specific proposals for
educational and training assistance for Native Americans to carry out
the recommendations provided in the study.
(d) Delta Region African American Heritage Trail and Cultural
Center.--(1) The study referred to in subsection (b) of this section
shall include recommendations for establishing a heritage corridor or
trail system, consisting of one or two major north-south routes and
several east-west-spur loops to preserve, interpret and commemorate the
rich African American heritage and culture in the Delta Region during
all significant historical periods.
(2) Such study shall make specific recommendations for representing
all forms of expressive culture including the musical, folklife,
literary, artistic, scientific, historical, educational, and political
contributions and accomplishments of African Americans in the Delta
Region.
(3) Such study shall also include specific recommendations for
providing assistance to strengthen existing institutions as well as the
inclusion of sites of historical and cultural importance on the
campuses of Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the Delta.
(4) Such study shall make specific recommendations for implementing
the findings of the Delta Initiatives Report with respect to
establishing an African American Heritage and Cultural Center and
related satellite museums in the Delta Region, together with specific
funding levels necessary to carry out these recommendations and shall
also include recommendations for improving access of small, emerging,
minority or rural museums to technical, incremental financial
assistance.
(5) Such study shall be conducted in consultation with institutions
of higher education in the Delta Region with expertise in African
American studies, Southern studies, anthropology, history, and other
relevant fields.
(6) Such study shall make specific recommendations for improving
educational programs offered by existing cultural facilities and
museums as well as establishing new outreach programs for elementary,
middle and secondary schools, including summer programs for youth in
the Delta Region.
(7) Such study shall also include specific recommendations,
together with specific funding levels necessary to implement such
recommendations, for training museum professionals at small, emerging,
minority, and rural museums, for upgrading exhibitions, and for any
other steps necessary to assure the integrity of collections in these
facilities.
(e) Comprehensive Folklife Survey.--(1) In general.--The Secretary,
in consultation with the Chairman of the National Endowment of the Arts
and the States of the Delta Region, shall undertake a comprehensive
regional survey to document and identify regional folklife within the
Delta Region.
(2) Such survey shall include an assessment of existing marketing
programs for folklife and crafts in the region as well as
recommendations for developing an improved, regional approach to
marketing crafts and folklife programs, including the development of a
common logo for signs and materials as recommended in the Delta
Initiatives Report.
(f) Completion Date.--The study, report, and survey authorized in
subsections (b), (d), and (e) shall be completed not later than three
years after the date funds are made available for such study, report,
and survey.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriate such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of
this section.
SEC. 105. HISTORIC AND PREHISTORIC STRUCTURES SURVEY.
(a) The Secretary shall provide technical and incremental financial
assistance to Historically Black Colleges and Universities to undertake
a comprehensive survey of historic and prehistoric structures located
on their campuses, including recommendations as to the inclusion of
appropriate structures on the National Register of Historic Places,
designation as National Historic Landmarks, or other appropriate
designation as determined by the Secretary. The Secretary shall further
make specific proposals and recommendations, together with estimates of
necessary funding levels, for a Comprehensive Plan to be carried out by
the Department to assist Historically Black Colleges and Universities
in the preservation and interpretation of such structures.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of
this section.
TITLE II--INITIATIVES WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
SEC. 201. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this title, the term--
(1) ``Center'' means the Delta Energy Technology and
Business Development Center;
(2) ``Department'' means the United States Department of
Energy, unless otherwise specifically stated;
(3) ``departmental laboratory'' means a facility operated
by or on behalf of the Department of Energy that would be
considered a laboratory as that term is defined in section 12
of the Stevenson-Wydler Technology Innovation Act of 1980 (15
U.S.C. 3710(d)(2)) or other laboratory or facility the
Secretary designates;
(4) ``partnership'' means an arrangement under which the
Secretary or one or more departmental laboratories undertakes
research, development, demonstration, commercial application
activities, or technical assistance for the mutual benefit of
the partners in cooperation with one or more participants of
which one or more is a non-Federal partner from among the
following: an educational institution, private sector entity,
or State or local governmental entity;
(5) ``persons in the Delta Region'' means an entity
primarily located in the Delta Region, the controlling interest
(as defined by the Secretary) of which is held by persons of
the United States, including:
(A) a for-profit business;
(B) a private foundation;
(C) a non-profit organization such as a university;
(D) a trade or professional society;
(E) a tribal government; or
(F) a unit of State or local government; and
(6) ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Energy, unless
otherwise specifically stated.
SEC. 202. DELTA ENERGY TECHNOLOGY AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall establish at Louisiana
State University in partnership with Southern University in Baton
Rouge, Louisiana, and other institutions of higher education in the
Delta Region, the Delta Energy Technology and Business Development
Center.
(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the Center shall be to:
(1) retain and create energy manufacturing and related
energy service jobs in the Delta Region;
(2) encourage the export of energy resources and
technologies, including services related thereto, from the
Delta Region;
(3) develop markets for energy resources and technologies
from the Delta Region to be used in meeting the energy resource
and technology needs of foreign countries;
(4) ensure the successful, long-term market penetration of
energy resources and technologies from the Delta Region into
foreign countries;
(5) better ensure that United States participation in
energy-related projects in foreign countries includes the
participation of persons in the Delta Region as well as the
utilization of energy resources and technologies that have been
developed, demonstrated, and manufactured in the Delta Region;
and
(6) assist persons in the Delta Region to obtain
opportunities to transfer energy technologies to, or undertake
projects in, foreign countries.
(c) General.--The Center shall--
(1) identify and establish flexible manufacturing networks
in consultation with the States of the Delta Region to promote
the development of energy resources and technologies that have
the potential to expand technology development, manufacturing,
and exports in the Delta Region;
(2) provide technical, business, training, marketing, and
other assistance to persons in the Delta Region;
(3) develop a comprehensive database and information
dissemination system, that will provide information on the
specific energy resources and technologies of the Delta Region,
as well as opportunities for Delta Region firms in the domestic
and international markets;
(4) establish a network of business and technology
incubators to promote the design, manufacture, and sale of
energy resources and technologies; and
(5) enter into contracts and cooperative agreements with
persons in the Delta Region to carry out these objectives.
(d) Assistance From the Secretary.--The Secretary is authorized to
provide the Center assistance in obtaining such personnel, equipment,
and facilities as may be needed by the Center to carry out its
activities.
(e) Grants.--The Secretary is authorized to make grants to the
Center to support the creation of flexible manufacturing networks as
identified in subsection (c) and to develop the comprehensive database
described in paragraph (c)(3) in order to electronically link the
Center with other institutions of higher education in the Delta Region,
and to support the training, marketing, and other related activities of
the Center.
(f) General Provisions.--
(1) Acceptance of grants and transfers.--The Center may
accept--
(A) grants and donations from private individuals,
groups, organizations, corporations, foundations, State
and local governments, and other entities; and
(B) transfers of funds from other Federal agencies.
(2) Contracts and cooperative agreements.--Subject to
appropriations, the Center may enter into contracts and
cooperative agreements with the Federal Government or persons
in the Delta Region to carry out the Center's responsibilities.
(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated such sums as may be necessary for the establishment,
operation, construction, and maintenance of the Center.
SEC. 203. INSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATION PROGRAM FOR THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI
DELTA REGION.
(a) In General.--Title III of the Energy Policy and Conservation
Act (Public Law 94-163 as amended) is amended--
(1) by adding a new section 400K as follows:
``institutional conservation program for the lower mississippi delta
region
``Sec. 400K. (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to
encourage energy conservation measures in the schools and hospitals in
the Lower Mississippi Delta Region.
``(b) Grants for Establishment of Program.--Not later than 12
months after the date of the enactment of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Initiatives Act of 1993, the Secretary shall make grants to schools or
hospitals, or to consortiums consisting of a school or hospital and one
or more of the following: State or local government; local education
agency; State hospital facilities agency; or State schools facility
agency; for purposes of conducting innovative energy conservation
projects and providing supplemental Federal financing for energy
conservation projects at schools and hospitals in the Lower Mississippi
Delta Region.
``(c) Applications.--(1) Applications of schools or hospitals for
grants for energy conservation projects under this section shall be
made not more than once for any fiscal year. Such applications shall be
submitted to the State energy agency, in consultation with the Planning
and Development Districts in the Lower Mississippi Delta Region, and
the State energy agency shall make a single submittal to the Secretary
containing all applications which comply with subsection (e).
``(2) Applications for grants for energy conservation projects
shall contain, or be accompanied by, such information as the Secretary
may reasonably require.
``(d) Selection of Proposals.--(1) Not later than one year after
the date of the enactment of the Lower Mississippi Delta Initiatives
Act of 1993, the Secretary shall select at least seven, but not more
than 21, proposals from States to receive grants under subsection (b).
``(2) The Secretary may select more than 21 proposals under this
subsection, if the Secretary determines that the total amount of
available funds is not likely to be otherwise utilized.
``(3) No one State shall receive less than one, or more than four,
grants under subsection (b).
``(4) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants as would
otherwise be provided under Part G of this Act.
``(5) No one grant proposal under this section shall receive a
consideration greater than $2,000,000.
``(e) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall select recipients of
grants under this section on the basis of the following criteria:
``(1) the location of the grant recipient in the States of
the Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
``(2) the demonstrated or potential resources available to
the grant recipient for carrying out the purposes of this
section; and
``(3) the demonstrated or potential ability of the grant
recipient to improve energy efficiency in the designated school
or hospital.
``(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `Lower
Mississippi Delta Region' means that region consisting of the 219
counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined
in the `Final Report The Delta Initiatives: A Report by the Lower
Mississippi Delta Development Commission' dated May 14, 1990, except
that, for any State for which the Delta Region as defined in such
report comprises more than half of the geographic area of such State,
the entire State shall be considered as part of the Delta Region for
purposes of this Act.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1994, 1995, and 1996.''.
SEC. 204. ENERGY RELATED EDUCATION INITIATIVES.
(a) Minority College and University Report.--Within one year after
the date of enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the
Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
of the United States Senate and to the United States House of
Representatives a report addressing opportunities for minority colleges
and universities to participate in programs and activities being
carried out by the Department or the departmental laboratories. The
Secretary shall consult with representatives of minority colleges and
universities in preparing the report. Such report shall--
(1) describe current education and training programs being
carried out by the Department or the departmental laboratories
with respect to or in conjunction with minority colleges and
universities in the areas of mathematics, science, and
engineering;
(2) describe current research, development or demonstration
programs involving the Department or the departmental
laboratories and minority colleges and universities;
(3) describe funding levels for the programs referred to in
paragraphs (1) and (2);
(4) identify ways for the Department or the departmental
laboratories to assist minority colleges and universities in
providing education and training in the fields of math,
science, and engineering;
(5) identify ways for the Department or the departmental
laboratories to assist minority colleges and universities in
entering into partnerships;
(6) address the need for and potential role of the
Department or the departmental laboratories in providing
minority colleges and universities:
(A) increased research opportunities for faculty
and students;
(B) assistance in faculty development and
recruitment and curriculum enhancement and development;
and
(C) laboratory instrumentation and equipment,
including computer equipment, through purchase, loan,
or other transfer;
(7) address the need for and potential role of the
Department or departmental laboratories in providing funding
and technical assistance for the development of infrastructure
facilities, including buildings and laboratory facilities at
minority colleges and universities; and
(8) make specific proposals and recommendations, together
with estimates of necessary funding levels, for initiatives to
be carried out by the Department or the departmental
laboratories to assist minority colleges and universities in
providing education and training in the areas of mathematics,
science, and engineering, and in entering into partnerships
with the Department or departmental laboratories.
(b) Partnerships.--The Secretary shall encourage partnerships that
involve minority colleges or universities or private sector entities
owned or controlled by disadvantaged individuals.
(c) Scholarship Programs.--
(1) Minority colleges or universities.--The Secretary shall
establish a scholarship program for students attending minority
colleges or universities and pursuing a degree in energy-
related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines. The program shall include tuition assistance. The
program shall provide an opportunity for the scholarship
recipient to participate in an applied work experience in a
departmental laboratory. Recipients of such scholarships shall
be students deemed by the Secretary to have demonstrated (1) a
need for financial assistance and (2) academic potential in the
particular area of study.
(2) Delta region.--The Secretary shall establish a
scholarship program for students pursuing degrees in energy-
related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines at colleges and universities in the Delta Region.
The scholarship program shall include tuition assistance.
Recipients of such scholarships shall be students deemed by the
Secretary to have demonstrated (1) a need for financial
assistance and (2) potential in the particular area of study.
(d) Pre-College Enrichment.--The Secretary shall undertake
activities to encourage pre-college enrichment programs in energy-
related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and technical
disciplines for students in the Delta Region. Such activities shall
include, but not be limited to the following:
(1) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region to
develop and carry out after school and summer enrichment
programs for elementary, middle, and secondary school students
in energy-related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and
technical disciplines;
(2) cooperation with, and assistance to, institutions of
higher education in the Delta Region to develop and carry out
pre-college enrichment programs in energy related scientific,
mathematical, engineering, and technical disciplines for middle
and secondary students;
(3) cooperation with, and assistance to, State departments
of education and local school districts in the Delta Region in
the development and use of curriculum and educational materials
in energy-related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and
technical disciplines for middle and secondary students; and
(4) the establishment of enrichment programs in subjects
relating to energy-related scientific, mathematical,
engineering, and technical disciplines for elementary, middle,
and secondary school teachers in the Delta Region at research
facilities of the Department of Energy.
(e) Volunteer Program.--The Secretary shall establish and carry out
a program to encourage the involvement on a voluntary basis of
qualified employees of the Department in education enrichment programs
relating to energy-related scientific, mathematical, engineering, and
technical disciplines, in cooperation with State departments of
education and local school districts in the Delta Region.
(f) Women and Minorities in the Sciences.--The Secretary shall
establish and carry out a program to encourage women and minority
students in the Delta Region to study and pursue careers in the
sciences, mathematics, engineering and technical disciplines.
(g) Coordination With Other Federal Agencies.--The Secretary shall
ensure that the programs authorized in this section are coordinated
with, and complimentary to, education assistance programs administered
by other Federal agencies in the Delta Region. These agencies include,
but are not limited to, the Department of the Interior, the Department
of Agriculture, the Department of Education, the National Science
Foundation, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
(h) Authorization of Appropriations.--(1) There is hereby
authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary to carry
out the purposes of this section.
(2) There is hereby authorized to be appropriated for the purposes
of carrying out the partnerships referred to in paragraph (b) and for
related facilities and equipment, such sums as may be necessary.
SEC. 205. INTEGRATED BIOMASS ENERGY SYSTEMS.
(a) Program Direction.--The Secretary, in consultation with the
Secretary of Agriculture, shall conduct a research and demonstration
program to determine the economic viability of integrated biomass
energy systems within the Delta Region.
(b) Program Plan.--Not later than six months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall prepare and submit to the
Congress a program plan to guide the activities under this section.
(c) Solicitation of Proposals.--Not later than one year after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall solicit proposals
for conducting activities consistent with the program plan. Such
activities shall include at least three demonstrations of integrated
biomass energy systems that:
(1) shall involve the production of dedicated energy crops
of not less than 25,000 acres per demonstration;
(2) shall include one demonstration of predominantly
herbaceous energy crops and one demonstration of predominantly
short-rotation woody crops;
(3) shall demonstrate cost-effective methods for growing,
harvesting, storing, transporting, and preparing energy crops
for conversion to electricity or transportation fuel; and
(4) shall result in the conversion of such crops to
electricity or transportation fuel by a non-Federal energy
producer or the Tennessee Valley Authority.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1994, 1995, and 1996.
SEC. 206. WEATHERIZATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI
DELTA REGION.
Title IV of the Energy Conservation and Production Act (Public Law
94-385 as amended) is further amended by adding a new section 423 as
follows:
``weatherization assistance program for the lower mississippi delta
region
``Sec. 423. (a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to
encourage the weatherization of low-income dwelling units in the Lower
Mississippi Delta Region.
``(b) Grants for Establishment of Program.--Not later than 12
months after the date of the enactment of the Lower Mississippi Delta
Initiatives Act of 1993, the Secretary shall make grants to (1) States,
and (2) in accordance with the provisions of subsection (413)(d), to
Indian tribal organizations to serve Native Americans in the Lower
Mississippi Delta Region. Such grants shall be made for the purposes of
providing financial assistance for weatherization of low-income
dwelling units.
``(c) Applications.--(1) Applications of States or Indian tribal
organizations for grants under this section shall be made not more than
once for any fiscal year. Such applications shall be submitted to the
State energy agency, in consultation with Community Action Agencies and
Planning and Development Districts in the Lower Mississippi Delta
Region, and the State energy agency shall make a single submittal to
the Secretary containing all applications which comply with subsection
(e).
``(2) Applications for grants for energy conservation projects
shall contain, or be accompanied by, such information as the Secretary
may reasonably require.
``(d) Selection of Proposals.--(1) The Secretary shall select
proposals from States to receive grants under subsection (b).
``(2) Such grants shall be in addition to such grants as would
otherwise be provided under section 414 of this Act.
``(3) No one grant proposal under this section shall receive a
consideration greater than $2,000,000.
``(e) Selection Criteria.--The Secretary shall select recipients of
grants under this section in accordance with the requirements of
sections 414(b) and 415 of this Act, and on the basis of the following
criteria:
``(1) the location of the grant recipient in the States of
the Lower Mississippi Delta Region;
``(2) the demonstrated or potential resources available to
the grant recipient for carrying out the purposes of this
section; and
``(3) the demonstrated or potential ability of the grant
recipient to improve energy efficiency in low-income dwelling
units.
``(f) Definition.--For purposes of this section, the term `Lower
Mississippi Delta Region' means that region consisting of the 219
counties and parishes within the States of Arkansas, Illinois,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee, as defined
in the `Final Report The Delta Initiatives: A Report by the Lower
Mississippi Delta Development Commission' dated May 14, 1990, except
that, for any State for which the Delta Region as defined in such
report comprises more than half of the geographic area of such State,
the entire State shall be considered as part of the Delta Region for
purposes of this Act.
``(g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be
appropriated for purposes of carrying out this section, to remain
available until expended, not more than $20,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 1994, 1995, and 1996.''.
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