Energy Policy Act of 2005
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub.L.
109-58) is a bill passed by the United States
Congress on July 29, 2005, and signed into
law by President George W. Bush on August
8, 2005, at Sandia National Laboratories in
Albuquerque, New Mexico. The act, de-
scribed by proponents as an attempt to com-
bat growing energy problems, changed US
energy policy by providing tax incentives and
loan guarantees for energy production of
various types.
Provisions
General provisions
• Authorizes loan guarantees for "innovative
technologies" that avoid greenhouse
gases, which might include advanced
nuclear reactor designs (such as PBMR)
as well as clean coal and renewable
energy;
• Increases the amount of biofuel (usually
ethanol) that must be mixed with gasoline
sold in the United States to 4 billion
gallons by 2006, 6.1 billion gallons by
2009 and 7.5 billion gallons by 2012[1];
• Seeks to increase coal as an energy source
while also reducing air pollution, through
authorizing $200 million annually for
clean coal initiatives, repealing the
current 160-acre cap on coal leases,
allowing the advanced payment of
royalties from coal mines and requiring an
assessment of coal resources on federal
lands that are not national parks;
• Authorizes subsidies for wind and other
alternative energy producers;
• Adds ocean energy sources including
wave and tidal power for the first time as
separately identified, renewable
technologies;
• Authorizes $50 million annually over the
life of the law for biomass grants;
• Contains provisions aimed at making
geothermal energy more competitive with
fossil fuels in generating electricity;
• Requires the US Department of Energy to
study and report on existing natural
energy resources including wind, solar,
waves and tides;
• Authorizes the Department of the Interior
to grant leases for activity that involves
the production, transportation or
transmission of energy on Outer
Continental Shelf lands from sources
other than gas and oil (Section 388); [2]
• Requires the U.S. Department of