text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Energy Conservation Opportunity Fund 
  Act of 2008'' or the ``ECO Fund Act of 2008''.
  
  SEC. 2. REVOLVING FUND FOR LOANS TO STATES AND INDIAN TRIBES TO CARRY 
                OUT RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCES ACTIVITIES.
  
      (a) Establishment of Fund.--There is established in the Treasury of 
  the United States a revolving fund, to be known as the ``Alternative 
  Energy Sources State Revolving Fund''.
      (b) Credits.--The Fund shall be credited with--
              (1) any amounts appropriated to the Fund pursuant to 
          subsection (g);
              (2) any amounts of principal and interest from loan 
          repayments received by the Secretary pursuant to subsection 
          (d)(7); and
              (3) any interest earned on investments of amounts in the 
          Fund pursuant to subsection (e).
      (c) Expenditures.--
              (1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), on request by 
          the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, the Secretary 
          of the Treasury shall transfer from the Fund to the Secretary 
          such amounts as the Secretary determines are necessary to 
          provide loans under subsection (d)(1).
              (2) Administrative expenses.--Of the amounts in the Fund, 
          not more than 5 percent shall be available for each fiscal year 
          to pay the administrative expenses of the Department of Housing 
          and Urban Development to carry out this section.
      (d) Loans to States and Indian Tribes.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary shall use amounts in the 
          Fund to provide loans to States and Indian tribes to provide 
          incentives to owners of single-family and multifamily housing, 
          commercial properties, and public buildings to provide--
                      (A) renewable energy sources for such structures, 
                  such as wind, wave, solar, biomass, or geothermal 
                  energy sources, including incentives to companies and 
                  business to change their source of energy to such 
                  renewable energy sources and for changing the sources 
                  of energy for public buildings to such renewable energy 
                  sources;
                      (B) energy efficiency and energy conserving 
                  improvements and features for such structures; or
                      (C) infrastructure related to the delivery of 
                  electricity and hot water for structures lacking such 
                  amenities.
              (2) Eligibility.--To be eligible to receive a loan under 
          this subsection, a State or Indian tribe, through an 
          appropriate State or tribal agency, shall submit to the 
          Secretary an application at such time, in such manner, and 
          containing such information as the Secretary may require.
              (3) Criteria for approval.--The Secretary may approve an 
          application of a State or Indian tribe under paragraph (2) only 
          if the Secretary determines that the State or tribe will use 
          the funds from the loan under this subsection to carry out a 
          program to provide incentives described in paragraph (1) that--
                      (A) requires that any such renewable energy 
                  sources, and energy efficiency and energy conserving 
                  improvements and features, developed pursuant to 
                  assistance under the program result in compliance of 
                  the structure so improved with the energy efficiency 
                  requirements under section 2(a) of the; and
                      (B) includes such compliance and audit requirements 
                  as the Secretary determines are necessary to ensure 
                  that the program is operated in a sound and effective 
                  manner.
              (4) Preference.--In making loans during each fiscal year, 
          the Secretary shall give preference to States and Indian tribes 
          that have not previously received a loan under this subsection.
              (5) Maximum amount.--The aggregate outstanding principal 
          amount from loans under this subsection to any single State or 
          Indian tribe may not exceed $500,000,000.
              (6) Loan terms.--Each loan under this subsection shall have 
          a term to maturity of not more than 10 years and shall bear 
          interest at annual rate, determined by the Secretary, that 
          shall not exceed interest rate charged by the Federal Reserve 
          Bank of New York to commercial banks and other depository 
          institutions for very short-term loans under the primary credit 
          program, as most recently published in the Federal Reserve 
          Statistical Release on selected interest rates (daily or 
          weekly), and commonly referred to as the H.15 release, 
          preceding the date of a determination for purposes of applying 
          this paragraph.
              (7) Loan repayment.--The Secretary shall require full 
          repayment of each loan made under this section.
      (e) Investment of Amounts.--
              (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Treasury shall invest 
          such amounts in the Fund that are not, in the judgment of the 
          Secretary of the Treasury, required to meet needs for current 
          withdrawals.
              (2) Obligations of united states.--Investments may be made 
          only in interest-bearing obligations of the United States.
      (f) Reports.--
              (1) Reports to secretary.--For each year during the term of 
          a loan made under subsection (d), the State or Indian tribe 
          that received the loan shall submit to the Secretary a report 
          describing the State or tribal alternative energy sources 
          program for which the loan was made and the activities 
          conducted under the program using the loan funds during that 
          year.
              (2) Report to congress.--Not later than September 30 of 
          each year that loans made under subsection (d) are outstanding, 
          the Secretary shall submit a report to the Congress describing 
          the total amount of such loans provided under subsection (d) to 
          each eligible State and Indian tribe during the fiscal year 
          ending on such date, and an evaluation on effectiveness of the 
          Fund.
      (g) Authorization of Appropriations.--There is authorized to be 
  appropriated to the Fund $5,000,000,000.
      (h) Definitions.--For purposes of this section, the following 
  definitions shall apply:
              (1) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian tribe'' has the 
          meaning given such term in section 4 of the Native American 
          Housing Assistance and Self-Determination Act of 1996 (25 
          U.S.C. 4103).
              (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
          of Housing and Urban Development.
              (3) State.--The term ``State'' means each of the several 
          States, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the District of 
          Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
          Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Trust Territories 
          of the Pacific, or any other possession of the United States.
target: Energy Conservation Opportunity Fund Act of 2008 or the ECO Fund Act of 2008 - Establishes in the Treasury an Alternative Energy Sources State Revolving Fund.
  
  Directs the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to use amounts in the Fund to provide loans to states and Indian tribes to provide incentives to owners of single family and multifamily housing, commercial properties, and public buildings to provide: (1) renewable energy sources, such as wind, wave, solar, biomass, or geothermal energy, for such structures; (2) energy efficiency and energy conserving improvements and features for such structures; or (3) infrastructure related to the delivery of electricity and hot water for structures lacking such amenities.
feat_title: To establish a revolving loan fund to provide loans to States and Indian tribes to provide incentives to undertake activities to provide renewable energy sources for housing and other structures.