text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE AND DEFINITIONS.
  
      (a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``National Renewable 
  Energy Lands Act of 2002''.
      (b) Definitions.--For purposes of this Act:
              (1) The term ``renewable energy'' means electric energy 
          generated by solar, wind, or geothermal power.
              (2) The term ``candidate sites'' means sites identified 
          under section 4 as candidates for the siting of renewable 
          energy production facilities.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      The Congress makes the following findings:
              (1) The expedited development and deployment of energy 
          efficiency and renewable energy technologies and resources in 
          the United States will both increase our energy independence 
          and contribute to ensuring our energy security.
              (2) Renewable energy facilities produce cleaner energy and 
          have much less impact on the environment than conventional 
          energy facilities and fuels in terms of air pollution, acid 
          rain, and greenhouse gases.
              (3) The United States has abundant solar, wind, and 
          geothermal resources on Federal lands providing, a tremendous 
          potential for the development and deployment of renewable 
          energy power.
              (4) The use of solar, wind, and geothermal technologies and 
          resources can be enhanced through the use of integrated 
          hydroelectric storage systems.
              (5) The development and deployment of renewable energy 
          technologies and resources on Federal lands can be done in an 
          expedited fashion consistent with the requirements of the 
          Federal Land Management Policy Act of 1976 and the National 
          Environmental Policy Act of 1969.
  
  SEC. 3. EVALUATION OF FEDERAL HYDROELECTRIC FACILITY CANDIDATE SITES.
  
      The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
  Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management, and in consultation with 
  the Federal Power Marketing Administrations and other appropriate 
  Federal agencies, shall evaluate all Federal hydroelectric facilities 
  on Federal lands and, within 1 year after the enactment of this Act, 
  identify facilities that are candidates for interconnection with 
  potential renewable energy generation facilities. Evaluation criteria 
  to identify candidate facilities shall include--
              (1) proximity of the hydroelectric facilities to Federal 
          lands suitable for renewable energy projects;
              (2) existing transmission capacity infrastructure in 
          proximity to the hydroelectric facilities;
              (3) the need for, and value of, enhanced peaking power 
          production capability in conjunction with the hydroelectric 
          facilities;
              (4) the value of increased Department of the Interior 
          ability to address varied multiple-use concerns, such as water 
          resource management, recreational and wildlife uses, deriving 
          from the additional margins of generation potentially provided 
          by collocated renewable energy production facilities; and
              (5) other criteria to be determined.
  
  SEC. 4. EVALUATION OF FEDERAL RENEWABLE ENERGY PRODUCTION CANDIDATE 
                SITES.
  
      The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
  Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management, and in consultation with 
  the Federal Power Marketing Administrations and other appropriate 
  Federal agencies, shall, within 1 year after the enactment of this Act, 
  evaluate and identify potential renewable energy production sites on 
  Federal lands. Evaluation criteria to identify candidate sites shall 
  include each of the following:
              (1) Proximity to (A) hydroelectric facilities that are 
          identified under section 3 as candidates for interconnection 
          with potential renewable energy generation facilities, or (B) 
          support infrastructure, including roadways, transmission lines, 
          and other facilities.
              (2) Topography appropriate for solar, wind, or geothermal 
          generation systems.
              (3) The absence of cultural or historic resources.
              (4) The impact of facilities on wildlife including the 
          likelihood of interference with federally listed threatened or 
          endangered species and their habitats.
              (5) The absence of any other potential impediments to the 
          development of electric energy generation and transmission 
          facilities.
  Upon completion of the evaluation, the Secretary shall publish a list 
  of the sites that the Secretary finds to be qualified for the location 
  of renewable energy facilities. Such list shall be made available for 
  public comment for a period of at least 90 days.
  
  SEC. 5. ENGINEERING FEASIBILITY ANALYSIS.
  
      The Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of 
  Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management, and in consultation with 
  other appropriate Federal agencies, shall complete an engineering 
  feasibility analysis for sites that are identified under section 4 as 
  candidate sites setting forth each of the following:
              (1) The capability and cost estimates of additional hydro-
          related transmission equipment additions (if any) based on pro 
          forma power production increases in 1-percent increments up to 
          a total of 10 percent of the subject hydrofacilities current 
          production capacity.
              (2) An analysis of the potential financial benefits of 
          coordinated operation of the potential renewable energy 
          facilities located at the candidate sites with hydroelectric 
          facilities on Federal lands.
              (3) An analysis of the potential environmental benefits to 
          affected aquatic ecosystems arising from improved flexibility 
          in hydrofacility water management attributable to collocated 
          renewable energy systems.
  
  SEC. 6. LEASING.
  
      (a) In General.--Upon the completion of the engineering feasibility 
  analysis under section 5 of this Act, the Secretary of the Interior, 
  acting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management, shall 
  expeditiously make the most promising of the candidate sites identified 
  under section 4 available for long-term lease pursuant to a competitive 
  bidding process to qualified renewable energy development firms. In 
  identifying the candidate areas to be made available for leasing under 
  this section, the Secretary shall locate such areas and determine the 
  size of such areas in such manner as will (1) minimize the need for 
  additional rights of way for transmission and for transportation, and 
  (2) provide such lands to enable the lessee to expand the size of any 
  initial facility to be constructed on the lease lands.
      (b) Advertising.--The Director of the Bureau of Land Management 
  shall publicly advertise the terms and conditions of potential long-
  term lease agreements for the candidate sites.
      (c) Request for Proposals.--The Director of the Bureau of Land 
  Management shall prepare a request for proposals to develop the 
  candidate sites identified under section 4.
      (d) Issuance of Leases.--The leases issued under this section shall 
  be for a period of not less than 30 years.
      (e) Commencement of Construction and Operation.--As a condition of 
  any lease under this section, the Director of the Bureau of Land 
  Management shall require lessees to commence construction of a 
  renewable energy production facility within 24 months of the signing of 
  the lease and be fully capable of producing electric energy for sale 
  within 36 months of the signing of the lease for the public lands site.
  
  SEC. 7. GAO REPORT.
  
      The Comptroller General of the United States shall undertake an 
  investigation of, and prepare and submit to the Congress a report on, 
  the existing impediments to the construction of renewable energy 
  projects on Federal lands and the measures, including legislative 
  measures, necessary to expedite the development of such projects.
  
  SEC. 8. CONTRACT EXPIRATION.
  
      Upon expiration and renegotiation of any contract for the sale of 
  electric energy generated by a Federal hydroelectric facility on 
  Federal land, the interconnection of potential renewable energy sources 
  to such facility shall be evaluated and implemented in accordance with 
  the evaluation criteria as defined in section 3 of this Act.
target: National Renewable Energy Lands Act of 2002 - Instructs the Secretary of the Interior, acting through the Bureau of Reclamation and the Bureau of Land Management, to: (1) evaluate all Federal hydroelectric facilities on Federal lands and identify candidates for interconnection with potential renewable energy generation facilities; (2) evaluate and identify renewable energy production candidate sites on Federal lands; (3) complete an engineering feasibility analysis for such sites; and (4) expeditiously make the most promising of the candidate sites available for long-term lease pursuant to a competitive bidding process to qualified renewable energy development firms.Requires the Comptroller General to investigate and report to Congress on the existing impediments to construction of renewable energy projects on Federal lands and the measures necessary to expedite project development.
feat_title: To allow for the augmentation of electric power production at hydroelectric facilities located on certain Federal lands by making other Federal lands available for renewable energy production, and for other purposes.