Part B—Electric Motor Vehicle Infrastructure and Support Systems Development Program
§13291. General authority
(a) Program
The Secretary shall undertake a program with one or more non-Federal persons, including fleet operators, for cost-shared research, development, demonstration, or commercial application of an infrastructure and support systems program.
(b) Eligibility
A non-Federal person shall be eligible to receive financial assistance under this part only if such person demonstrates, to the satisfaction of the Secretary, that the person will conduct a substantial portion of activities under the project in the United States using domestic labor and materials.
(c) Coordination
Activities under this part shall be coordinated with activities under part A.
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§13292. Proposals
(a) Solicitation
Not later than one year after October 24, 1992, the Secretary shall solicit proposals from non-Federal persons, including fleet operators, for projects under this part. Within 240 days after proposals have been solicited, the Secretary shall select proposals.
(b) Criteria
(1) The Secretary shall provide financial assistance to no more than 10 projects under this part, unless the Secretary determines that the total amount of available funds is not likely to be otherwise used.
(2) The proposals selected by the Secretary shall, to the extent practicable, represent geographically and climatically diverse regions of the United States.
(3) The aggregate Federal financial assistance for each project under this part may not exceed $4,000,000.
(c) Projects
The infrastructure and support systems programs for which projects are selected under this part may address—
(1) the ability to service electric motor vehicles and to provide or service associated equipment;
(2) the installation of charging facilities;
(3) rates and cost recovery for electric utilities who invest in infrastructure capital-related expenditures;
(4) the development of safety and health procedures and guidelines related to battery charging, watering, and emissions;
(5) the conduct of information dissemination programs; and
(6) such other subjects as the Secretary considers necessary in order to address the infrastructure and support systems needed to support the development and use of energy storage technologies, including advanced batteries, and the demonstration of electric motor vehicles.
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§13293. Protection of proprietary information
(a) In general
In the case of activities, including joint venture activities, under this subchapter, and in the case of any existing or future activities, including joint venture activities, related primarily to battery technology for electric motor vehicles under other provisions of law, where the knowledge resulting from research and development activities conducted pursuant to such activities, including joint venture activities, is for the benefit of the participants (particularly domestic companies) that provide financial resources to a project under this subchapter, the Secretary, for a period of up to 5 years after the development of information that—
(1) results from research and development activities conducted under this subchapter; and
(2) would be a trade secret or commercial or financial information that is privileged or confidential if the information had been obtained from a participant,
shall, notwithstanding any other provision of law, provide appropriate protections against the dissemination of such information to the public, and the provisions of
(b) "Domestic companies" defined
For purposes of subsection (a), the term "domestic companies" means entities which are substantially involved in the United States in the domestic production of motor vehicles for sale in the United States and have a substantial percentage of their production facilities in the United States.
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§13294. Compliance with existing law
Nothing in this subchapter shall be deemed to convey to any person, partnership, corporation, or other entity, immunity from civil or criminal liability under any antitrust law or to create defenses to actions under any antitrust law.
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§13295. Repealed. Pub. L. 105–362, title IV, §401(b), Nov. 10, 1998, 112 Stat. 3282
Section,
§13296. Authorization of appropriations
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for purposes of this part $40,000,000 for the 5-year period beginning with the first full fiscal year after October 24, 1992, to remain available until expended.
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