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RE & EE Advisory Committee
Supporting the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency manufacturers and services providers.

REEEAC Charter

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
INTERNATIONAL TRADE ADMINISTRATION
RENEWABLE ENERGY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
 

CHARTER 8 (2024-2026)

 

1. Committee’s Official Designation. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee.

2. Authority. The Secretary of Commerce (Secretary) renews the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee (Committee) pursuant to duties imposed by 15 U.S.C. § 1512 upon the Department, in accordance with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as amended (FACA), 5 U.S.C. § 1001 et seq.

3. Objectives and Scope of Activities. The Committee shall advise the Secretary regarding the development and administration of programs and policies to expand the export competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services. The Committee’s work on renewable energy will focus on technologies, equipment, and services to generate electricity, produce heat, and power vehicles from renewable sources such as solar, wind, biomass, hydropower, geothermal, and hydrogen. The Committee’s work on energy efficiency will focus on technologies, services, and platforms that provide system-level energy efficiency to electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. These include smart grid technologies and services, as well as equipment and systems that increase the resiliency of power infrastructure such as energy storage. Climate solutions in the energy sector, such as low-carbon hydrogen production, clean energy transportation, and virtual power plants are also within the scope of the Committee. For the purposes of this Committee, covered goods and services will not include vehicles, feedstock for biofuels, or energy efficiency as it relates to consumer goods or buildings. Non-fossil fuels that reduce carbon consumption (e.g., liquid biofuels and pellets) are included.

4. Description of Duties. The Committee functions solely as an advisory body in accordance with the provisions of FACA and applicable Department of Commerce policies. In connection with the objectives and scope stated above, the Committee shall provide advice and recommendations to the Secretary on matters concerning:

  • the competitiveness of the U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency industries as it relates to their ability to export products, services, and technologies;
  • trade policy development and negotiations impacting the competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency exports;
  • U.S. Government policies and programs that directly impact the competitiveness of renewable energy and energy efficiency exports;
  • priority export markets for the renewable energy and energy efficiency industries, both in the short- and long-term;
  • policies and practices of foreign governments that impact the export of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency goods and services; and
  • U.S. Government policies and programs that support the development of new markets for U.S. exports of renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services to countries with high potential, but which currently lack effective policy and market mechanisms necessary to create demand for renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services.

5. Agency or Official to Whom the Committee Reports. The Committee shall report to the Secretary on its activities and recommendations.

6. Support. The International Trade Administration, Industry & Analysis, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries shall provide support for the Committee.

7. Estimated Annual Operating Costs and Staff Years. The estimated annual operating cost of the Committee is approximately $60,000, which includes 0.40 person years of staff support. Members of the Committee will not be compensated for their services or reimbursed for their travel expenses.

8. Designated Federal Officer. The Assistant Secretary for Industry & Analysis shall designate a Designated Federal Officer (DFO) and, as appropriate, may designate a secondary DFO, from among the employees of the Office of Energy and Environmental Industries. The DFO or secondary DFO will approve or call all of the Committee and subcommittee meetings, prepare and approve all meeting agendas, attend all Committee and subcommittee meetings, adjourn any meeting when the DFO determines adjournment to be in the public interest, and chair meetings when directed to do so by the Secretary.

9. Estimated Number and Frequency of Meetings. The Committee shall, to the extent practicable, meet approximately four times a year. Additional meetings may be called at the discretion of the Secretary or the assigned designee.

10. Duration. Continuing.

11. Termination. This committee will terminate two years from the date of its charter’s filing with the standing committees of the Senate and the House of Representatives having legislative jurisdiction of the agency unless terminated earlier or renewed by proper authority.

12. Membership and Designation. The Committee shall consist of up to 30 members appointed by the Secretary in accordance with applicable Department of Commerce guidance and based on their ability to carry out the objectives of the Committee. Members shall represent U.S. companies, U.S. trade associations, U.S. private sector organizations, and civil society groups with activities focused on the export competitiveness of U.S. renewable energy and energy efficiency goods and services. The Committee shall also represent the range of company or organizational roles in the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, including, for example, project developers, technology integrators, financial institutions, and manufacturers. Members of the Committee are selected, in accordance with applicable Department of Commerce guidelines, based on their ability to carry out the objectives of the Committee as set forth above and in a manner that ensures that the Committee is balanced in terms of points of view, industry subsector, geography, and company size. The diverse membership of the Committee assures perspectives reflecting the breadth of the Committee’s responsibilities, and, where possible, the Department of Commerce will also consider the ethnic, racial, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity diversity and various abilities of the United States population.

The Secretary shall seek to appoint to the Committee at least one individual representing each of the following:

  • a U.S. renewable energy company involved in international trade;
  • a U.S. energy efficiency company involved in international trade;
  • a U.S. small business in the renewable energy or energy efficiency industry that is involved in international trade;
  • a U.S. trade association in the renewable energy or energy efficiency sector;
  • a U.S. private sector organization involved with international investment or financing activities concerning the international trade of renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services;
  • a U.S. company or organization involved with business activities concerning the development of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in international markets;
  • a U.S. smart grid company or organization with technology or services that improve the reliability, efficiency, and/or security of the electric grid and that is involved in international trade;
  • a U.S. energy storage company or organization with technology or services that improve the reliability and environmental sustainability of the electricity grid and that is involved in international trade;
  • a U.S. company that engages in international development or deployment of energy-related climate solutions to reduce carbon emissions; and
  • a U.S.-based labor organization or other civil society group that is familiar with the impact of exports on U.S. clean energy jobs.

Members shall serve at the pleasure of the Secretary from the date of appointment to the Committee to the date on which the Committee’s charter terminates. Members, all of whom come from the private sector, shall serve in a representative capacity presenting the views and interests of a U.S. entity or U.S. organization, as well as their particular subsector; they are, therefore, not Special Government Employees.

Members of the Committee must not be registered as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act. No member may represent a company that is majority owned or controlled by a foreign government entity (or foreign government entities).

The DFO shall designate the Committee Chair and Vice Chair in consultation with the members. The Chair and Vice Chair will serve at the pleasure of the Secretary in those positions from the date of designation as Chair or Vice Chair to the date on which the Committee’s charter terminates.

Members shall not reference or otherwise utilize their membership on the Committee in connection with public statements made in their personal capacities without a disclaimer that the views expressed are their own and do not represent the views of the Committee, the International Trade Administration, the Department of Commerce, or the U.S. Government.

13. Subcommittees. The Department, through the Designated Federal Officer, may create subcommittees or working groups as may be necessary, and consistent with FACA, the FACA implementing regulations, and applicable Department of Commerce policies. Such subcommittees or working groups may not function independently of the Committee and must report their recommendations and advice to the Committee for deliberation and discussion. Subcommittees or working groups have no authority to make decisions on behalf of the Committee nor can they report directly to the Secretary or the assigned designee. Subcommittees or working groups may include participants other than Committee members.

14. Recordkeeping. The records of the Committee, formally and informally established subcommittees, or other subgroups of the Committee, will be handled in accordance with General Records Schedule 6.2 or other approved agency records disposition schedule. Subject to the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. § 552, records presented to or prepared for or by the Committee are available for public inspection. The International Trade Administration, Industry & Analysis, Office of Energy and Environmental Industries shall maintain all files mandated by FACA and the Department of Commerce’s policies on advisory committee management.

 

 REEEAC Charter 8 [154KB]