US Code

Public Law 119-73 (01/23/2026)

42 U.S.C. § 6342

Survey and Registry

(a)

Recoverable waste energy inventory program

(1)

In general

The Administrator, in cooperation with the Secretary and State energy offices, shall establish a recoverable waste energy inventory program.

(2)

Survey

The program shall include—
(A)
an ongoing survey of all major industrial and large commercial combustion sources in the United States (as defined by the Administrator) and the sites at which the sources are located; and
(B)
a review of each source for the quantity and quality of waste energy produced at the source.
(b)

Criteria

(1)

In general

Not later than 270 days after , the Administrator shall publish a rule for establishing criteria for including sites in the Registry.

(2)

Inclusions

The criteria shall include—
(A)
a requirement that, to be included in the Registry, a project at the site shall be determined to be economically feasible by virtue of offering a payback of invested costs not later than 5 years after the date of first full project operation (including incentives offered under this part);
(B)
standards to ensure that projects proposed for inclusion in the Registry are not developed or used for the primary purpose of making sales of excess electric power under the regulatory provisions of this part; and
(C)
procedures for contesting the listing of any source or site on the Registry by any State, utility, or other interested person.
(c)

Technical support

On the request of the owner or operator of a source or site included in the Registry, the Secretary shall—
(1)
provide to owners or operators of combustion sources technical support; and
(2)
offer partial funding (in an amount equal to not more than one-half of total costs) for feasibility studies to confirm whether or not investment in recovery of waste energy or combined heat and power at a source would offer a payback period of 5 years or less.
(d)

Registry

(1)

Establishment

(A)

In general

Not later than 1 year after , the Administrator shall establish a Registry of Recoverable Waste Energy Sources, and sites on which the sources are located, that meet the criteria established under subsection (b).

(B)

Updates; availability

The Administrator shall—
(i)
update the Registry on a regular basis; and
(ii)
make the Registry available to the public on the website of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(C)

Contesting listing

Any State, electric utility, or other interested person may contest the listing of any source or site by submitting a petition to the Administrator.

(2)

Contents

(A)

In general

The Administrator shall register and include on the Registry all sites meeting the criteria established under subsection (b).

(B)

Quantity of recoverable waste energy

The Administrator shall—
(i)
calculate the total quantities of potentially recoverable waste energy from sources at the sites, nationally and by State; and
(ii)
make public—
(I)
the total quantities described in clause (i); and
(II)
information on the criteria pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions savings that might be achieved with recovery of the waste energy from all sources and sites listed on the Registry.
(3)

Availability of information

(A)

In general

The Administrator shall notify owners or operators of recoverable waste energy sources and sites listed on the Registry prior to publishing the listing.

(B)

Detailed quantitative information

(i)

In general

Except as provided in clause (ii), the owner or operator of a source at a site may elect to have detailed quantitative information concerning the site not made public by notifying the Administrator of the election.

(ii)

Limited availability

The information shall be made available to—
(I)
the applicable State energy office; and
(II)
section 6344 of this title any utility requested to support recovery of waste energy from the source pursuant to the incentives provided under .
(iii)

State totals

Information concerning the site shall be included in the total quantity of recoverable waste energy for a State unless there are fewer than 3 sites in the State.

(4)

Removal of projects from registry

(A)

In general

Subject to subparagraph (B), as a project achieves successful recovery of waste energy, the Administrator shall—
(i)
remove the related sites or sources from the Registry; and
(ii)
section 6344 of this title designate the removed projects as eligible for incentives under .
(B)

Limitation

No project shall be removed from the Registry without the consent of the owner or operator of the project if—
(i)
section 6344 of this title the owner or operator has submitted a petition under ; and
(ii)
the petition has not been acted on or denied.
(5)

Ineligibility of certain sources

The Administrator shall not list any source constructed after , on the Registry if the Administrator determines that the source—
(A)
was developed for the primary purpose of making sales of excess electric power under the regulatory provisions of this part; or
(B)
does not capture at least 60 percent of the total energy value of the fuels used (on a higher-heating-value basis) in the form of useful thermal energy, electricity, mechanical energy, chemical output, or any combination thereof.
(e)

Self-certification

(1)

In general

Subject to any procedures that are established by the Administrator, an owner, operator, or third-party developer of a recoverable waste energy project that qualifies under standards established by the Administrator may self-certify the sites or sources of the owner, operator, or developer to the Administrator for inclusion in the Registry.

(2)

Review and approval

To prevent a fraudulent listing, a site or source shall be included on the Registry only if the Administrator reviews and approves the self-certification.

(f)

New facilities

As a new energy-consuming industrial facility is developed after , to the extent the facility may constitute a site with recoverable waste energy that may qualify for inclusion on the Registry, the Administrator may elect to include the facility on the Registry, at the request of the owner, operator, or developer of the facility, on a conditional basis with the site to be removed from the Registry if the development ceases or the site fails to qualify for listing under this part.

(g)

Optimum means of recovery

For each site listed in the Registry, at the request of the owner or operator of the site, the Administrator shall offer, in cooperation with Clean Energy Application Centers operated by the Secretary of Energy, suggestions for optimum means of recovery of value from waste energy stream in the form of electricity, useful thermal energy, or other energy-related products.

(h)

Revision

section 8258(a) of title 42Each annual report of a State under shall include the results of the survey for the State under this section.

(i)

Authorization of appropriations

There are authorized to be appropriated to—
(1)
the Administrator to create and maintain the Registry and services authorized by this section, $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012; and
(2)
the Secretary—
(A)
to assist site or source owners and operators in determining the feasibility of projects authorized by this section, $2,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012; and
(B)
to provide funding for State energy office functions under this section, $5,000,000.

Pub. L. 94–163, title III, § 372Pub. L. 110–140, title IV, § 451(a)121 Stat. 1624(, as added , , .)

Editorial Notes

References in Text

section 6345 of this titleClean Energy Application Centers, referred to in subsec. (g), were redesignated as the CHP Technical Assistance Partnership Program. See .

Prior Provisions

Pub. L. 94–163, title III, § 37289 Stat. 936Pub. L. 95–91, title III, § 301(a)91 Stat. 577Pub. L. 95–619, title VI, § 691(b)(2)92 Stat. 3288Pub. L. 99–509, title III, § 3101(b)100 Stat. 1888A prior section 6342, , , ; , title VII, §§ 703, 707, , , 606, 607; , , , related to establishment and maintenance of an energy efficiency program, prior to repeal by , , .

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140section 1824 of Title 2Section effective on the date that is 1 day after , see , set out as a note under , The Congress.