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H.R. 4059 110th Congress House

Rural Clean Energy Superhighways Act

Official title: To promote electric transmission construction in rural areas with significant renewable energy potential, and for other purposes.

Introduced: November 1, 2007 See on congress.gov
Energy Administrative procedureAlternative energy sourcesBiomass energyEconomics and Public Finance
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Electric power productionElectric power transmissionElectric utilitiesElectric utility ratesEnergy conservationEnergy demandFederal Energy Regulatory CommissionGeothermal resourcesGovernment Operations and PoliticsGovernment trust fundsHydroelectric powerIndependent regulatory commissionsIndian landsLawMarine and coastal resources, fisheriesMethaneMinoritiesNative AmericansNatural gasOcean energy resourcesPower marketing administrationsSolar energyWind power
This bill died when the 110th Congress ended
It never became law before the 110th Congress (2007–2008) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 4 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Nov 7, 2007
Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.
Nov 6, 2007
Referred to the Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment.
Nov 1, 2007
Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committees on Natural Resources, and Transportation and Infrastructure, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Nov 1, 2007
Introduced in House
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 Latest action November 7, 2007

Referred to the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Rural Clean Energy Superhighways Act - Amends the Federal Power Act to direct the President to designate an area as a National Renewable Energy Zone if it meets specified prerequisites.

Requires the President, after such designation, to identify, and provide public notice of, additional renewable energy trunkline facilities and network upgrades required to increase substantially the generation of electricity from renewable energy within each Zone.

Directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to promulgate regulations to ensure that a public utility that finances transmission capacity to transmit electricity from renewable energy from a Zone to an electricity consuming area recovers through transmission service rates all prudently incurred costs and a reasonable return on equity associated with construction and operation of the new transmission capacity.

Directs FERC, in specified circumstances, to permit a renewable energy trunkline built by a public utility located in a Zone to be initially funded through transmission charges imposed upon: (1) all the utility's transmission customers in advance of significant generation interconnection requests; or (2) all the transmission customers of a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) or independent system operator, if the trunkline is built in an area served by one or the other.

Prescribes cost allocation procedures for new projects and network upgrades.

Requires a Federal Transmitting Utility (a Federal Power Marketing Administration, including the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), that owns or operates electric transmission facilities) to finance a network upgrade or a renewable energy trunkline facility, if within a certain time frame no privately or publicly funded entity commits to do so.

Authorizes the deposit of specified funds in a Transmission Fund in the Treasury for expenditure by the Secretary of Energy in financing network upgrades or trunkline facilities.

Requires the Federal Power Marketing Administrations and TVA to: (1) promote energy conservation and renewable energy electric resource development; and (2) identify opportunities for promoting development of facilities generating electricity from renewable energy on Indian lands.

Authorizes each such entity to acquire, on behalf of the U.S. government, electricity from renewable energy and renewable energy credits.

 Related & companion bills 1
 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 5
Cite this page click to expand
APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4059: Rural Clean Energy Superhighways Act. 110th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-4059/
MLA
"H.R. 4059: Rural Clean Energy Superhighways Act." 110th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-4059/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4059, 110th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-4059/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4059: Rural Clean Energy Superhighways Act](https://openamerica.io/bill/110-HR-4059/)
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