Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 88 Part 2.djvu/115

 88 STAT. 1

PUBLIC LAW 93-473-OCT. 26, 1974

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Public Law 93-473 AN ACT To authorize a vigorous Federal program of researcli, development, and demonstration to assure the utilization of solar energy as a viable source for our national energy needs, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That this Act may be cited as the "Solar Energy Research, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974". DECLARATION OF FINDINGS AND POLICY

SEC. 2. (a) The Congress hereby finds that— (1) the needs of a viable society depend on an ample supply of energy; (2) the current imbalance between domestic supply and demand for fuels and energy is likely to persist for some time; (3) dependence on nonrenewable energy resources cannot be continued indefinitely, particularly at current rates of consumption; (4) it is in the Nation's interest to expedite the long-term development of renewable and nonpoUuting energy resources, such as solar energy; (5) the various solar energy technologies are today at widely differing stages of development, with some already near the stage of commercial application and others still requiring basic research; (6) the early development and export of viable equipment utilizing solar energy, consistent with the established preeminence of the United States in the field of high technology products, can make a valuable contribution to our balance of trade; (7) the mass production and use of equipment utilizing solar energy will help to eliminate the dependence of the United States upon foreign energy sources and promote the national defense; (8) to date, the national effort in research, development, and demonstration activities relating to the utilization of solar energy has been extremely limited; therefore (9) the urgency of the Nation's critical energy shortages and the need to make clean and renewable energy alternatives commercially viable require that the Nation undertake an intensive research, development, and demonstration program with an estimated Federal investment which may reach or exceed $1,000,000,000. (b) The Congress declares that it is the policy of the Federal Government to— (1) pursue a vigorous and viable program of research and resource assessment of solar energy as a major source of energy for our national needs; and (2) provide for the development and demonstration of practicable means to employ solar energy on a commercial scale.

October 26, 1974 [S. 3234]

Solar Energy R e s e a r c h, Development, and Demonstration Act of 1974. 42 USC 5551 note. 42 USC 5551.

DEFINITIONS

SEC. 3. For the purposes of this Act— (1) the term "solar energy" means energy which has recently originated in the Sun, including direct and indirect solar radiation and intermediate solar energy forms such as wind, sea thermal gradients, products of photosynthetic processes, organic wastes, and others;

42 USC 5552.

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