S.Amdt. 3141

SA 3141. Mr. THUNE submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to
amendment SA 2953 proposed by Ms. Murkowski to the bill S. 2012, to
provide for the modernization of the energy policy of the United
States, and for other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table;
as follows:

At the end of title III, add the following:

Subtitle I--Wind Energy

SEC. 3801. INTERAGENCY RAPID RESPONSE TEAM FOR WIND ENERGY.

(a) Establishment.--There is established an interagency
rapid response team, to be known as the ``Interagency Rapid
Response Team for Wind Energy'' (referred to in this section
as the ``Team''), to expedite and improve the permitting
process for wind generation on Federal land and non-Federal
land.
(b) Membership.--The Team shall be comprised of
representatives from--
(1) the Department;
(2) the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission;
(3) the Department of the Interior;
(4) the Department of Defense;
(5) the Department of Agriculture;
(6) the Department of Commerce;
(7) the Environmental Protection Agency;
(8) the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation;
(9) the Federal Aviation Administration; and
(10) the Council on Environmental Quality.
(c) Duties.--The Team shall--
(1) establish clear timelines for the review of projects;
(2) facilitate coordination and unified environmental
documentation among wind project applicants, Federal
agencies, States, and Indian tribes involved in the siting
and permitting processes; and
(3) regularly notify all participating members of the Team
involved in any specific permit of--
(A) any outstanding agency action that is required with
respect to the permit; and
(B) any approval or required comment that has exceeded
statutory or agency timelines for completion, including an
identification of any Federal agency, department, or field
office that has not met the applicable timeline.
(d) Point of Contact.--The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission shall provide a unified point of contact for--
(1) resolving interagency or intraagency issues or delays
with respect to wind permitting; and
(2) receiving and resolving complaints from parties with
outstanding or in-process applications relating to wind
permitting.
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