42 U.S.C. § 17216 — Organization and administration of programs

(a) Coordination: The Secretary must coordinate activities and manage research priorities across Department programs and other relevant federal agencies, including the National Laboratories and the National Marine Energy Centers. (b) Collaboration: (1) The Secretary must work with industry, National Laboratories, other federal agencies, universities (including Minority Serving Institutions), National Marine Energy Centers, tribal entities (including Alaska Native Corporations), and international scientific bodies. (2) The Secretary must, as much as practical, encourage projects that bring in entities not historically tied to the Marine Energy Centers, such as Minority Serving Institutions. (3) The Secretary, with other federal and multilateral agencies including USAID, must support international collaboration on hydropower, pumped storage, and marine energy research. (c) Dissemination of results: The Secretary must (1) publish project results through websites, reports, databases, training materials, and conferences — withholding proprietary industry information — and (2) share results with the public except where a law like section 552(b) of title 5 protects the information from disclosure. (d) Award frequency: The Secretary must solicit grant applications under this part at least once every fiscal year. (e) Education and outreach: The Secretary must support education and outreach on water power technology and workforce topics, including at the National Marine Energy Centers. (f) Technical assistance and workforce development: The Secretary may also (1) provide technical assistance and analysis to eligible entities, including to expand access to advanced water power technology for rural, tribal, and low-income communities, and (2) support workforce development and training, including spreading best practices. (g) Strategic plan: The Secretary must, within 1 year after December 27, 2020, draft a plan — considering input from industry and academia — for carrying out this part's programs, update it yearly, and make sure it addresses near-term (up to 2 years), mid-term (up to 7 years), and long-term (up to 15 years) challenges. (h) Report to Congress: Within 1 year after December 27, 2020, and at least every 2 years after that, the Secretary must give Congress and the public a report on research findings and activities, including the current strategic plan and progress made carrying it out.