42 U.S.C. § 18793 — Energy auditor training grant program

(a) Definitions. (1) Covered certification means any of these credentials: (A) the ASHRAE Building Energy Assessment Professional certification; (B) the Association of Energy Engineers Certified Energy Auditor certification; (C) the Building Performance Institute Home Energy Professional Energy Auditor certification; (D) the Residential Energy Services Network Home Energy Rater certification; (E) any other third-party certification the Department recognizes; or (F) any certification the Secretary decides is just as good as those listed. (2) Eligible State means a State that (A) clearly needs help training energy auditors, and (B) meets any other criteria the Secretary sets. (b) Establishment. Under the State Energy Program, the Secretary must create a competitive grant program that pays eligible States to train people to audit or survey commercial and residential buildings. (c) Applications. (1) A State applying must submit whatever information the Secretary requires, including the training plan described below. (2) That plan must include: (A) a proposed training curriculum and which covered certification trainees will earn when they finish it; (B) the expected cost per trainee; (C) a plan to connect trainees with jobs; and (D) anything else the Secretary asks for. (d) Amount of grant. The Secretary sets each grant's size based on the State's population, but (2) no grant can exceed $2,000,000. (e) Use of funds. (1) A State must use its grant to (A) cover training or certification costs — whether run by the State itself or a state-certified outside program — and (B), within the limit in paragraph (2), pay trainee wages during training. (2) No more than 10 percent of the grant may go toward paying those wages. (f) Consultation. The Secretary must consult with the Secretary of Labor while running this program. (g) Authorization of appropriations. Congress authorized $40,000,000 total for fiscal years 2022 through 2026.