As part of the program established under this section, the Secretary, after consulting with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Commerce, shall undertake—

(1) The Secretary of Energy shall establish and conduct, pursuant to the authorities contained in the Federal Nonnuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 1974 [42 U.S.C. 5901 et seq.], an accelerated research, development, and demonstration program for promoting the commercial viability of processes for the recovery of energy from municipal wastes.

(2) The provisions of subsections (d), (m), and (x)(2) of section 19 of such Act [1] shall not apply with respect to the program established under this section.

As part of the program established under this section, the Secretary, after consulting with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Secretary of Commerce, shall undertake—

(A) the research, development, and demonstration of technologies to recover energy from municipal wastes;

(B) the development and application of new municipal waste-to-energy recovery technologies;

(C) the assessment, evaluation, demonstration, and improvement of the performance of existing municipal waste-to-energy recovery technologies with respect to capital costs, operating and maintenance costs, total project financing, recovery efficiency, and the quality of recovered energy and energy intensive materials;

(D) the evaluation of municipal waste energy projects for the purpose of developing a base of engineering data that can be used in the design of future municipal waste energy projects to recover energy from municipal wastes; and

(E) research studies on the size and other significant characteristics of potential markets for municipal waste-to-energy recovery technologies, and recovered energy, and energy intensive materials.

Under such program, the Secretary of Energy may provide financial assistance consisting of price supports, loans, and loan guarantees, for the cost of planning, designing, constructing, operating, and maintaining demonstration facilities, and, in the case of existing facilities, modifications of such facilities solely for demonstration purposes, for the conversion of municipal wastes into energy or the recovery of materials.

Priority for funding of activities under subsection (a) and financial assistance under subsection (b) shall be provided for any activity or project for the demonstration of technologies for the production of liquid fuels or biomass energy which substitute for petroleum or natural gas.

The Secretary of Energy may not obligate or expend any funds authorized under this chapter in carrying out subsection (b) of this section until the plan required under section 8831(a) of this title has been prepared and submitted to the Congress.

All amounts received by the Secretary of Energy as fees, interest, repayment of principal, and any other moneys received by the Secretary from operations under this section shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury of the United States as miscellaneous receipts.

(Pub. L. 96–294, title II, § 237, June 30, 1980, 94 Stat. 703.)