[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3970 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
2d Session
H. R. 3970
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 22, 2004
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation
_______________________________________________________________________
AN ACT
To provide for the implementation of a Green Chemistry Research and
Development Program, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Green Chemistry Research and
Development Act of 2004''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act--
(1) the term ``green chemistry'' means chemistry and
chemical engineering to design chemical products and processes
that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous
substances;
(2) the term ``Interagency Working Group'' means the
interagency working group established under section 3(c); and
(3) the term ``Program'' means the Green Chemistry Research
and Development Program described in section 3.
SEC. 3. GREEN CHEMISTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The President shall establish a Green Chemistry
Research and Development Program to promote and coordinate Federal
green chemistry research, development, demonstration, education, and
technology transfer activities.
(b) Program Activities.--The activities of the Program shall be
designed to--
(1) provide sustained support for green chemistry research,
development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer
through--
(A) merit-reviewed competitive grants to individual
investigators and teams of investigators, including, to
the extent practicable, young investigators, for
research and development;
(B) grants to fund collaborative research and
development partnerships among universities, industry,
and nonprofit organizations;
(C) green chemistry research, development,
demonstration, and technology transfer conducted at
Federal laboratories; and
(D) to the extent practicable, encouragement of
consideration of green chemistry in--
(i) the conduct of Federal chemical science
and engineering research and development; and
(ii) the solicitation and evaluation of all
proposals for chemical science and engineering
research and development;
(2) examine methods by which the Federal Government can
create incentives for consideration and use of green chemistry
processes and products;
(3) facilitate the adoption of green chemistry innovations;
(4) expand education and training of undergraduate and
graduate students, and professional chemists and chemical
engineers, including through partnerships with industry, in
green chemistry science and engineering;
(5) collect and disseminate information on green chemistry
research, development, and technology transfer, including
information on--
(A) incentives and impediments to development and
commercialization;
(B) accomplishments;
(C) best practices; and
(D) costs and benefits;
(6) provide venues for outreach and dissemination of green
chemistry advances such as symposia, forums, conferences, and
written materials in collaboration with, as appropriate,
industry, academia, scientific and professional societies, and
other relevant groups;
(7) support economic, legal, and other appropriate social
science research to identify barriers to commercialization and
methods to advance commercialization of green chemistry; and
(8) provide for public input and outreach to be integrated
into the Program by the convening of public discussions,
through mechanisms such as citizen panels, consensus
conferences, and educational events, as appropriate.
(c) Interagency Working Group.--The President shall establish an
Interagency Working Group, which shall include representatives from the
National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Standards and
Technology, the Department of Energy, the Environmental Protection
Agency, and any other agency that the President may designate. The
Director of the National Science Foundation and the Assistant
Administrator for Research and Development of the Environmental
Protection Agency shall serve as co-chairs of the Interagency Working
Group. The Interagency Working Group shall oversee the planning,
management, and coordination of the Program. The Interagency Working
Group shall--
(1) establish goals and priorities for the Program, to the
extent practicable in consultation with green chemistry
researchers and potential end-users of green chemistry products
and processes; and
(2) provide for interagency coordination, including budget
coordination, of activities under the Program.
(d) Agency Budget Requests.--Each Federal agency and department
participating in the Program shall, as part of its annual request for
appropriations to the Office of Management and Budget, submit a report
to the Office of Management and Budget which identifies its activities
that contribute directly to the Program and states the portion of its
request for appropriations that is allocated to those activities. The
President shall include in his annual budget request to Congress a
statement of the portion of each agency's or department's annual budget
request allocated to its activities undertaken pursuant to the Program.
(e) Report to Congress.--Not later than 2 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Interagency Working Group shall transmit a
report to the Committee on Science of the House of Representatives and
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
This report shall include--
(1) a summary of federally funded green chemistry research,
development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer
activities, including the green chemistry budget for each of
these activities; and
(2) an analysis of the progress made toward achieving the
goals and priorities for the Program, and recommendations for
future program activities.
SEC. 4. BIENNIAL REPORT.
Section 37(a) of the Science and Engineering Equal Opportunities
Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d(a)) is amended by striking ``By January 30, 1982,
and biennially thereafter'' and inserting ``By January 30 of each odd-
numbered year''.
SEC. 5. MANUFACTURING EXTENSION CENTER GREEN SUPPLIERS NETWORK GRANT
PROGRAM.
Section 25(a) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Act (15 U.S.C. 278k(a)) is amended--
(1) by striking ``and'' at the end of paragraph (4);
(2) by striking the period at the end of paragraph (5) and
inserting ``; and''; and
(3) by adding at the end the following:
``(6) the enabling of supply chain manufacturers to
continuously improve products and processes, increase energy
efficiency, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimize
resources and technologies with the aim of reducing or
eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances.''.
SEC. 6. UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING.
(a) Program Authorized.--(1) As part of the Program activities
under section 3(b)(4), the Director of the National Science Foundation
shall carry out a program to award grants to institutions of higher
education to support efforts by such institutions to revise their
undergraduate curriculum in chemistry and chemical engineering to
incorporate green chemistry concepts and strategies.
(2) Grants shall be awarded under this section on a competitive,
merit-reviewed basis and shall require cost sharing in cash from non-
Federal sources, to match the Federal funding.
(b) Selection Process.--(1) An institution of higher education
seeking funding under this section shall submit an application to the
Director at such time, in such manner, and containing such information
as the Director may require. The application shall include at a
minimum--
(A) a description of the content and schedule for adoption
of the proposed curricular revisions to the courses of study
offered by the applicant in chemistry and chemical engineering;
and
(B) a description of the source and amount of cost sharing
to be provided.
(2) In evaluating the applications submitted under paragraph (1),
the Director shall consider, at a minimum--
(A) the level of commitment demonstrated by the applicant
in carrying out and sustaining lasting curriculum changes in
accordance with subsection (a)(1); and
(B) the amount of cost sharing to be provided.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to amounts
authorized under section 8, from sums otherwise authorized to be
appropriated by the National Science Foundation Authorization Act of
2002, there are authorized to be appropriated to the National Science
Foundation for carrying out this section $7,000,000 for fiscal year
2005, $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $8,000,000 for fiscal year
2007.
SEC. 7. STUDY ON COMMERCIALIZATION OF GREEN CHEMISTRY.
(a) Study.--The Director of the National Science Foundation shall
enter into an arrangement with the National Research Council to conduct
a study of the factors that constitute barriers to the successful
commercial application of promising results from green chemistry
research and development.
(b) Contents.--The study shall--
(1) examine successful and unsuccessful attempts at
commercialization of green chemistry in the United States and
abroad; and
(2) recommend research areas and priorities and public
policy options that would help to overcome identified barriers
to commercialization.
(c) Report.--The Director shall submit a report to the Committee on
Science of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the findings and
recommendations of the study within 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act.
SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) National Science Foundation.--(1) From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated by the National Science Foundation
Authorization Act of 2002, there are authorized to be appropriated to
the National Science Foundation for carrying out this Act--
(A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(B) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(C) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
(2) The sums authorized by paragraph (1) are in addition to any
funds the National Science Foundation is spending on green chemistry
through its ongoing chemistry and chemical engineering programs.
(b) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--From sums
otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be
appropriated to the National Institute of Standards and Technology for
carrying out this Act--
(1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
(c) Department of Energy.--From sums otherwise authorized to be
appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Department
of Energy for carrying out this Act--
(1) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
(d) Environmental Protection Agency.--From sums otherwise
authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated
to the Environmental Protection Agency for carrying out this Act--
(1) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
(2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
(3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
Passed the House of Representatives April 21, 2004.
Attest:
JEFF TRANDAHL,
Clerk.