[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3970 Engrossed in House (EH)]


  2d Session

                               H. R. 3970

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

  To provide for the implementation of a Green Chemistry Research and 
              Development Program, and for other purposes.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 3970

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 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:

                                                                 Clerk.