[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 682 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







108th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 682

 To authorize funding for Genomes to Life Research and Development at 
      the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2004 through 2008.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2003

Mr. Domenici (for himself, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Bingaman) 
introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the 
               Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize funding for Genomes to Life Research and Development at 
      the Department of Energy for fiscal years 2004 through 2008.

    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 Genomes to Life Research and 
Development Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Department of Energy's Genomes to Life initiative 
        involves the emerging fields of systems biology and proteomics, 
        which address the ability to understand the composition and 
        function of the biochemical networks and pathways that carry 
        out the essential processes of living organisms.
            (2) The Genomes to Life initiative builds on the Department 
        of Energy's integral role in the Human Genome Project, which 
        has led to the mapping, sequencing and identification of 
        genetic material. Genomes to Life will go beyond mapping to 
        develop an understanding of how genetic components interact to 
        perform cellular activities vital to life.
            (3) The ability of the United States to respond to the 
        national security, energy and environmental challenges of the 
        21st century will be driven by science and technology. An 
        integrated and predictive understanding of biological systems 
        will enable the United States to develop new technologies 
        related to the detection of biological and chemical agents, 
        energy production, carbon sequestration, bioremediation and 
        other Department of Energy statutory missions. These advances 
        will also enhance the strength of U.S. science, technology, and 
        medicine generally.
            (4) The fundamental intellectual challenges inherent in the 
        Genomes to Life initiative are considerable, and require public 
        support for basic and applied research and development. 
        Significant advances in areas such as the characterization of 
        multiprotein complexes and gene regulatory networks will be 
        required before biologically-based solutions and technologies 
        will be useful in national security applications, as well as to 
        the energy, medical and agricultural industries.
            (5) The development of new scientific instruments will also 
        be required to advance Genomes to Life research. Such 
        instruments are likely to be large and costly. Specialized 
        facilities are also likely to be required in order to advance 
        the field and to realize its promise. Such facilities will be 
        sufficiently expensive that they will have to be located and 
        constructed on a centralized basis, similar to a number of 
        unique facilities already managed by the Department of Energy.
            (6) Contributions from individual researchers as well as 
        multidisciplinary research teams will be required to advance 
        systems biology and proteomics.
            (7) The Department of Energy's Office of Science is well 
        suited to manage systems biology and proteomics research for 
        the Department. Through its support of research and development 
        pursuant to the Department's statutory authorities, the Office 
        of Science is the principal federal supporter of the research 
        and development in the physical and computational sciences. The 
        Office is also a significant source of federal support for 
        research in genomics and the life sciences. The Office supports 
        research and development by individual investigators and 
        multidisciplinary teams, and manages special user facilities 
        that serve investigators in both university and industry.

SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY PROGRAM.

    (a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall carry out a program of 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application, to be 
known as the Genomes to Life Program, in systems biology and proteomics 
consistent with the Department's statutory authorities.
    (b) Planning.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall prepare a program plan 
        describing how knowledge and capabilities would be developed by 
        the program and applied to Department missions relating to 
        energy, environmental cleanup, and mitigation of global climate 
        change.
            (2) Consultation.--The program plan will be developed in 
        consultation with other relevant Department technology 
        programs.
            (3) Long-term goals.--The program plan shall focus science 
        and technology on long-term goals including--
                    (A) contributing to U.S. independence from foreign 
                energy sources,
                    (B) stabilizing atmospheric levels of carbon 
                dioxide to counter global warming,
                    (C) advancing environmental cleanup, and
                    (D) providing the science and technology basis for 
                new industries in biotechnology.
            (4) Specific goals.--The program plan shall identify 
        appropriate research, development, demonstration, and 
        commercial application activities to address the following 
        issues within the next decade--
                    (A) identifying new biological sources of fuels and 
                electricity, with particular emphasis on creating 
                biological technologies for the production and 
                utilization of hydrogen;
                    (B) understanding the Earth's natural carbon cycle 
                and create strategies to stabilize atmospheric carbon 
                dioxide;
                    (C) developing a knowledge and capability base for 
                exploring more cost effective cleanup strategies for 
                Department sites; and
                    (D) capturing key biological processes in 
                engineered systems not requiring living cells.
    (c) Program Execution.--In carrying out the program under this Act, 
the Secretary shall--
            (1) support individual investigators and multidisciplinary 
        teams of investigators;
            (2) subject to subsection (d), develop, plan, construct, 
        acquire, or operate special equipment or facilities for the use 
        of investigators conducting research, development, 
        demonstration, or commercial application in systems biology and 
        proteomics;
            (3) support technology transfer activities to benefit 
        industry and other users of systems biology and proteomics;
            (4) coordinate activities by the Department with industry 
        and other federal agencies; and
            (5) award funds authorized under this Act only after an 
        impartial review of the scientific and technical merit of the 
        proposals for such awards has been carried out by or for the 
        Department.
    (d) Genomes to Life User Facilities and Ancillary Equipment.--
            (1) Authorization.--Within the funds authorized to be 
        appropriated pursuant to this Act, the amounts specified under 
        section 4(b) shall, subject to appropriations, be available for 
        projects to develop, plan, construct, acquire, or operate 
        special equipment, instrumentation, or facilities for 
        investigators conducting research, development, demonstration, 
        and commercial application in systems biology and proteomics 
        and associated biological disciplines.
            (2) Projects.--Projects under paragraph (1) may include--
                    (A) the identification and characterization of 
                multiprotein complexes;
                    (B) characterization of gene regulatory networks; 
                characterization of the functional repertoire of 
                complex microbial communities in their natural 
                environments at the molecular level; and
                    (C) development of computational methods and 
                capabilities to advance understanding of complex 
                biological systems and predict their behavior.
            (3) Facilities.--Facilities under paragraph (1) may include 
        facilities for--
                    (A) the production and characterization of 
                proteins;
                    (B) whole proteome analysis;
                    (C) characterization and imaging of molecular 
                machines; and
                    (D) analysis and modeling of cellular systems.
            (4) Collaboration.--The Secretary shall encourage 
        collaborations among universities, laboratories and industry at 
        facilities under this subsection. All facilities under this 
        subsection shall have a specific mission of technology transfer 
        to other institutions.

SEC. 4. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) Total Authorization.--The following sums are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary, to remain available until expended, for 
the purposes of carrying out this Act:
            (1) $100,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
            (2) $170,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
            (3) $325,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
            (4) $415,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
            (5) $455,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
    (b) User Facilities and Ancillary Equipment.--Of the funds under 
subsection (a), the following sums are authorized to be appropriated to 
carry out section 3(d):
            (1) $16,000,000 for fiscal year 2004.
            (2) $70,000,000 for fiscal year 2005.
            (3) $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2006.
            (4) $215,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
            (5) $205,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.

SEC. 5. DEFINITIONS.

    For purposes of this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (2) Proteomics.--The term ``proteomics'' means the 
        determination of the structure, function, and expression of the 
        proteins encoded in any genome, including new protein sequences 
        encoded in a genome for which the structural or functional 
        correlates are not currently known.
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy, acting through the Biological and Environmental 
        Research Program of the Office of Science of the Department.
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