[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 547 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 547

  To facilitate the development of markets for alternative fuels and 
    Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel through research, development, and 
                   demonstration and data collection.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 18, 2007

   Mr. Gordon of Tennessee introduced the following bill; which was 
          referred to the Committee on Science and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To facilitate the development of markets for alternative fuels and 
    Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel through research, development, and 
                   demonstration and data collection.

    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 ``Advanced Fuels Infrastructure 
Research and Development Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress finds that--
            (1) in order to lessen United States dependence on foreign 
        sources of petroleum, and decrease demand for petroleum in the 
        transportation sector, the Nation must diversify its fuel 
        supply to include domestically produced alternative biobased 
        fuels;
            (2) while ethanol has been successful in the market place 
        as a fuel additive, newer biobased fuels may present unique 
        challenges that may render the fuels incompatible with the 
        current fuel transportation and delivery infrastructure, 
        placing the burden of costly refurbishment and construction on 
        fuel distributors and retailers;
            (3) chemical additives to the fuels may mitigate the 
        negative impacts of some biobased fuels on existing 
        infrastructure and preclude costly retrofitting or installation 
        of new biobased fuel compatible infrastructure and 
        transportation systems;
            (4) in order to mitigate air pollution and comply with 
        Federal mandates, Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel fuel was introduced 
        into the marketplace in 2006;
            (5) fuel labeled Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel can accumulate 
        more than the statutory limit of 15 parts per million of sulfur 
        when transported through multiple pipelines, tanks, and trucks 
        to the final point of sale; and
            (6) fuel distributors and retailers may inadvertently take 
        delivery of fuel labeled Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel with more than 
        15 parts per million of sulfur without a practical means of 
        verifying sulfur content.

SEC. 3. ALTERNATIVE FUEL AND ULSD INFRASTRUCTURE AND ADDITIVES RESEARCH 
              AND DEVELOPMENT.

    The Secretary of Energy (in this Act referred to as the 
``Secretary'') , in consultation with the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, shall carry out a program of research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application of materials to 
be added to alternative biobased fuels and Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel 
fuels to make them more compatible with existing infrastructure used to 
store and deliver petroleum-based fuels to the point of final sale. The 
program shall address--
            (1) materials to prevent or mitigate--
                    (A) corrosion of metal, plastic, rubber, cork, 
                fiberglass, glues, or any other material used in pipes 
                and storage tanks;
                    (B) dissolving of storage tank sediments;
                    (C) clogging of filters;
                    (D) contamination from water or other adulterants 
                or pollutants;
                    (E) poor flow properties related to low 
                temperatures;
                    (F) oxidative and thermal instability in long-term 
                storage and use;
                    (G) increased volatile emissions;
                    (H) microbial contamination;
                    (I) problems associated with electrical 
                conductivity; and
                    (J) increased nitrogen oxide emissions;
            (2) alternatives to conventional methods for refurbishment 
        and cleaning of gasoline and diesel tanks, including tank 
        lining applications; and
            (3) other problems as identified by the Secretary in 
        consultation with the National Institute of Standards and 
        Technology.

SEC. 4. SULFUR TESTING FOR DIESEL FUELS.

    (a) Program.--The Secretary, in consultation with the National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, shall carry out a research, 
development, and demonstration program on portable, low-cost, and 
accurate methods and technologies for testing of sulfur content in 
fuel, including Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel and Low Sulfur Diesel.
    (b) Schedule of Demonstrations.--Not later than 1 year after the 
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall begin demonstrations 
of technologies under subsection (a).

SEC. 5. STANDARD REFERENCE MATERIALS AND DATA BASE DEVELOPMENT.

    Not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act, 
the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall develop a 
physical properties data base and standard reference materials for 
alternative fuels. Such data base and standard reference materials 
shall be maintained and updated as appropriate as additional 
alternative fuels become available.
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