[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2669 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 2669

  To provide for the implementation of a Green Chemistry Research and 
              Development Program, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           February 26, 2008

 Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mr. Rockefeller, Mr. Pryor, Ms. Collins, and 
  Mr. Kerry) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  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 2008''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act:
            (1) Green chemistry.--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 while producing high quality products 
        through safe and efficient manufacturing processes;
            (2) Interagency working group.--The term ``Interagency 
        Working Group'' means the interagency working group established 
        under section 3(c); and
            (3) Program.--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, 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, 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, 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 and Technology 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. 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, increase recycling, identify cost-saving 
        opportunities, and optimize resources and technologies with the 
        aim of reducing or eliminating the use or generation of 
        hazardous substances.''.

SEC. 5. UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL ENGINEERING.

    (a) Program Authorized.--
            (1) In general.--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) Award of grants.--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) Application.--An institution of higher education 
        seeking funding under this section shall submit an application 
        to the Director of the National Science Foundation at such 
        time, in such manner, and containing such information as the 
        Director may require. Minority serving institutions shall 
        receive due consideration for such funding. 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) Evaluation of applications.--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 
2009, $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2010, and $8,000,000 for fiscal year 
2011.

SEC. 6. 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 and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate on the 
findings and recommendations of the study conducted under subsection 
(a) within 18 months after the date of the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 7. PARTNERSHIPS IN GREEN CHEMISTRY.

    (a) Program Authorized.--
            (1) Establishment of partnerships.--The agencies 
        participating in the Program shall carry out a joint, 
        coordinated program to award grants to institutions of higher 
        education to establish partnerships with companies in the 
        chemical industry to retrain chemists and chemical engineers in 
        the use of green chemistry concepts and strategies.
            (2) Award of grants.--Grants shall be awarded under this 
        section on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis and shall 
        require cost sharing from non-Federal sources by members of the 
        partnerships.
            (3) Eligibility.--In order to be eligible to receive a 
        grant under this section, an institution of higher education 
        shall enter into a partnership with two or more companies in 
        the chemical industry. Such partnerships may also include other 
        institutions of higher education and professional associations.
            (4) Use of grants.--Grants awarded under this section shall 
        be used for activities to provide retraining for chemists or 
        chemical engineers in green chemistry, including--
                    (A) the development of curricular materials and the 
                designing of undergraduate and graduate level courses; 
                and
                    (B) publicizing the availability of professional 
                development courses of study in green chemistry and 
                recruiting graduate scientists and engineers to pursue 
                such courses.
        Grants may provide stipends for individuals enrolled in courses 
        developed by the partnership.
    (b) Selection Process.--
            (1) In general.--An institution of higher education seeking 
        funding under this section shall submit an application at such 
        time, in such manner, and containing such information as shall 
        be specified by the Interagency Working Group and published in 
        a proposal solicitation for the Program. The application shall 
        include at a minimum--
                    (A) a description of the partnership and the role 
                each member will play in implementing the proposal;
                    (B) a description of the courses of study that will 
                be provided;
                    (C) a description of the number and size of 
                stipends, if offered;
                    (D) a description of the source and amount of cost 
                sharing to be provided; and
                    (E) a description of the manner in which the 
                partnership will be continued after assistance under 
                this section ends.
            (2) Evaluation of applications.--The evaluation of the 
        applications submitted under paragraph (1) shall be carried out 
        in accordance with procedures developed by the Interagency 
        Working Group and shall consider, at a minimum--
                    (A) the ability of the partnership to carry out 
                effectively the proposed activities;
                    (B) the degree to which such activities are likely 
                to prepare chemists and chemical engineers sufficiently 
                to be competent to apply green chemistry concepts and 
                strategies in their work; and
                    (C) the amount of cost sharing to be provided.

SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    (a) National Science Foundation.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the National Science Foundation to carry out the 
provisions of this Act--
            (1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $21,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (3) $22,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
    (b) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--There are 
authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology to carry out the provisions of this Act--
            (1) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $9,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (3) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
    (c) Department of Energy.--There are authorized to be appropriated 
to the Department of Energy to carry out the provisions of this Act--
            (1) $13,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $14,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (3) $15,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
    (d) Environmental Protection Agency.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency to carry out the 
provisions of this Act--
            (1) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2009;
            (2) $11,000,000 for fiscal year 2010; and
            (3) $12,000,000 for fiscal year 2011.
                                 <all>