[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2729 Reported in House (RH)]

                                                 Union Calendar No. 113
111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2729

                          [Report No. 111-207]

 To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks 
          by the Secretary of Energy, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 4, 2009

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

                             July 14, 2009

    Additional sponsors: Mr. Baird, Mr. Lipinski, Mrs. Biggert, Ms. 
            Giffords, and Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas

                             July 14, 2009

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed
 [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed 
                               in italic]
[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 4, 
                                 2009]





_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks 
          by the Secretary of Energy, 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. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Environmental Research Parks are unique 
        outdoor laboratories that provide
        opportunities for environmental studies on protected lands 
        around Department of Energy facilities.
            (2) In 1972, the Atomic Energy Commission
        established its first official environmental research park at 
        the Savannah River site in South Carolina.
            (3) In 1976, the Department of Energy defined the mission 
        for the research parks in accordance with the recommendations 
        of the multiagency review team for environmental research 
        activities at the Savannah River site.
            (4) The mission of the research parks is to--
                    (A) conduct research and education activities to 
                assess and document environmental effects associated 
                with energy and weapons use;
                    (B) explore methods for eliminating or minimizing 
                adverse effects of energy development and nuclear 
                materials on the environment;
                    (C) train people in ecological and
                environmental sciences; and
                    (D) educate the public.
            (5) The seven National Environmental Research Parks are 
        located within six major ecological regions of the United 
        States, covering more than half of the Nation.
            (6) The parks are especially valuable research sites 
        because within their borders they provide secure settings for 
        scientists to conduct long-term research on a broad range of 
        subjects including--
                    (A) plant succession;
                    (B) biomass production;
                    (C) population ecology;
                    (D) radioecology;
                    (E) ecological restoration; and
                    (F) thermal effects on freshwater ecosystems.
            (7) The parks maintain several long-term data sets that are 
        available nowhere else in the United States or in the world on 
        amphibian populations, bird populations, and soil moisture and 
        plant water stress. These data sets are uniquely valuable for 
        the detection of long-term shifts in climate.
            (8) The maintenance of these parks by the
        Department of Energy is consistent with statutory
        obligations to promote sound environmental
        stewardship of Federal lands and to safeguard sites containing 
        cultural and archeological resources.
            (9) Public education and outreach activities
        carried out on these sites provide unique learning
        opportunities, promote a stronger connection between these 
        Federal facilities and the surrounding
        communities, and enhance public confidence that the Department 
        of Energy is fulfilling its environmental stewardship 
        responsibilities.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PARKS.

    (a) Designation.--The Secretary of Energy shall
designate the seven National Environmental Research
Parks located on Department of Energy sites as permanent
protected outdoor research reserves for the purposes of
conducting long-term environmental research on the
impacts of human activities on the natural environment. The seven 
National Environmental Research Parks shall
include--
            (1) the Savannah River National Environmental Research 
        Park;
            (2) the Idaho National Environmental Research Park;
            (3) the Los Alamos National Environmental
        Research Park;
            (4) the Fermi Lab National Environmental
        Research Park;
            (5) the Hanford National Environmental
        Research Park;
            (6) the Oak Ridge National Environmental
        Research Park; and
            (7) the Nevada National Environmental
        Research Park.
    (b) Purposes.--Each site shall support--
            (1) environmental research and monitoring activities to 
        characterize and monitor present and
        future site conditions, and serve as control areas for 
        comparison with environmental impacts of 
        Department of Energy land management, energy technology 
        development, remediation, and other site activities outside the 
        National Environmental
        Research Park areas. Areas of research and
        monitoring on the sites may include--
                    (A) ecology of the site and the region;
                    (B) population biology and ecology;
                    (C) radioecology;
                    (D) effects of climate variability and change on 
                ecosystems;
                    (E) ecosystem science;
                    (F) pollution fate and transport research;
                    (G) surface and groundwater modeling; and
                    (H) environmental impacts of development and use of 
                energy generation technologies,
                including renewable energy technologies; and
            (2) public education and outreach activities consistent 
        with subsection (d).
    (c) Cooperative Agreement.--To ensure the
independence of the research, monitoring, public education, and 
outreach activities conducted on each site, the Secretary shall enter 
into a cooperative agreement with a university, community college, or 
consortium of institutions of higher education with expertise in 
ecology and environmental science of the region in which the National 
Environmental Research Park is located.
    (d) Environmental Education and Outreach.--Each site shall support 
an outreach program to inform the public of the diverse ecological 
activities conducted at the park and to educate students at various 
levels in
environmental science. Program activities may include--
            (1) on-site and in-classroom education programs for 
        elementary and secondary students;
            (2) presentations to school, civic, and
        professional groups;
            (3) exhibits at local and regional events;
            (4) development of educational projects and
        materials for students at all levels;
            (5) undergraduate and community college internships and 
        graduate research opportunities; and
            (6) regularly scheduled public tours.
    (e) Coordination.--The Secretary of Energy shall designate a 
National Environmental Research Park
Coordinator within the Department of Energy Office of Science. The 
Coordinator shall--
            (1) coordinate research activities among the
        National Environmental Research Parks as appropriate;
            (2) ensure that information on best practices for research, 
        education, and outreach activities is shared among the sites; 
        and
            (3) serve as liaison to other Federal agencies to 
        facilitate collaborative work at the Parks.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Director of 
the Office of Science, for
carrying out this section $35,000,000, including $5,000,000 for each 
National Environmental Research Park, for each of the fiscal years 2010 
through 2014.

SEC. 3. SAVINGS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the activities that 
the Federal Government may carry out or authorize on a site on which a 
National Environmental
Research Park is located.

SEC. 4. SUMMER INSTITUTES PROGRAM.

    The National Environmental Research Parks may be utilized to 
provide educational opportunities through the Summer Institutes program 
authorized in section 3185 of the Department of Energy Science 
Education Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381n).
                                                 Union Calendar No. 113

111th CONGRESS

  1st Session

                               H. R. 2729

                          [Report No. 111-207]

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks 
          by the Secretary of Energy, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                             July 14, 2009

  Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 
       House on the State of the Union, and ordered to be printed