[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2051 Introduced in House (IH)]
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116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2051
To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting
sustainable chemistry, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
April 3, 2019
Mr. Lipinski (for himself and Mr. Moolenaar) introduced the following
bill; which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting
sustainable chemistry, 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 ``Sustainable Chemistry Research and
Development Act of 2019''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) Congress recognized the importance and value of
sustainable chemistry and the role of the Federal Government in
section 114 of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act
(Public Law 114-329);
(2) sustainable chemistry and materials transformation is a
key value contributor to business competitiveness across many
industrial and consumer sectors;
(3) companies across hundreds of supply chains critical to
the American economy are seeking to reduce costs and open new
markets through innovations in manufacturing and materials, and
are in need of new innovations in chemistry, including
sustainable chemistry;
(4) sustainable chemistry can improve the efficiency with
which natural resources are used to meet human needs for
chemical products while avoiding environmental harm, reduce or
eliminate the emissions of and exposures to hazardous
substances, minimize the use of resources, and benefit the
economy, people, and the environment; and
(5) a recent report by the Government Accountability Office
(GAO-18-307) found that the Federal Government could play an
important role in helping realize the full innovation and
market potential of sustainable chemistry technologies,
including through a coordinated national effort on sustainable
chemistry and standardized tools and definitions to support
sustainable chemistry research, development, demonstration, and
commercialization.
SEC. 3. NATIONAL COORDINATING ENTITY FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.
(a) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office of Science and
Technology Policy shall convene an interagency entity (referred to in
this Act as the ``Entity'') under the National Science and Technology
Council with the responsibility to coordinate Federal programs and
activities in support of sustainable chemistry, including those
described in sections 5 and 6.
(b) Coordination With Existing Groups.--In convening the Entity,
the Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy shall
consider overlap and possible coordination with existing committees,
subcommittees, or other groups of the National Science and Technology
Council, such as--
(1) the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and
Sustainability;
(2) the Committee on Technology;
(3) the Committee on Science; or
(4) related groups or subcommittees.
(c) Co-chairs.--The Entity shall be co-chaired by representatives
from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of
Standards and Technology, and the National Science Foundation.
(d) Agency Participation.--The Entity shall include
representatives, including subject matter experts, from the
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, the National Science Foundation, the Department of
Energy, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the
National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, the Food and Drug Administration, and other related Federal
agencies, as appropriate.
SEC. 4. ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.
(a) Roadmap.--Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of
this Act, the Entity shall--
(1) develop a working framework of attributes
characterizing sustainable chemistry, as described in
subsection (b);
(2) assess the state of sustainable chemistry in the United
States as a key benchmark from which progress under the
activities described in this Act can be measured, including
assessing key sectors of the United States economy, key
technology platforms, and barriers to innovation;
(3) coordinate and support Federal research, development,
demonstration, technology transfer, commercialization,
education, and training efforts in sustainable chemistry,
including budget coordination and support for public-private
partnerships, as appropriate;
(4) identify methods by which the Federal agencies can
facilitate the development of incentives for development,
consideration and use of sustainable chemistry processes and
products, including innovative financing mechanisms;
(5) identify major scientific challenges, roadblocks, or
hurdles to transformational progress in improving the
sustainability of the chemical sciences; and
(6) identify other opportunities for expanding Federal
efforts in support of sustainable chemistry.
(b) Attributes Characterizing Sustainable Chemistry.--The Entity
shall develop a working framework of attributes characterizing
sustainable chemistry for the purposes of carrying out the Act. In
developing this framework, the Entity shall--
(1) seek advice and input from stakeholders as described in
subsection (c);
(2) consider existing definitions of or frameworks
characterizing sustainable or green chemistry already in use at
Federal agencies;
(3) consider existing definitions of or frameworks
characterizing sustainable or green chemistry already in use by
international organizations of which the United States is a
member, such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development; and
(4) consider any other appropriate existing definitions of
or frameworks characterizing sustainable or green chemistry.
(c) Consultation.--In carrying out the duties described in
subsections (a) and (b), the Entity shall consult and coordinate with
stakeholders qualified to provide advice and information to guide
Federal activities related to sustainable chemistry through workshops,
requests for information, and other mechanisms as necessary. The
stakeholders shall include representatives from--
(1) business and industry (including trade associations and
small- and medium-sized enterprises from across the value
chain);
(2) the scientific community (including the National
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, scientific
professional societies, and academia);
(3) the defense community;
(4) State, tribal, and local governments, including
nonregulatory State or regional sustainable chemistry programs,
as appropriate;
(5) nongovernmental organizations; and
(6) other appropriate organizations.
(d) Report to Congress.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Entity shall submit a report to the
Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on
Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on Science,
Space, and Technology, the Committee on Energy and Commerce,
and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of
Representatives. In addition to the elements described in
subsections (a) and (b), the report shall include--
(A) a summary of federally funded, sustainable
chemistry research, development, demonstration,
technology transfer, commercialization, education, and
training activities;
(B) a summary of the financial resources allocated
to sustainable chemistry initiatives;
(C) an assessment of the current state of
sustainable chemistry in the United States, including
the role that Federal agencies are playing in
supporting it;
(D) an analysis of the progress made toward
achieving the goals and priorities of this Act, and
recommendations for future program activities;
(E) an assessment of the benefits of expanding
existing, federally supported, regional innovation and
manufacturing hubs to include sustainable chemistry and
the value of directing the creation of 1 or more
dedicated sustainable chemistry centers of excellence
or hubs; and
(F) an evaluation of steps taken and future
strategies to avoid duplication of efforts, streamline
interagency coordination, facilitate information
sharing, and spread best practices among participating
agencies.
(2) Submission to gao.--The Entity shall also submit the
report described in paragraph (1) to the Comptroller General of
the United States for consideration in future Congressional
inquiries.
SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.
(a) In General.--The agencies participating in the Entity shall
carry out activities in support of sustainable chemistry, as
appropriate to the specific mission and programs of each agency.
(b) Activities.--The activities described in subsection (a) shall--
(1) incorporate sustainable chemistry into existing
research, development, demonstration, technology transfer,
commercialization, education, and training programs, that the
agency determines to be relevant, including consideration of--
(A) merit-based competitive grants to individual
investigators and teams of investigators, including, to
the extent practicable, early career investigators for
research and development;
(B) grants to fund collaborative research and
development partnerships among universities, industry,
and nonprofit organizations;
(C) coordination of sustainable chemistry research,
development, demonstration, and technology transfer
conducted at Federal laboratories and agencies;
(D) incentive prize competitions and challenges in
coordination with such existing Federal agency
programs; and
(E) grants, loans, and loan guarantees to aid in
the technology transfer and commercialization of
sustainable chemicals, materials, processes, and
products;
(2) collect and disseminate information on sustainable
chemistry research, development, technology transfer, and
commercialization, including information on accomplishments and
best practices;
(3) within education and training programs, expand the
education and training of undergraduate and graduate students
and professional scientists and engineers, and other
professionals involved in materials specification in
sustainable chemistry and engineering, including through
partnerships with industry as described in section 6;
(4) as relevant to an agency's programs, examine methods by
which the Federal agencies, in collaboration and consultation
with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, can
facilitate the development or recognition of validated,
standardized tools for performing sustainability assessments of
chemistry processes or products;
(5) through programs identified by an agency, support
(including through technical assistance, participation,
financial support, communications tools, awards, or other forms
of support) outreach and dissemination of sustainable chemistry
advances such as non-Federal symposia, forums, conferences, and
publications in collaboration with, as appropriate, industry,
academia, scientific and professional societies, and other
relevant groups;
(6) provide for public input and outreach to be integrated
into the activities described in this section by the convening
of public discussions, through mechanisms such as public
meetings, consensus conferences, and educational events, as
appropriate;
(7) within each agency, develop metrics to track the
outputs and outcomes of the programs supported by that agency;
and
(8) incentivize or recognize actions that advance
sustainable chemistry products, processes, or initiatives,
including through the establishment of a nationally recognized
awards program through the Environmental Protection Agency to
identify, publicize, and celebrate innovations in sustainable
chemistry and chemical technologies.
(c) Limitations.--Financial support provided under this section
shall--
(1) be available only for pre-competitive activities; and
(2) not be used to promote the sale of a specific product,
process, or technology, or to disparage a specific product,
process, or technology.
(d) Agency Budget Requests.--
(1) In general.--Each Federal agency and department
participating in the activities described in this section
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 that--
(A) identifies the activities of the agency or
department that contribute directly to these
activities; and
(B) estimates the portion of the agency or
department's request for appropriations that is
intended to be allocated to those activities.
(2) Annual budget request to congress.--The President shall
include in the annual budget request to Congress a statement of
the portion of the annual budget request for each agency or
department that will be allocated to activities undertaken
pursuant to this section.
SEC. 6. PARTNERSHIPS IN SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY.
(a) In General.--The agencies participating in the Entity may
facilitate and support, through financial, technical, or other
assistance, the creation of partnerships between institutions of higher
education, nongovernmental organizations, consortia, or companies
across the value chain in the chemical industry, including small- and
medium-sized enterprises, to--
(1) create collaborative sustainable chemistry research,
development, demonstration, technology transfer, and
commercialization programs; and
(2) train students and retrain professional scientists,
engineers, and others involved in materials specification on
the use of sustainable chemistry concepts and strategies by
methods, including--
(A) developing or recognizing curricular materials
and courses for undergraduate and graduate levels and
for the professional development of scientists,
engineers, and others involved in materials
specification; and
(B) publicizing the availability of professional
development courses in sustainable chemistry and
recruiting professionals to pursue such courses.
(b) Private Sector Participation.--To be eligible for support under
this section, a partnership in sustainable chemistry shall include at
least one private sector organization.
(c) Selection of Partnerships.--In selecting partnerships for
support under this section, the agencies participating in the Entity
shall also consider the extent to which the applicants are willing and
able to demonstrate evidence of support for, and commitment to, the
goals outlined in the roadmap and report described in section 4.
(d) Prohibited Use of Funds.--Financial support provided under this
section may not be used--
(1) to support or expand a regulatory chemical management
program at an implementing agency under a State law;
(2) to construct or renovate a building or structure; or
(3) to promote the sale of a specific product, process, or
technology, or to disparage a specific product, process, or
technology.
SEC. 7. PRIORITIZATION.
In carrying out this Act, the Entity shall focus its support for
sustainable chemistry activities on those that achieve, to the highest
extent practicable, the goals outlined in the Act.
SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or amend any State
law or action with regard to sustainable chemistry or green chemistry,
as defined by the State.
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