[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[House]
[Pages H2205-H2209]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          GREEN CHEMISTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2004

  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the 
bill (H.R. 3970) to provide for the implementation of a Green Chemistry 
Research and Development Program, and for other purposes, as amended.
  The Clerk read as follows:

                               H.R. 3970

       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 2004''.

     SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

       In this Act--
       (1) 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;
       (2) the term ``Interagency Working Group'' means the 
     interagency working group established under section 3(c); and
       (3) 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, 
     demonstration, 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, demonstration, 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, demonstration, 
     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

[[Page H2206]]

       (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 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. BIENNIAL REPORT.

       Section 37(a) of the Science and Engineering Equal 
     Opportunities Act (42 U.S.C. 1885d(a)) is amended by striking 
     ``By January 30, 1982, and biennially thereafter'' and 
     inserting ``By January 30 of each odd-numbered year''.

     SEC. 5. 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, identify cost-saving opportunities, and optimize 
     resources and technologies with the aim of reducing or 
     eliminating the use or generation of hazardous substances.''.

     SEC. 6. UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION IN CHEMISTRY AND CHEMICAL 
                   ENGINEERING.

       (a) Program Authorized.--(1) 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) 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) An institution of higher 
     education seeking funding under this section shall submit an 
     application to the Director at such time, in such manner, and 
     containing such information as the Director may require. 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) 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 2005, 
     $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006, and $8,000,000 for fiscal 
     year 2007.

     SEC. 7. 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 of the House of Representatives and the 
     Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the 
     Senate on the findings and recommendations of the study 
     within 18 months after the date of enactment of this Act.

     SEC. 8. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

       (a) National Science Foundation.--(1) 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 Act--
       (A) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       (B) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (C) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
       (2) The sums authorized by paragraph (1) are in addition to 
     any funds the National Science Foundation is spending on 
     green chemistry through its ongoing chemistry and chemical 
     engineering programs.
       (b) National Institute of Standards and Technology.--From 
     sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated, there are 
     authorized to be appropriated to the National Institute of 
     Standards and Technology for carrying out this Act--
       (1) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       (2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
       (c) Department of Energy.--From sums otherwise authorized 
     to be appropriated, there are authorized to be appropriated 
     to the Department of Energy for carrying out this Act--
       (1) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       (2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.
       (d) Environmental Protection Agency.--From sums otherwise 
     authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to be 
     appropriated to the Environmental Protection Agency for 
     carrying out this Act--
       (1) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2005;
       (2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2006; and
       (3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2007.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) and the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) 
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey).


                             General Leave

  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 3970.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Georgia?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first let me thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman 
Boehlert); the ranking member, the gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. 
Gordon); the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson); the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers), and all of my Committee on 
Science colleagues for their hard work in bringing this important 
bipartisan piece of legislation through committee and before the House 
floor today.
  In particular, I would like to thank the ranking member, the 
gentleman from Tennessee (Mr. Gordon) and the gentlewoman from Texas 
(Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) and their staffs for continuing to work 
with us on this legislation.
  The resulting manager's amendment is truly a bipartisan bill. Defined 
as the design of chemical products and processes that reduce or 
eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances, green 
chemistry represents an emerging field with much promise.
  As a chemistry major trained in traditional chemistry at the Georgia 
Institute of Technology, I am very excited about the potential 
environmental, economic and human health benefits of green chemistry. 
Preventing pollution and waste in the first place is

[[Page H2207]]

often cheaper than mitigating and cleaning it up later, and the 
development of new products and processes will help spur economic 
growth.
  Currently, many chemical processes are conducted at extreme 
temperature and/or pressure, two conditions that present a risk for 
workers. Also, many chemical processes involve toxic substances. Green 
chemistry aims to design processes that can be conducted at or near 
room temperature and pressure and that actually use benign materials. 
Both of these steps improve working conditions for employees. Yet, 
despite all of the promises of green chemistry, the Federal Government 
invests very little in this area.
  H.R. 3970, the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act, will 
establish a research and development program to promote and coordinate 
Federal green chemistry research, development, demonstration, education 
and technology transfer activities within the National Science 
Foundation, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute 
of Standards and Technology, and the Department of Energy.
  This legislation provides modest and prudent focus in an area that, 
frankly, deserves greater Federal attention. The program will support 
research and development grants, including grants for university, 
industry, and nonprofit partnerships. It will support green chemistry 
research at Federal labs, promote education through curricula 
development and fellowships, and collect and disseminate information 
about green chemistry.
  H.R. 3970 is fiscally prudent in these times of budgetary constraints 
by obtaining funding for this program from sums already authorized to 
be appropriated at the four agencies I mentioned, and it does not 
authorize the expenditure of any new money.
  Traditional chemical companies, pharmaceutical companies, carpet and 
rug manufacturers and biotechnology corporations, all who we have heard 
from in committee hearings, have endorsed H.R. 3970, showing a broad 
range of support for the merits of this legislation. They all realize 
that the advancement of green chemistry is positive for their 
industries, the environment, the economy as a whole, and all of our 
Nation's citizens.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, first of all, let me thank the gentleman from Georgia 
(Mr. Gingrey) for putting this issue on the table. I also would like to 
thank the gentleman from New York (Chairman Boehlert) for working with 
us to incorporate some of our suggestions into the manager's amendment.
  The legislation now includes a grant program to encourage 
universities to incorporate green chemistry into undergraduate 
curricula in chemistry and chemical engineering. The curriculum changes 
encouraged through this program will assure that students are familiar 
with green chemistry and ready to enter the workforce with skills in 
pollution prevention and green design. The explicit authorization for 
research in economics and other relevant social sciences will help us 
to better understand the barriers to widespread adoption of the green 
chemistry techniques.
  H.R. 3970 is a good start. However, we are disappointed that the bill 
does not go far enough to move findings in the laboratory into practice 
on the factory floor. There are a number of green chemistry success 
stories. The Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Program, 
established in 1995, has recognized these achievements. But many other 
safer chemical substitutes and pollution prevention techniques are not 
widely used.
  Research and development alone are not sufficient ingredients to 
guarantee the transition to a safer, cleaner environment. And this is 
an area where research has been done for a number of years. Programs 
and policies to overcome the barriers to more widespread adoption of 
green chemistry must be part of a truly comprehensive Federal green 
chemistry program.
  Democratic amendments on procurement, homeland security, and 
technical assistance grants would have created incentives to adopt 
green chemistry practices. We hope this bill will continue to expand in 
scope as it moves forward in the legislative process.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished 
gentleman from Connecticut (Mr. Simmons), who is a cosponsor of this 
bill.
  Mr. SIMMONS. I thank the gentleman for yielding me time.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 3970, the Green 
Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2004. I do so because I am an 
advocate of this innovative effort to further scientific research while 
minimizing environmental harm.
  Last year, I met Dr. Berkeley Cue, Jr., of Ledyard, Connecticut. Dr. 
Cue is a recently retired chemist at Pfizer's Global R&D headquarters 
in Groton, Connecticut; and he spoke passionately about his work on the 
Green Chemistry Institute's Board of Directors and explained to me some 
of the exciting prospects that green chemistry holds.
  Green chemistry has been defined ``as the utilization of a set of 
principles that reduces or eliminates the use or generation of 
hazardous substances in the design, manufacture and application of 
chemical products.''
  According to a 1994 pharmaceutical industry process efficiency 
analysis, for every kilogram of a given drug produced, between 25 and 
100 kilograms of waste are produced. For those processes where there is 
a green chemistry application, this number was reduced to between 5 and 
10 kilograms of waste per kilogram of product. This is a five- to 10-
time improvement in the reduction of waste products. At commercial 
product volumes, this equates to hundreds of thousands of kilograms of 
costly waste prevented each year for each product where there is a 
green chemistry alternative.
  What is more, there is no need to purchase raw materials that are 
lost to unwanted by-products. The cost savings are clear, and the 
environmental benefits are clear.
  I urge my colleagues to support this measure and establish a Green 
Chemistry Research and Development Program to promote this technology 
at the Federal level. It is good for science, it is good for the 
environment, it is good for the American people.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as she may consume to the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson).
  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, let me express my 
appreciation for the leadership of this committee. We operate in a 
spirit of civility at all times, and we are all very proud of that.
  We as legislators preach about how we want to make this world a 
better place for those who are to follow. The Green Chemistry Research 
and Development Act is a first step to increasing the use of renewable 
fuels, encouraging manufacturing processes that generate less toxic 
waste and promote the development of materials which can be easily 
recycled.
  I am pleased that my colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Gingrey), has introduced the Green Chemistry Research and Development 
Act of 2004, and I am proud to be an original cosponsor of this 
legislation.
  Green chemistry is the utilization of a set of principles that 
reduces or eliminates the use or generation of hazardous substances in 
the design, manufacture, and application of chemical products.
  Over the past decade, there has been increasing interest in a 
fundamental new approach to environmental protection. In studying green 
chemistry, we realize that science and technology can help produce 
processes and products that are both more environmentally benign and 
economically attractive.
  I would like also to take this opportunity to thank the Chair for 
working in a bipartisan manner and our ranking member, as we often do 
in the Committee on Science, for incorporating parts of amendments that 
I introduced during markup in the committee. Most importantly, I 
appreciate the language that requires a study by the National Academy 
of Sciences on barriers to commercialization of green chemistry. As was 
evident by the committee's hearing on H.R. 3970, success at 
commercialization can be problematic, even for technical innovations 
that seem to be obvious candidates for exploitation.
  The purpose of the study would be to systematically assess successful 
and

[[Page H2208]]

unsuccessful attempts at commercialization of green chemistry 
innovations here and abroad and attempt to tease out the controlling 
factors.
  In addition, I am pleased that the manager's amendment clarifies that 
the funds provided by the bill for focused green chemistry research is 
in addition to the amounts the agency currently spends in its base 
programs. This addition is also very important, and I would like to 
thank the Chair for including this in the manager's amendment.
  Although there is more work that can be done to strengthen this 
legislation, it provides the right impetus to encourage the science and 
manufacturing communities to start in the right direction, not only 
because green chemistry can save them money now in the short term but 
because it can also save our planet in the long term.

                              {time}  1030

  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from New York (Mr. Boehlert), the honorable chairman of the 
House Committee on Science.
  (Mr. BOEHLERT asked and was given permission to revise and extend his 
remarks.)
  Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 3970. And 
I want to congratulate our colleague, the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. 
Gingrey), for having introduced it. In a short time he has become one 
of the most active and effective members of the Committee on Science. I 
thank him for his many, many contributions.
  There is really only one unfortunate thing about this green chemistry 
bill, and that is that none of us thought of it before. Green chemistry 
is such an obvious area in which to focus that it should be clear to 
anyone and everyone that more needs to be done in this field.
  Green chemistry benefits companies and workers, the economy, and the 
environment. It is really just the application of an old adage: An 
ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If we reduce to ounces 
the quantity of toxic chemicals we use and produce, then we will not 
have to clean up pounds of toxics downstream.
  And this bill takes a sensible, targeted approach to putting some 
Federal dollars behind those prevention efforts. It builds on existing 
programs at a number of Federal agencies to transform those small and 
scattered efforts into a focused, a coordinated, and an enhanced 
national program. The result of that program should be the generation 
and dissemination of new ideas and new people, leading to the adoption 
of more green chemistry practices and the creation of more green 
chemistry products by industry.
  Now, I know some would like this bill to go further, and there is no 
doubt that there are additional barriers to green chemistry that 
government action could help attack, but those government actions are 
complex and controversial and should be taken up in other bills.
  For now let us take care of first things first. Let us make sure that 
the government is doing everything possible to ensure that green 
chemistry research and development is getting the attention it deserves 
to ensure that education programs are designed to teach more students 
and practicing chemists and chemical engineers about green chemistry, 
and to ensure that new ideas are broadly disseminated.
  If we do not have the ideas and the people, then no amount of 
government incentives or regulations are going to accelerate the 
adoption of green chemistry. This is a good and thoughtful and 
effective bill that takes a step we should have taken long ago to make 
sure that government R&D and education programs promote the kind of 
chemistry that is in the national interest.
  I urge everyone to support the excellent bill of the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Gingrey). It is a most appropriate way to recognize Earth 
Day which occurs tomorrow.
  Mr. GORDON. Mr. Speaker, we have no other comments, and I yield back 
the balance of my time.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from 
Michigan (Mr. Smith), distinguished chairman of the Subcommittee on 
Research.
  Mr. SMITH of Michigan. Mr. Speaker, I commend the gentleman from 
Georgia (Mr. Gingrey), and I certainly commend the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Gordon), the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice 
Johnson), the chairman of the committee, (Mr. Boehlert).
  As we expand in population in this home that we call Earth, being 
more sensitive to the environment is continually a greater challenge 
and a greater need. So I commend the legislation. The legislation is 
going to be good for the economy. It is going to be good for improving 
worker safety. It is going to be good for improving public safety, for 
national security, and certainly it is going to be better for our 
environmental needs.
  We need to expand our thinking not only for chemistry, but maybe for 
all of the research that we do to be more sensitive to make sure that 
this Earth continues to be as safe and beautiful for future generations 
as it has been for us. So I urge my colleagues to support Dr. Gingrey's 
bill.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, while the full potential of green chemistry is yet to be 
realized, H.R. 3970 will place us, as the chairman just said, on the 
right path to research in reaching that potential. I urge all of my 
colleagues to support the bipartisan Green Chemistry Research and 
Development Act.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished chairman of the 
Subcommittee on Environment, Technology and Standards, the gentleman 
from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers).
  Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, back in 1974 I ran for public office on an 
environmental platform. I have been an environmentalist for many years, 
and I have always tried to keep the environment in the forefront in 
discussions in this Congress. I am also, however, what you might call a 
common-sense environmentalist. I believe in environmental issues and 
environmental choices that make sense both for the environment and for 
the economy. And this bill is a sterling example of precisely what is 
involved in common-sense environmentalism.
  The chemical industry makes and uses a great many chemicals. Disposal 
of those chemicals often becomes disposal of hazardous waste, which is 
very costly, very toxic and dangerous to the environment. This bill 
will help develop green chemistry, chemistry that is in tune with the 
environment so that both the products and the by-products are safe, and 
we do not generate as much or any hazardous waste, and we do not have 
to worry about toxic waste polluting the groundwater.
  Much work is required in this area both to change the habits of the 
educational institutions and the habits of the chemical industry. They 
have to be made aware of the many opportunities for green chemistry. 
And this is true also of the businesses that use chemical products. For 
example, it appears now that liquid carbon dioxide at the critical 
point is an outstanding cleaning fluid, certainly nontoxic, and would 
solve the pollution problem that many launderers and cleaners face in 
this country.
  I strongly support this bill. It supports research to develop more 
green chemistry processes and includes provisions to expand green 
chemistry education. This will enable the next generation of chemical 
professionals to bring innovative practices to traditional chemical 
manufacturing. I am most pleased to support the Green Chemistry 
Research and Development Act.
  Again, I thank the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) and the 
gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice Johnson) for their hard work 
on this important piece of legislation. I urge my colleagues to support 
H.R. 3970, a bill that will truly clean up the environment and at the 
same time aid the economy.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Bass). The question is on the motion 
offered by the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) that the House 
suspend the rules and pass the bill, H.R. 3970, as amended.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds of 
those present have voted in the affirmative.
  Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

[[Page H2209]]

  The yeas and nays were ordered.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the 
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this motion will be 
postponed.

                          ____________________