[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 122 (Tuesday, September 26, 2006)]
[House]
[Pages H7480-H7484]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
GREEN CHEMISTRY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2005
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the
bill (H.R. 1215) 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. 1215
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 2005''.
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 while producing high quality products
through safe and efficient manufacturing processes;
(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;
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(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 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, 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) 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 2006,
$7,500,000 for fiscal year 2007, and $8,000,000 for fiscal
year 2008.
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 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. 7. PARTNERSHIPS IN GREEN CHEMISTRY.
(a) Program Authorized.--(1) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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) 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.--(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 2006;
(B) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
(C) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
(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 2006;
(2) $5,500,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
(3) $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
(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--
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(1) $7,000,000 for fiscal year 2006;
(2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
(3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
(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 2006;
(2) $7,500,000 for fiscal year 2007; and
(3) $8,000,000 for fiscal year 2008.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) and the gentleman from Oregon (Mr. Wu) each will
control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Michigan.
General Leave
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the subject of this bill.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Michigan?
There was no objection.
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, today I rise in support of H.R. 1215, the Green
Chemistry Research and Development Act. I would like to thank the
gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Gingrey) for his leadership on this
important legislation which passed the House in the 108th Congress by
an overwhelming vote of 402-14. In fact, I appreciate it so much I am
sorry I didn't think of introducing the bill myself.
When I was a college student studying science, the only green
chemistry I ever saw was the mold that grew on the neglected food in
our dorm refrigerator. Today, we know that green chemistry is about
doing chemistry cleaner and smarter in an environmentally sound way.
When businesses innovate by using green chemical processes, they
cannot only save money, but also avoid the cost of cleaning up toxic
pollutants, providing a safer work environment for their employees, and
providing safer products to consumers. Everyone wins.
However, the adoption of green chemistry by the traditional chemical
industry has been slow because there are only a few widely accepted
processes and a shortage of trained experts in green chemistry. And for
too long, the Federal investments in green chemistry research and
development have been too small and two unfocused.
To provide that much-needed focus, H.R. 1215, 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.
The program will support research and development grants including
grants for university-industry-nonprofit partnerships, support green
chemistry research at Federal labs, promote education through curricula
development and fellowships, and serve as a green chemistry information
resource.
H.R. 1215 does not authorize the expenditure of new money. Instead,
the bill obtains funding for the program from sums already authorized
to be appropriated at the four agencies involved.
H.R. 1215 is an important first step in focusing Federal support for
green chemistry. It expands green chemistry education, develops more
green chemistry processes, and modestly and responsibly increases the
Federal investment in green chemistry.
The emphasis on both training the next generation of chemical
professionals and retraining conventional chemists and chemical
engineers is critical to innovation in the traditional chemical
manufacturing sector.
I am pleased to support the Green Chemistry Research and Development
Act. Again, I thank Mr. Gingrey for his hard work on this important
piece of legislation, and I urge my colleagues to support H.R. 1215.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support H.R. 1215, the Green Chemistry
Research and Development Act. This legislation codifies the ongoing
efforts throughout the Federal Government to encourage the development
of products and manufacturing processes that are safer, contain fewer
toxic compounds, and make better use of recycled materials. I am
especially pleased that the bill includes my amendment to authorize a
training program at the National Science Foundation. This new program
creates partnerships between companies in the chemical industry and
colleges and universities to provide professional development training
to practicing chemists and chemical engineers in the use of green
chemistry concepts and strategies.
During our committee's hearing on last year's version of this bill,
it became clear that too few professionals in these fields are exposed
to green chemistry in their undergraduate and graduate courses. This
lack of training becomes an important barrier to the adoption and use
of green chemistry in industrial products and processes.
The partnerships between the academic community and industry that
this bill promotes will ensure the courses of study that are put in
place are relevant to industry and are designed to provide practicing
chemists and chemical engineers with the skills and knowledge they will
need to employ green chemistry concepts in their work.
The requirement for cost sharing helps to reinforce the engagement
and commitment of companies to the program.
H.R. 1215 provides a good starting point for a Federal effort to
promote green chemistry. I urge Members to support this legislation.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, at this time I am pleased to yield 5 minutes
to the gentleman from Georgia, the author of the bill, Mr. Gingrey.
Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 1215, a bill
that provides for the implementation of a Green Chemistry Research and
Development program.
First, I want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Ehlers, Mr. Wu,
Chairman Boehlert, Ranking Member Gordon, and all of the Science
Committee members and staff who worked hard to bring this important
bipartisan legislation through committee and to the House floor today.
Mr. Speaker, chemists can design chemicals to be safe just like they
can design them to have other properties, like color and texture. As
chemists design products and the processes by which those products are
manufactured, they can and should factor in the possible creation of
any hazardous by-products.
This technique of considering not only the process in which products
are produced but also the environment in which they are created is the
basic definition of green chemistry. It is a method of designing
chemical products and processes that at the very least reduce the use
or generation of hazardous substances.
Green chemistry represents an ever-growing field of science that is
demonstrating much promise. This legislation gives Congress the
opportunity to support these important efforts by encouraging
additional research and enhanced collaboration.
I want to take a moment to outline several reasons why I believe my
colleagues should support this legislation. The first is the simple
fact that preventing pollution and waste from the start of a design
process is often cheaper than cleaning it up later.
Developing new products and processes are an integral component of a
variety of industries.
{time} 2245
Industries that span fabrics to fuel cells and the innovation created
by this enhanced research will subsequently spur economic growth.
Mr. Speaker, since the heart of green chemistry is design processes
that utilize as many benign materials as possible as well as designing
them to be conducted at or near room temperature and pressure, working
conditions and safety for our employees can be vastly improved.
Unfortunately, despite all the promise of green chemistry, the
Federal Government invests very little in this area. This legislation
allows coordination of Federal green chemistry research and development
within several
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Federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the National Institute of Standards
and Technology, and the Department of Energy.
H.R. 1215 will encourage universities and academic institutions, as
Mr. Wu just mentioned, to train future workers in this exciting
technology. This coordinated program will support research and
development grants for partnerships between universities, industry and
nonprofits. It will also promote education through curriculum
development and fellowships that will collect and disseminate
information about green chemistry.
Finally and most importantly, Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1215 is a fiscally
responsible piece of legislation in step with the current reality of
our budgetary constraints. This legislation funds these programs by
obtaining sums already authorized to the above-mentioned agencies. It
does not authorize the expenditure of any new money. Let me say that
again. This legislation does not appropriate new funds but rather
refocuses the budget of these agencies.
Chemical companies, pharmaceutical corporations, carpet and rug
manufacturers and biotechnology businesses have endorsed H.R. 1215,
showing a broad range of support for the merits of this legislation.
All of these companies and corporations realize the advancement of
green chemistry is a positive not only for their businesses but also
our country's environment, our economy, and our Nation's health.
Mr. Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote for this innovative,
insightful, and responsible piece of legislation that will show the
American public that Congress and the business community are committed
to preserving our Nation's environment.
Mr. WU. Mr. Speaker, I have no further requests for time, and I yield
back the balance of my time.
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
I am very proud of our system of free enterprise in America. It has
led to a considerable amount of innovation in every area. But I find,
surprisingly, once in a while tradition trumps innovation, and that is
the situation that we have here with green chemistry.
I commend the gentleman from Georgia for offering this bill because,
frankly, we have to wake up the chemical industry to this promising new
field and overcome the tradition and take up the ideas of green
chemistry.
In all the experience I have in viewing the cases where it has been
used, we have had better products, less pollution, and the
manufacturers make more money. There is no reason not to do it. It is
just that we simply have to use innovation to break tradition.
So, Mr. Speaker, while the full potential of green chemistry has yet
to be realized, H.R. 1215 will place us on the right path to reaching
that potential.
I urge all my colleagues to support the Green Chemistry Research and
Development Act.
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Green Chemistry Research
and Development Program is intended to promote and coordinate Federal
green chemistry research, development, demonstration, education, and
technology transfer activities.
1. Prevent waste: Design chemical syntheses to prevent waste, leaving
no waste to treat or clean up.
2. Design safer chemicals and products: Design chemical products to
be fully effective, yet have little or no toxicity.
3. Design less hazardous chemical syntheses: Design syntheses to use
and generate substances with little or no toxicity to humans and the
environment.
4. Use renewable feedstocks: Use raw materials and feedstocks that
are renewable rather than depleting. Renewable feedstocks are often
made from agricultural products or are the wastes of other processes;
depleting feedstocks are made from fossil fuels (petroleum, natural
gas, or coal) or are mined.
5. Use catalysts, not stoichiometric reagents: Minimize waste by
using catalytic reactions. Catalysts are used in small amounts and can
carry out a single reaction many times. They are preferable to
stoichiometric reagents, which are used in excess and work only once.
6. Avoid chemical derivatives: Avoid using blocking or protecting
groups or any temporary modifications if possible. Derivatives use
additional reagents and generate waste.
7. Maximize atom economy: Design syntheses so that the final product
contains the maximum proportion of the starting materials. There should
be few, if any, wasted atoms.
8. Use safer solvents and reaction conditions: Avoid using solvents,
separation agents, or other auxiliary chemicals. If these chemicals are
necessary, use innocuous chemicals.
9. Increase energy efficiency: Run chemical reactions at ambient
temperature and pressure whenever possible.
10. Design chemicals and products to degrade after use: Design
chemical products to break down to innocuous substances after use so
that they do not accumulate in the environment.
11. Analyze in real time to prevent pollution: Include in-process
real-time monitoring and control during syntheses to minimize or
eliminate the formation of byproducts.
12. Minimize the potential for accidents: Design chemicals and their
forms (solid, liquid, or gas) to minimize the potential for chemical
accidents including explosions, fires, and releases to the environment.
This bill provides for sustained support for green chemistry
research, development, demonstration, education, and technology
transfer through merit-reviewed competitive grants to individual
investigators and teams of investigators, including young
investigators.
The legislation includes grants to fund collaborative research and
development partnerships among universities, industry, and nonprofit
organizations. Additionally, provisions provide for green chemistry
research, development, demonstration, and technology transfer conducted
at Federal laboratories.
H.R. 1215 will establish an Interagency Working Group, which will
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 designates. The Director of the National Science
Foundation and the Assistant Administrator for Research and Development
of the Environmental Protection Agency will serve as co-chairs of the
Interagency Working Group. The Interagency Working Group shall oversee
the planning, management, and coordination of the Program.
As part of the Program activities under Section 3, 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.
It is important to encourage sustainable and environmentally sound
research goals, and I encourage my colleagues to support this measure.
Mr. BOEHLERT. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 1215, and
I want to congratulate our colleague, Dr. Gingrey, for having
introduced it. Dr. Gingrey was one of the most active and effective
members of the Science Committee during the 108th Congress, and, while
he is no longer with the committee, we continue to work closely with
him on a variety of issues, including this green chemistry R&D
legislation before us today.
There's really only one unfortunate thing about the green chemistry
bill--and that is that none of us thought of doing this before. Green
chemistry is such an obvious area on which to focus that it should be
clear to anyone--and everyone--that more needs to be done in this
field.
The majority of environmental protection laws passed by Congress
focus on command and control activities--limiting the spread of
pollutants, cleaning up waste, or assessing fines to polluters. These
are all necessary approaches to environmental challenges. But I believe
in the 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 in the first place, then we won't have to worry as much about
cleaning up pounds of toxics downstream.
But while the environmental benefits of applying this approach to our
industrial processes are clear, green chemistry innovations provide
more than just environmental benefits--they can save companies money
and give them a competitive edge as well. With the right ideas applied
in the right areas, green chemistry is truly a win-win strategy.
A good example is the work of Pfizer, which won a 2002 Presidential
Green Chemistry Challenge Award for redesigning the manufacturing
processes used to produce the anti-depression drug ``Zoloft.'' By
applying green chemistry principles to the manufacture of Zoloft,
Pfizer was able to eliminate 730 metric tons of toxic chemicals from
the production process. The result: improved worker and environmental
safety, reduced energy and water use, and a doubling of overall product
yield that contributed significantly to the economic bottom line.
This is just one example. There are dozens of other creative and
exciting environmental solutions that are being driven by the
application of green chemistry principles. Companies like Dow, DuPont,
and Kodak are leading industry into a new era of the way it thinks
about chemical and manufacturing processes.
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And with a relatively small amount of Federal effort, we can leverage
industry efforts and significantly accelerate development and
application of green chemistry solutions.
This bill does just that. It takes a sensible, targeted approach to
putting some Federal dollars behind green chemistry pollution
prevention efforts. It builds on existing programs at a number of
Federal agencies to transform those small and scattered efforts into a
focused, coordinated, and 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's no
doubt that there are additional barriers to green chemistry that the
government action could help attack. But those government actions are
complex and controversial and should be taken up in other bills.
For now, let's take care of first things first. Let's 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.
This is a thoughtful and effective piece of legislation that takes a
step we should have taken long ago--making sure that government R&D and
education programs promote the kind of chemistry that is in the
national interest.
I urge everyone to support Dr. Gingrey's bill.
Mr. EHLERS. Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Ehlers) that the House suspend the rules
and pass the bill, H.R. 1215, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds having voted in favor
thereof) the rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
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