[Senate Report 116-128]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
Calendar No. 240
116th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 116-128
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, ACTING THROUGH THE
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, TO HELP
FACILITATE THE ADOPTION OF COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN
THE UNITED STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
__________
R E P O R T
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
on
S. 384
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
September 26, 2019.--Ordered to be printed
__________
U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
89-010 WASHINGTON : 2019
SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
one hundred sixteenth congress
first session
ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi, Chairman
JOHN THUNE, South Dakota MARIA CANTWELL, Washington
ROY BLUNT, Missouri AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota
TED CRUZ, Texas RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut
DEB FISCHER, Nebraska BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii
JERRY MORAN, Kansas EDWARD J. MARKEY, Massachusetts
DAN SULLIVAN, Alaska TOM UDALL, New Mexico
CORY GARDNER, Colorado GARY C. PETERS, Michigan
MARSHA BLACKBURN, Tennessee TAMMY BALDWIN, Wisconsin
SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia TAMMY DUCKWORTH, Illinois
MIKE LEE, Utah JON TESTER, Montana
RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin KYRSTEN SINEMA, Arizona
TODD C. YOUNG, Indiana JACKY ROSEN, Nevada
RICK SCOTT, Florida
John Keast, Staff Director
David Strickland, Minority Staff Director
Calendar No. 240
116th Congress } { Report
SENATE
1st Session } { 116-128
======================================================================
A BILL TO REQUIRE THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, ACTING THROUGH THE
DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY, TO HELP
FACILITATE THE ADOPTION OF COMPOSITE TECHNOLOGY IN INFRASTRUCTURE IN
THE UNITED STATES, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
_______
September 26, 2019.--Ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Wicker, from the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany S. 384]
The Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to
which was referred the bill (S. 384) to require the Secretary
of Commerce, acting through the Director of the National
Institute of Standards and Technology, to help facilitate the
adoption of composite technology in infrastructure in the
United States, and for other purposes, having considered the
same, reports favorably thereon with an amendment (in the
nature of a substitute) and recommends that the bill (as
amended) do pass.
Purpose of the Bill
The purpose of S. 384, a bill to require the Secretary of
Commerce, acting through the Director of the National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), to help facilitate the
adoption of composite technology in infrastructure in the
United States, and for other purposes, is to establish a data
clearinghouse to gather and disseminate composite standards;
work with stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of standards
for composites; and conduct a pilot program to assess the
feasibility and advisability of adopting composites in
sustainable infrastructure.
Background and Needs
Composites are materials made when two or more materials
with significantly different physical properties are combined.
In a composite material, the different material components
retain their own physical properties in the mixture. Common
examples of composites are plywood, fiberglass, and reinforced
concrete. Composite products produced in the United States
offer durable, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions in a
variety of infrastructure applications as diverse as dams,
levees, bridges, highways, railroads, harbors, utility poles,
and buildings. In February 2017, designers, manufacturers,
researchers, and end-users of composite materials met to
assemble a roadmap for addressing barriers to adoption of
composite technology in infrastructure.\1\ The ideas advanced
at the meeting were later compiled in a December 20, 2017,
report issued by NIST entitled ``Road Mapping Workshop Report
on Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Composites in Sustainable
Infrastructure.'' The report included recommendations for
facilitating wider adoption of composite technology that is
potentially more reliable, durable, and cost-effective than
current solutions.
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\1\NIST, ``Road Mapping Workshop Report on Overcoming Barriers to
Adoption of Composites in Sustainable Infrastructure,'' December 20,
2017 (https://www.nist.gov/publications/road-mapping-workshop-report-
overcoming-barriers-adoption-composites-sustainable).
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Summary of Provisions
S. 384 would direct NIST to do the following:
Establish a data clearinghouse to gather and
disseminate composite standards, design criteria,
tools, and guidelines.
Work with stakeholders to facilitate the adoption of
standards for composites.
Conduct a pilot program to assess the feasibility
and advisability of adopting composites in sustainable
infrastructure.
Legislative History
S. 384 was introduced on February 7, 2019, by Senator
Capito (for herself and Senator Peters) and was referred to the
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the
Senate. On July 10, 2019, the Committee met in open Executive
Session and, by voice vote, ordered S. 384 reported favorably
with amendments. Senator Capito offered a first degree
amendment to make technical changes, and Senator Markey offered
a first degree amendment to identify environmental impacts and
recyclability of composite materials.
In the 115th Congress, a similar bill, S. 3765, was
introduced on December 18, 2018, by Senator Capito (for herself
and Senator Peters) and was referred to the Committee on
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate.
Estimated Costs
In accordance with paragraph 11(a) of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate and section 403 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee provides the
following cost estimate, prepared by the Congressional Budget
Office:
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
S. 384 would require the National Institute of Standards
and Technology (NIST, within the Department of Commerce) to
implement recommendations from a report on the use of fiber-
reinforced composite materials in infrastructure projects. The
report recommends that NIST test the composites' durability and
develop industry standards for their use in infrastructure
projects; establish a clearinghouse for information on their
design, manufacture, and use; and disseminate educational and
training information to academia and private industry.\1\
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\1\See Richard J. Sheridan and others, Road Mapping Workshop Report
on Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Composites in Sustainable
Infrastructure, NIST SP-1218 (National Institute of Standards and
Technology, December 2017), https://go.usa.gov/xyJt7.
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Using information from NIST, CBO expects the agency would
complete most of that work by 2023. CBO estimates that NIST
would need to hire 20 employees including scientists,
engineers, and software developers at an average annual cost of
$240,000 per employee, totaling about $22 million over the
2019-2024 period. CBO expects that research grants and
contracting costs would total about $6 million a year, or $24
million over that same period. Finally, CBO estimates that
materials and equipment would cost roughly $4 million in the
first few years. In total, and assuming appropriation of the
estimated amounts, CBO estimates that implementing S. 384 would
cost $50 million over the 2019-2024 period.
The costs of the legislation (detailed in Table 1) fall
within budget function 370 (commerce and housing credit).
TABLE 1.--ESTIMATED INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION UNDER S. 384
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By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
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2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2019-2024
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Estimated Authorization.............................. 0 13 13 12 12 0 50
Estimated Outlays.................................... 0 10 13 12 12 3 50
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The CBO staff contact for this estimate is David Hughes.
The estimate was reviewed by H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy
Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Regulatory Impact Statement
Because S. 384 does not create any new programs, the
legislation will have no additional regulatory impact, and will
result in no additional reporting requirements. The legislation
will have no further effect on the number or types of
individuals and businesses regulated, the economic impact of
such regulation, the personal privacy of affected individuals,
or the paperwork required from such individuals and businesses.
Congressionally Directed Spending
In compliance with paragraph 4(b) of rule XLIV of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee provides that no
provisions contained in the bill, as reported, meet the
definition of congressionally directed spending items under the
rule.
Section-by-Section Analysis
Section 1. Facilitating the adoption of composite technology in
infrastructure.
This section would direct NIST to implement recommendations
in the report entitled ``Road Mapping Workshop Report on
Overcoming Barriers to Adoption of Composites in Sustainable
Infrastructure.'' This section would direct NIST to develop a
design for a data clearinghouse that would gather and
disseminate existing design criteria, tools, and standards for
the use of composite technology in infrastructure, as well as
develop methods evaluating appropriate use of composite
materials, in consultation with several stakeholders involved
with research and testing of composite materials. In developing
the clearinghouse, NIST should consider ways to evaluate the
environmental impacts of composites and the recyclability of
such materials. This bill also would direct NIST to conduct a
pilot program to evaluate the feasibility and advisability of
adopting composites in sustainable infrastructure.
Changes in Existing Law
In compliance with paragraph 12 of rule XXVI of the
Standing Rules of the Senate, the Committee states that the
bill as reported would make no change to existing law.
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