[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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

                         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\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    \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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    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
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                 By fiscal year, millions of dollars--
                                                      ----------------------------------------------------------
                                                        2019    2020    2021    2022    2023    2024   2019-2024
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Estimated Authorization..............................       0      13      13      12      12       0         50
Estimated Outlays....................................       0      10      13      12      12       3         50
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

                                  [all]