[Congressional Bills 106th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2827 Introduced in House (IH)]
106th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2827
To amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to authorize research to promote the conversion of
biomass into biobased industrial products, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 9, 1999
Mr. Ewing (for himself and Mr. Shimkus) introduced the following bill;
which was referred to the Committee on Agriculture, and in addition to
the Committee on Science, 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 amend the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching
Policy Act of 1977 to authorize research to promote the conversion of
biomass into biobased industrial products, 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 ``National Sustainable Fuels and
Chemicals Act of 1999''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) conversion of biomass into biobased industrial products
offers outstanding potential for benefit to the national
interest through improved strategic security and balance of
payments, healthier rural economies, improved environmental
quality, near-zero net greenhouse gas emissions, technology
export, and sustainable resource supply;
(2)(A) biomass is widely available at prices that are
competitive with low cost petroleum; and
(B) the key technical challenges to be overcome in order
for biobased industrial products to be cost competitive are
finding new technology and reducing the cost of technology for
converting biomass into desired biobased industrial products;
(3) biobased fuels, such as ethanol, have the clear
potential to be sustainable, low cost, and high performance
fuels that are compatible with both current and future
transportation systems and provide near zero net greenhouse gas
emissions;
(4) biobased chemicals--
(A) can provide functional replacements for
essentially all organic chemicals that are currently
derived from petroleum; and
(B) have the clear potential for environmentally
benign product life cycles;
(5) biobased power can provide environmental benefits,
promote rural economic development, and diversify energy
resource options;
(6) many biomass feedstocks suitable for industrial
processing show the clear potential for sustainable production,
in some cases resulting in improved soil fertility and carbon
sequestration;
(7)(A) grain processing mills are biorefineries that
produce a diversity of useful food, chemical, feed, and fuel
products; and
(B) technologies that result in further diversification of
the range of value-added biobased industrial products can meet
a key need for the grain processing industry;
(8)(A) cellulosic feedstocks are attractive because of
their low cost and widespread availability; and
(B) research resulting in cost-effective technology to
overcome the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass would allow
biorefineries to produce fuels and bulk chemicals on a very
large scale, with a commensurately large realization of the
benefit described in paragraph (1);
(9) research into the fundamentals to understand important
mechanisms of biomass conversion can be expected to accelerate
the application and advancement of biomass processing
technology by--
(A) increasing the confidence and speed with which
new technologies can be scaled up; and
(B) giving rise to processing innovations based on
new knowledge;
(10) the added utility of biobased industrial products
developed through improvements in processing technology would
encourage the design of feedstocks that would meet future needs
more effectively;
(11) the creation of value-added biobased industrial
products would create new jobs in construction, manufacturing,
and distribution, as well as new higher-valued exports of
products and technology;
(12)(A) because of the relatively short-term time horizon
characteristic of private sector investments, and because many
benefits of biomass processing are in the national interest, it
is appropriate for the Federal Government to provide
precommercial investment in fundamental research and research-
driven innovation in the biomass processing area; and
(B) such an investment would provide a valuable complement
to ongoing and past governmental support in the biomass
processing area; and
(13) several prominent studies, including studies by the
President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology and
the National Research Council--
(A) support the potential for large research-driven
advances in technologies for production of biobased
industrial products as well as associated benefits; and
(B) document the need for a focused, integrated,
and innovation-driven research effort to provide the
appropriate progress in a timely manner.
SEC. 3. CONVERSION OF BIOMASS INTO BIOBASED INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS.
Title XIV of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and
Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (7 U.S.C. 3101 et seq.) is amended by
adding at the end the following:
``Subtitle N--Conversion of Biomass Into Biobased Industrial Products
``SEC. 1490. DEFINITIONS.
``In this subtitle:
``(1) Advisory committee.--The term `Advisory Committee'
means the Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Technical Advisory
Committee established by section 1490C.
``(2) Biobased industrial product.--The term `biobased
industrial product' means any power, fuel, feed, chemical
product, or other consumer good derived from biomass.
``(3) Biomass.--The term `biomass' means any organic matter
that is available on a renewable or recurring basis (excluding
old growth timber), including dedicated energy crops and trees,
wood and wood residues, plants (including aquatic plants),
grasses, agricultural crops, residues, fibers, and animal
wastes and other waste materials.
``(4) Board.--The term `Board' means the Sustainable Fuels
and Chemicals Board established by section 1490B.
``(5) Initiative.--The term `Initiative' means the
Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Research Initiative established
under section 1490D.
``(6) Point of contact.--The term `point of contact' means
a point of contact designated under section 1490A(d).
``(7) Processing.--The term `processing' means the
derivation of biobased industrial products from biomass,
including--
``(A) feedstock production;
``(B) harvest and handling;
``(C) pretreatment or thermochemical processing;
``(D) fermentation;
``(E) catalytic processing;
``(F) product recovery; and
``(G) coproduct production.
``SEC. 1490A. COOPERATION AND COORDINATION IN SUSTAINABLE FUELS AND
CHEMICALS RESEARCH.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary
of Energy shall cooperate with respect to, and coordinate, policies and
procedures that promote research and development leading to the
production of biobased industrial products.
``(b) Purpose.--The purpose of the cooperation and coordination
shall be to--
``(1) understand the key mechanisms underlying the
recalcitrance of biomass for conversion into biobased
industrial products;
``(2) develop new and cost-effective technologies that
would result in large-scale commercial production of low cost
and sustainable biobased industrial products;
``(3) ensure that biobased industrial products are
developed in a manner that enhances their economic, energy
security, and environmental benefits; and
``(4) promote the development and use of agricultural and
energy crops for conversion into biobased industrial products.
``(c) Areas.--In carrying out this subtitle, the Secretary of
Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with heads of
appropriate departments and agencies, shall promote research and
development to--
``(1) advance the availability and widespread use of energy
efficient, economically competitive, and environmentally sound
biobased industrial products in a manner that is consistent
with the goals of the United States relating to sustainable and
secure supplies of food, chemicals, and fuel;
``(2) ensure full consideration of Federal land and land
management programs as potential feedstock resources for
biobased industrial products; and
``(3) assess the environmental, economic, and social impact
of production of biobased industrial products from biomass on a
large scale.
``(d) Points of Contact.--
``(1) In general.--To coordinate research and development
programs and activities relating to biobased industrial
products that are carried out by their respective Departments--
``(A) the Secretary of Agriculture shall designate,
as the point of contact for the Department of
Agriculture, an officer of the Department of
Agriculture appointed by the President to a position in
the Department before the date of the designation, by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate; and
``(B) the Secretary of Energy shall designate, as
the point of contact for the Department of Energy, an
officer of the Department of Energy appointed by the
President to a position in the Department before the
date of the designation, by and with the advice and
consent of the Senate.
``(2) Duties.--The points of contact shall jointly--
``(A) assist in arranging interlaboratory and site-
specific supplemental agreements for research,
development, and demonstration projects relating to
biobased industrial products;
``(B) serve as cochairpersons of the Board;
``(C) administer the Initiative; and
``(D) respond in writing to each recommendation of
the Advisory Committee made under section 1490C(c)(2).
``SEC. 1490B. SUSTAINABLE FUELS AND CHEMICALS BOARD.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established the Sustainable Fuels
and Chemicals Board to coordinate programs within and among departments
and agencies of the Federal Government for the purpose of promoting the
use of biobased industrial products by--
``(1) maximizing the benefits deriving from Federal grants
and assistance; and
``(2) bringing coherence to Federal strategic planning.
``(b) Membership.--The Board shall consist of:
``(1) The point of contact of the Department of Agriculture
designated under section 1490A(d)(1)(A), who shall serve as
cochairperson of the Board.
``(2) The point of contact of the Department of Energy
designated under section 1490A(d)(1)(B), who shall serve as
cochairperson of the Board.
``(3) A senior officer of each of the following agencies
who is appointed by the head of the agency and who has a rank
that is equivalent to the points of contact:
``(A) The Department of the Interior.
``(B) The Environmental Protection Agency.
``(C) The National Science Foundation.
``(D) The Office of Science and Technology Policy.
``(4) At the option of the Secretary of Agriculture and the
Secretary of Energy, other members appointed by the Secretaries
(after consultation with members described in paragraphs (1)
through (3)).
``(c) Duties.--The Board shall--
``(1) coordinate research, development, and demonstration
activities relating to biobased industrial products--
``(A) between the Department of Agriculture and the
Department of Energy; and
``(B) with other departments and agencies of the
Federal Government; and
``(2) provide recommendations to the points of contact
concerning administration of this subtitle.
``(d) Funding.--Each agency represented on the Board is encouraged
to provide funds for any purpose under this subtitle.
``(e) Meetings.--The Board shall meet at least quarterly to enable
the Board to carry out the duties of the Board under subsection (c).
``SEC. 1490C. SUSTAINABLE FUELS AND CHEMICALS TECHNICAL ADVISORY
COMMITTEE.
``(a) Establishment.--There is established the Sustainable Fuels
and Chemicals Technical Advisory Committee to--
``(1) advise the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of
Energy, and the points of contact concerning--
``(A) the technical focus and direction of requests
for proposals issued under the Initiative; and
``(B) procedures for reviewing and evaluating the
proposals;
``(2) facilitate consultations and partnerships among
Federal and State agencies, agricultural producers, industry,
consumers, the research community, and other interested groups
to carry out program activities relating to the Initiative; and
``(3) evaluate and perform strategic planning on program
activities relating to the Initiative.
``(b) Membership.--The Committee shall consist of the following
members appointed by the points of contact:
``(1) An individual affiliated with the biobased industrial
products industry.
``(2) An individual affiliated with a college or university
who has expertise in biobased industrial products.
``(3) 2 prominent engineers or scientists from government
or academia who have expertise in biobased industrial products.
``(4) An individual affiliated with a commodity trade
association.
``(5) An individual affiliated with an environmental or
conservation organization.
``(6) An individual associated with State government who
has expertise in biobased industrial products.
``(7) At the option of the points of contact, other
members.
``(c) Duties.--The Advisory Committee shall--
``(1) advise the points of contact with respect to the
Initiative; and
``(2) evaluate whether, and make recommendations in writing
to the Board to ensure that--
``(A) funds authorized for the Initiative are
distributed and used in a manner that is consistent
with the goals of the Initiative;
``(B) the points of contact are funding proposals
under this subtitle that are selected on the basis of
merit, as determined by an independent panel of
scientific and technical peers; and
``(C) activities under this subtitle are carried
out in accordance with this subtitle.
``(d) Meetings.--The Advisory Committee shall meet at least
quarterly to enable the Advisory Committee to carry out the duties of
the Advisory Committee under subsection (c).
``SEC. 1490D. SUSTAINABLE FUELS AND CHEMICALS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary
of Energy, acting through their respective points of contact and in
consultation with the Board, shall establish and carry out a
Sustainable Fuels and Chemicals Research Initiative under which
competitively-awarded grants, contracts, and financial assistance are
provided to, or entered into with, eligible entities to carry out
research on biobased industrial products.
``(b) Purposes.--The purposes of grants, contracts, and assistance
under this section shall be to--
``(1) stimulate collaborative activities by a diverse range
of experts in all aspects of biomass processing for the purpose
of conducting fundamental and innovation-targeted research and
technology development;
``(2) enhance creative and imaginative approaches toward
biomass processing that will serve to develop the next
generation of advanced technologies making possible low cost
and sustainable biobased industrial products;
``(3) strengthen the intellectual resources of the United
States through the training and education of future scientists,
engineers, managers, and business leaders in the field of
biomass processing; and
``(4) promote integrated research partnerships among
colleges, universities, national laboratories, Federal and
State research agencies, and the private sector as the best
means of overcoming technical challenges that span multiple research
and engineering disciplines and of gaining better leverage from limited
Federal research funds.
``(c) Eligible Entities.--
``(1) In general.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or
assistance under this section, an applicant shall be--
``(A) a college or university;
``(B) a national laboratory;
``(C) a Federal research agency;
``(D) a State research agency;
``(E) a private sector entity;
``(F) a nonprofit organization; or
``(G) a consortium of 2 or more entities described
in subparagraphs (A) through (E).
``(2) Administration.--After consultation with the Board,
the points of contact, on behalf of the Board, shall--
``(A) publish annually 1 or more joint requests for
proposals for grants, contracts, and assistance under
this section;
``(B) establish a priority in grants, contracts,
and assistance under this section for research that--
``(i) demonstrates potential for
significant advances in biomass processing;
``(ii) demonstrates potential to
substantially impact scale-sensitive national
objectives such as sustainable resource supply,
reduced greenhouse gas emissions, healthier
rural economies, and improved strategic
security and trade balances; and
``(iii) would improve knowledge of
important biomass processing systems that
demonstrate potential for commercial
applications;
``(C) require that grants, contracts, and
assistance under this section be awarded competitively,
on the basis of merit, after the establishment of
procedures that provide for scientific peer review by
an independent panel of scientific and technical peers;
and
``(D) give preference to applications that--
``(i) involve a consortia of experts from
multiple institutions; and
``(ii) encourage the integration of
disciplines and application of the best
technical resources.
``(d) Uses of Grants, Contracts, and Assistance.--A grant,
contract, or assistance under this section shall be used to conduct--
``(1) research on process technology for overcoming the
recalcitrance of biomass, including research on key mechanisms,
advanced technologies, and demonstration test beds for--
``(A) feedstock pretreatment and hydrolysis of
cellulose and hemicellulose, including new technologies
for--
``(i) enhanced sugar yields;
``(ii) lower overall chemical use;
``(iii) less costly materials; and
``(iv) cost reduction;
``(B) development of novel organisms and other
approaches to substantially lower the cost of cellulase
enzymes and enzymatic hydrolysis, including dedicated
cellulase production and consolidated bioprocessing
strategies; and
``(C) approaches other than enzymatic hydrolysis
for overcoming the recalcitrance of cellulosic biomass;
``(2) research on technologies for diversifying the range
of products than can be efficiently and cost-competitively
produced from biomass, including research on--
``(A) metabolic engineering of biological systems
(including the safe use of genetically modified crops)
to produce novel products, especially commodity
products, or to increase product selectivity and
tolerance, with a research priority on the development
of biobased products that can compete in performance
and cost with fossil-based products;
``(B) catalytic processing to convert intermediates
of biomass processing into products of interest;
``(C) separation technologies for cost-effective
product recovery and purification;
``(D) approaches other than metabolic engineering
and catalytic conversion of intermediates of biomass
processing;
``(E) advanced biomass gasification technologies,
including coproduction of power and heat as an
integrated component of biomass processing, with the
possibility of generating excess electricity for sale;
and
``(F) related research in advanced turbine and
stationary fuel cell technology for production of
electricity from biomass; and
``(3) research aimed at ensuring the environmental
performance and economic viability of biobased industrial
products and their raw material input of biomass when
considered as an integrated system, including research on--
``(A) the analysis of, and strategies to enhance,
the environmental performance and sustainability of
biobased industrial products, including research on--
``(i) accurate measurement and analysis of
greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration,
and carbon cycling in relation to the life
cycle of biobased industrial products and
feedstocks with respect to other alternatives;
``(ii) evaluation of current and future
biomass resource availability;
``(iii) development and analysis of land
management practices and alternative biomass
cropping systems that ensure the environmental
performance and sustainability of biomass
production and harvesting;
``(iv) land, air, water, and biodiversity
impacts of large-scale biomass production,
processing, and use of biobased industrial
products relative to other alternatives; and
``(v) biomass gasification and combustion
to produce electricity;
``(B) the analysis of, and strategies to enhance,
the economic viability of biobased industrial products,
including research on--
``(i) the cost of the required process
technology;
``(ii) the impact of coproducts, including
power and heat generation, on biobased
industrial product price and large-scale
economic viability; and
``(iii) interactions between an emergent
biomass refining industry and the petrochemical
refining infrastructure; and
``(C) the field and laboratory research related to
feedstock production with the interrelated goals of
enhancing the sustainability, increasing productivity,
and decreasing the cost of biomass processing,
including research on--
``(i) altering biomass to make biomass
easier and less expensive to process;
``(ii) existing and new agricultural and
energy crops that provide a sustainable
resource for conversion to biobased industrial
products while simultaneously serving as a
source for coproducts such as food, animal
feed, and fiber;
``(iii) improved technologies for harvest,
collection, transport, storage, and handling of
crop and residue feedstocks; and
``(iv) development of economically viable
cropping systems that improve the conservation
and restoration of marginal land.
``(e) Authorization of Appropriations.--In addition to any other
amounts that are authorized to be appropriated, there are authorized to
be appropriated to carry out this section $49,000,000 for each of
fiscal years 2000 through 2005.
``SEC. 1490E. ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT AND FUNDS.
``(a) In General.--To the extent administrative support and funds
are not provided by other agencies under subsection (b), the Secretary
of Energy shall provide such administrative support and funds of the
Department of Energy to the Board and the Advisory Committee as are
necessary to enable the Board and the Advisory Committee to carry out
this subtitle.
``(b) Other Agencies.--The Secretary of Agriculture and the heads
of the agencies referred to in section 1490B(a)(3) may, and are
encouraged to, provide administrative support and funds of their
respective agencies to the Board and the Advisory Committee.
``SEC. 1490F. REPORTS.
``For each fiscal year that funds are made available to carry out
this subtitle, the Secretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy
shall jointly transmit to Congress a detailed report on--
``(1) the status and progress of the Initiative, including
a certification from the Board that funds authorized for the
Initiative are distributed and used in a manner that is
consistent with the goals of the Initiative; and
``(2) the general status of cooperation and research
efforts carried out by each Secretary with respect to
sustainable fuels, chemicals, and electricity derived from
biomass, including a certification from the Board that the
points of contact are funding proposals that are selected on
the basis of merit, as determined by an independent panel of
scientific and technical peers.
``SEC. 1490G. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR ETHANOL RESEARCH
PILOT PLANT.
``There are authorized to be appropriated to construct a Department
of Agriculture corn-based ethanol research pilot plant a total of
$14,000,000 for fiscal year 2000 and subsequent fiscal years.''.
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