[Congressional Bills 117th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4559 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
<DOC>
117th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. 4559
To strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing
through the research and development of advanced technologies to reduce
steelmaking emissions, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 19, 2022
Mr. Casey introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing
through the research and development of advanced technologies to reduce
steelmaking emissions, 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 ``Steel Upgrading Partnerships and
Emissions Reduction Act of 2022'' or the ``SUPER Act of 2022''.
SEC. 2. LOW-EMISSIONS STEEL MANUFACTURING RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) Program.--Subtitle D of title IV of the Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17111 et seq.) is amended by inserting
after section 454 the following:
``SEC. 454A. LOW-EMISSIONS STEEL MANUFACTURING RESEARCH PROGRAM.
``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage the
research and development of innovative technologies aimed at--
``(1) increasing the technological and economic
competitiveness of industry and manufacturing in the United
States; and
``(2) achieving significant net nonwater greenhouse
emissions reductions in the production processes for iron,
steel, and steel mill products.
``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Commercially available steelmaking.--The term
`commercially available steelmaking' means the current
production method of iron, steel, and steel mill products.
``(2) Critical material.--The term `critical material' has
the meaning given such term in section 7002 of the Energy Act
of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606).
``(3) Critical mineral.--The term `critical mineral' has
the meaning given such term in section 7002 of the Energy Act
of 2020 (30 U.S.C. 1606).
``(4) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
``(A) an institution of higher education;
``(B) an appropriate State or Federal entity,
including a federally funded research and development
center of the Department;
``(C) a nonprofit research institution;
``(D) a private entity;
``(E) any other relevant entity the Secretary
determines appropriate; and
``(F) a partnership or consortium of two or more
entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (E).
``(5) Low-emissions steel manufacturing.--The term `low-
emissions steel manufacturing' means advanced or commercially
available steelmaking with the reduction, to the maximum extent
practicable, of net nonwater greenhouse gas emissions to the
atmosphere from the production of iron, steel, and steel mill
products.
``(c) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions Reduction
Act of 2022, the Secretary shall establish a program of research,
development, demonstration, and commercial application of advanced
tools, technologies, and methods for low-emissions steel manufacturing.
``(d) Requirements.--In carrying out the program under subsection
(c), the Secretary shall--
``(1) coordinate this program with the programs and
activities authorized in title VI of division Z of the
Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021;
``(2) coordinate across all relevant program offices of the
Department, including the Office of Science, Office of Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Fossil Energy,
and the Office of Nuclear Energy;
``(3) leverage, to the extent practicable, the research
infrastructure of the Department, including scientific
computing user facilities, x-ray light sources, neutron
scattering facilities, and nanoscale science research centers;
and
``(4) conduct research, development, and demonstration of
low-emissions steel manufacturing technologies that have the
potential to increase domestic production and employment in
advanced and commercially available steelmaking.
``(e) Strategic Plan.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions
Reduction Act of 2022, the Secretary shall develop a 5-year
strategic plan identifying research, development,
demonstration, and commercial application goals for the program
established in subsection (c). The Secretary shall submit this
plan to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources of the Senate.
``(2) Contents.--The strategic plan submitted under
paragraph (1) shall--
``(A) identify programs at the Department related
to low-emissions steel manufacturing that support the
research, development, demonstration, and commercial
application activities described in this section, and
the demonstration projects under subsection (h);
``(B) establish technological and programmatic
goals to achieve the requirements of subsection (d);
and
``(C) include timelines for the accomplishment of
goals developed under the plan.
``(3) Updates to plan.--Not less than once every two years,
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space,
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate an
updated version of the plan under paragraph (1).
``(f) Focus Areas.--In carrying out the program established in
subsection (c), the Secretary shall focus on--
``(1) medium- and high-temperature heat generation
technologies used for low-emissions steel manufacturing, which
may include--
``(A) alternative fuels, including hydrogen and
biomass;
``(B) alternative reducing agents, including
hydrogen;
``(C) renewable heat generation technology,
including solar and geothermal;
``(D) electrification of heating processes,
including through electrolysis; and
``(E) other heat generation sources;
``(2) carbon capture technologies for advanced and
commercially available steelmaking processes, which may
include--
``(A) combustion and chemical looping technologies;
``(B) use of slag to reduce carbon dioxide
emissions;
``(C) pre-combustion technologies; and
``(D) post-combustion technologies;
``(3) smart manufacturing technologies and principles,
digital manufacturing technologies, and advanced data analytics
to develop advanced technologies and practices in information,
automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and
networking to--
``(A) model and simulate manufacturing production
lines;
``(B) monitor and communicate production line
status; and
``(C) model, simulate, and optimize the energy
efficiency of manufacturing processes;
``(4) technologies and practices that minimize energy and
natural resource consumption, which may include--
``(A) designing products that enable reuse,
refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling;
``(B) minimizing waste from advanced and
commercially available steelmaking processes, including
through the reuse of waste as resources in other
industrial processes for mutual benefit;
``(C) increasing resource efficiency; and
``(D) increasing the energy efficiency of advanced
and commercially available steelmaking processes;
``(5) alternative materials and technologies that produce
fewer emissions during production and result in fewer emissions
during use, which may include--
``(A) innovative raw materials;
``(B) high-performance lightweight materials;
``(C) substitutions for critical materials and
critical minerals; and
``(D) other technologies that achieve significant
carbon emission reductions in low-emissions steel
manufacturing, as determined by the Secretary; and
``(6) high-performance computing to develop advanced
materials and manufacturing processes contributing to the focus
areas described in paragraphs (1) through (5), including--
``(A) modeling, simulation, and optimization of the
design of energy efficient and sustainable products;
and
``(B) the use of digital prototyping and additive
manufacturing to enhance product design.
``(g) Testing and Validation.--The Secretary, in consultation with
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
shall support the development of standardized testing and technical
validation of advanced and commercially available steelmaking and low-
emissions steel manufacturing through collaboration with one or more
National Laboratories, and one or more eligible entities.
``(h) Demonstration.--
``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and
Emissions Reduction Act of 2022, the Secretary, in carrying out
the program established in subsection (c), and in collaboration
with industry partners, institutions of higher education, and
the National Laboratories, shall support an initiative for the
demonstration of low-emissions steel manufacturing, as
identified by the Secretary, that uses either--
``(A) a single technology; or
``(B) a combination of multiple technologies.
``(2) Selection requirements.--Under the initiative
established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall select
eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects and to
the maximum extent practicable--
``(A) encourage regional diversity among eligible
entities, including participation by rural States;
``(B) encourage technological diversity among
eligible entities; and
``(C) ensure that specific projects selected--
``(i) expand on the existing technology
demonstration programs of the Department; and
``(ii) prioritize projects that leverage
matching funds from non-Federal sources.
``(3) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate--
``(A) not less frequently than once every two years
for the duration of the demonstration initiative under
this subsection, a report describing the performance of
the initiative; and
``(B) if the initiative established under this
subsection is terminated, an assessment of the success
of, and education provided by, the measures carried out
by recipients of financial assistance under the
initiative.
``(i) Additional Coordination.--
``(1) Manufacturing usa.--In carrying out this section, the
Secretary shall consider--
``(A) leveraging the resources of relevant existing
Manufacturing USA institutes described in section 34(d)
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology
Act (15 U.S.C. 278s(d));
``(B) integrating program activities into a
relevant existing Manufacturing USA institutes; or
``(C) establishing a new institute focused on low-
emissions steel manufacturing.
``(2) Other federal agencies.--In carrying out this
section, the Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal
agencies that are carrying out research and development
initiatives to increase industrial competitiveness and achieve
significant net nonwater greenhouse emissions reductions
through low-emissions steel manufacturing, including the
Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, and the
National Institute of Standards and Technology.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--Section 1(b) of the Energy Independence
and Security Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-140; 134 Stat. 2556; 121 Stat.
1494) is amended in the table of contents by inserting after the item
relating to section 454 the following:
``Sec. 454A. Low-emissions steel manufacturing research program.''.
<all>