Sustainable Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2019

II Calendar No. 513 116TH CONGRESS 2D SESSION S. 999 [Report No. 116–251] To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting sustainable chemistry, and for other purposes. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES APRIL 3, 2019 Mr. COONS (for himself, Ms. COLLINS, Mrs. CAPITO, and Ms. KLOBUCHAR) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation AUGUST 12, 2020 Reported by Mr. WICKER, with an amendment [Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] A BILL To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting sustainable chemistry, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sustainable Chemistry 4 Research and Development Act of 2019’’. 5 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 2 •S 999 RS SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 1 Congress finds that— 2 (1) Congress recognized the importance and 3 value of sustainable chemistry and the role of the 4 Federal Government in section 114 of the American 5 Innovation and Competitiveness Act (Public Law 6 114–329); 7 (2) sustainable chemistry and materials trans- 8 formation is a key value contributor to business 9 competitiveness across many industrial and con- 10 sumer sectors; 11 (3) companies across hundreds of supply chains 12 critical to the American economy are seeking to re- 13 duce costs and open new markets through innova- 14 tions in manufacturing and materials, and are in 15 need of new innovations in chemistry, including sus- 16 tainable chemistry; 17 (4) sustainable chemistry can improve the effi- 18 ciency with which natural resources are used to meet 19 human needs for chemical products while avoiding 20 environmental harm, reduce or eliminate the emis- 21 sions of and exposures to hazardous substances, 22 minimize the use of resources, and benefit the econ- 23 omy, people, and the environment; and 24 (5) a recent report by the Government Account- 25 ability Office (GAO–18–307) found that the Federal 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 3 •S 999 RS Government could play an important role in helping 1 realize the full innovation and market potential of 2 sustainable chemistry technologies, including 3 through a coordinated national effort on sustainable 4 chemistry and standardized tools and definitions to 5 support sustainable chemistry research, development, 6 demonstration, and commercialization. 7 SEC. 3. NATIONAL COORDINATING ENTITY FOR SUSTAIN- 8 ABLE CHEMISTRY. 9 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 10 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Of- 11 fice of Science and Technology Policy shall convene an 12 interagency entity (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Entity’’) 13 under the National Science and Technology Council with 14 the responsibility to coordinate Federal programs and ac- 15 tivities in support of sustainable chemistry, including 16 those described in sections 5 and 6. 17 (b) COORDINATION WITH EXISTING GROUPS.—In 18 convening the Entity, the Director of the Office of Science 19 and Technology Policy shall consider overlap and possible 20 coordination with existing committees, subcommittees, or 21 other groups of the National Science and Technology 22 Council, such as— 23 (1) the Committee on Environment, Natural 24 Resources, and Sustainability; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 4 •S 999 RS (2) the Committee on Technology; 1 (3) the Committee on Science; or 2 (4) related groups or subcommittees. 3 (c) CO-CHAIRS.—The Entity shall be co-chaired by 4 representatives from the Environmental Protection Agen- 5 cy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 6 and the National Science Foundation. 7 (d) AGENCY PARTICIPATION.—The Entity shall in- 8 clude representatives, including subject matter experts, 9 from the Environmental Protection Agency, the National 10 Institute of Standards and Technology, the National 11 Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, the De- 12 partment of Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the 13 National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease 14 Control and Prevention, the Food and Drug Administra- 15 tion, and other related Federal agencies, as appropriate. 16 SEC. 4. ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY. 17 (a) ROADMAP.—Not later than 2 years after the date 18 of enactment of this Act, the Entity shall— 19 (1) develop a working framework of attributes 20 characterizing sustainable chemistry, as described in 21 subsection (b); 22 (2) assess the state of sustainable chemistry in 23 the United States as a key benchmark from which 24 progress under the activities described in this Act 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 5 •S 999 RS can be measured, including assessing key sectors of 1 the United States economy, key technology plat- 2 forms, and barriers to innovation; 3 (3) coordinate and support Federal research, 4 development, demonstration, technology transfer, 5 commercialization, education, and training efforts in 6 sustainable chemistry, including budget coordination 7 and support for public-private partnerships, as ap- 8 propriate; 9 (4) identify methods by which the Federal 10 agencies can facilitate the development of incentives 11 for development, consideration and use of sustain- 12 able chemistry processes and products, including in- 13 novative financing mechanisms; 14 (5) identify major scientific challenges, road- 15 blocks, or hurdles to transformational progress in 16 improving the sustainability of the chemical sciences; 17 and 18 (6) identify other opportunities for expanding 19 Federal efforts in support of sustainable chemistry. 20 (b) ATTRIBUTES CHARACTERIZING SUSTAINABLE 21 CHEMISTRY.—The Entity shall develop a working frame- 22 work of attributes characterizing sustainable chemistry for 23 the purposes of carrying out the Act. In developing this 24 framework, the Entity shall— 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 6 •S 999 RS (1) seek advice and input from stakeholders as 1 described in subsection (c); 2 (2) consider existing definitions of or frame- 3 works characterizing sustainable or green chemistry 4 already in use at Federal agencies; 5 (3) consider existing definitions of or frame- 6 works characterizing sustainable or green chemistry 7 already in use by international organizations of 8 which the United States is a member, such as the 9 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Devel- 10 opment; and 11 (4) consider any other appropriate existing defi- 12 nitions of or frameworks characterizing sustainable 13 or green chemistry. 14 (c) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the duties de- 15 scribed in subsections (a) and (b), the Entity shall consult 16 and coordinate with stakeholders qualified to provide ad- 17 vice and information to guide Federal activities related to 18 sustainable chemistry through workshops, requests for in- 19 formation, and other mechanisms as necessary. The stake- 20 holders shall include representatives from— 21 (1) business and industry (including trade asso- 22 ciations and small- and medium-sized enterprises 23 from across the value chain); 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 7 •S 999 RS (2) the scientific community (including the Na- 1 tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Med- 2 icine, scientific professional societies, and academia); 3 (3) the defense community; 4 (4) State, tribal, and local governments, includ- 5 ing nonregulatory State or regional sustainable 6 chemistry programs, as appropriate; 7 (5) nongovernmental organizations; and 8 (6) other appropriate organizations. 9 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 10 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 11 the date of enactment of this Act, the Entity shall 12 submit a report to the Committee on Environment 13 and Public Works, the Committee on Commerce, 14 Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on 15 Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on 16 Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on 17 Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Ap- 18 propriations of the House of Representatives. In ad- 19 dition to the elements described in subsections (a) 20 and (b), the report shall include— 21 (A) a summary of federally funded, sus- 22 tainable chemistry research, development, dem- 23 onstration, technology transfer, commercializa- 24 tion, education, and training activities; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 8 •S 999 RS (B) a summary of the financial resources 1 allocated to sustainable chemistry initiatives; 2 (C) an assessment of the current state of 3 sustainable chemistry in the United States, in- 4 cluding the role that Federal agencies are play- 5 ing in supporting it; 6 (D) an analysis of the progress made to- 7 ward achieving the goals and priorities of this 8 Act, and recommendations for future program 9 activities; 10 (E) an assessment of the benefits of ex- 11 panding existing, federally supported, regional 12 innovation and manufacturing hubs to include 13 sustainable chemistry and the value of directing 14 the creation of 1 or more dedicated sustainable 15 chemistry centers of excellence or hubs; and 16 (F) an evaluation of steps taken and fu- 17 ture strategies to avoid duplication of efforts, 18 streamline interagency coordination, facilitate 19 information sharing, and spread best practices 20 among participating agencies. 21 (2) SUBMISSION TO GAO.—The Entity shall 22 also submit the report described in paragraph (1) to 23 the Comptroller General of the United States for 24 consideration in future Congressional inquiries. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 9 •S 999 RS SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF SUSTAINABLE 1 CHEMISTRY. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—The agencies participating in the 3 Entity shall carry out activities in support of sustainable 4 chemistry, as appropriate to the specific mission and pro- 5 grams of each agency. 6 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The activities described in sub- 7 section (a) shall— 8 (1) incorporate sustainable chemistry into exist- 9 ing research, development, demonstration, tech- 10 nology transfer, commercialization, education, and 11 training programs, that the agency determines to be 12 relevant, including consideration of— 13 (A) merit-based competitive grants to indi- 14 vidual investigators and teams of investigators, 15 including, to the extent practicable, early career 16 investigators for research and development; 17 (B) grants to fund collaborative research 18 and development partnerships among univer- 19 sities, industry, and nonprofit organizations; 20 (C) coordination of sustainable chemistry 21 research, development, demonstration, and tech- 22 nology transfer conducted at Federal labora- 23 tories and agencies; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 10 •S 999 RS (D) incentive prize competitions and chal- 1 lenges in coordination with such existing Fed- 2 eral agency programs; and 3 (E) grants, loans, and loan guarantees to 4 aid in the technology transfer and commer- 5 cialization of sustainable chemicals, materials, 6 processes, and products; 7 (2) collect and disseminate information on sus- 8 tainable chemistry research, development, technology 9 transfer, and commercialization, including informa- 10 tion on accomplishments and best practices; 11 (3) within education and training programs, ex- 12 pand the education and training of undergraduate 13 and graduate students and professional scientists 14 and engineers, and other professionals involved in 15 materials specification in sustainable chemistry and 16 engineering, including through partnerships with in- 17 dustry as described in section 6; 18 (4) as relevant to an agency’s programs, exam- 19 ine methods by which the Federal agencies, in col- 20 laboration and consultation with the National Insti- 21 tute of Standards and Technology, can facilitate the 22 development or recognition of validated, standard- 23 ized tools for performing sustainability assessments 24 of chemistry processes or products; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 11 •S 999 RS (5) through programs identified by an agency, 1 support (including through technical assistance, par- 2 ticipation, financial support, communications tools, 3 awards, or other forms of support) outreach and dis- 4 semination of sustainable chemistry advances such 5 as non-Federal symposia, forums, conferences, and 6 publications in collaboration with, as appropriate, in- 7 dustry, academia, scientific and professional soci- 8 eties, and other relevant groups; 9 (6) provide for public input and outreach to be 10 integrated into the activities described in this section 11 by the convening of public discussions, through 12 mechanisms such as public meetings, consensus con- 13 ferences, and educational events, as appropriate; 14 (7) within each agency, develop metrics to track 15 the outputs and outcomes of the programs supported 16 by that agency; and 17 (8) incentivize or recognize actions that advance 18 sustainable chemistry products, processes, or initia- 19 tives, including through the establishment of a na- 20 tionally recognized awards program through the En- 21 vironmental Protection Agency to identify, publicize, 22 and celebrate innovations in sustainable chemistry 23 and chemical technologies. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 20:46 Aug 12, 2020 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\S999.RS S999 pamtmann on DSKBC07HB2PROD with BILLS 12 •S 999 RS (c) LIMITATIONS.—Financial support provided under 1 this section shall— 2 (1) be available only for pre-competitive activi- 3 ties; and 4 (2) not be used [Text truncated for display. 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