IB 

Union Calendar No. 253 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2051 

[Report No. 116–312, Part I] 

To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting sustainable 

chemistry, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 3, 2019 

Mr. LIPINSKI (for himself and Mr. MOOLENAAR) introduced the following bill; 

which was referred to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

and in addition to the Committee on the Budget, 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 

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BALDERSON, Mr. CASTEN of Illinois, Mr. TONKO, 

Ms. STEVENS, Mr. FITZPATRICK, Mr. FOSTER, Mr. VAN DREW, Mr. COX

of California, Ms. JOHNSON of Texas, Ms. SHERRILL, Mr. 

FLEISCHMANN, Ms. KENDRA S. HORN of Oklahoma, Mrs. DINGELL, Mr. 

BYRNE, Ms. SLOTKIN, and Mr. SUOZZI

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology with an 

amendment 

[Strike out all after the enacting clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Committee on the Budget discharged; committed to the Committee of the 

Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed 

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on April 3, 2019] 


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A BILL 

To provide for Federal coordination of activities supporting 

sustainable chemistry, and for other purposes. 


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1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Sustainable Chemistry 

5 Research and Development Act of 2019’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 

8 (1) Congress recognized the importance and 

9 value of sustainable chemistry and the role of the Fed10 eral Government in section 114 of the American Inno11 vation and Competitiveness Act (Public Law 114– 

12 329); 

13 (2) sustainable chemistry and materials trans14 formation is a key value contributor to business com15 petitiveness across many industrial and consumer sec16 tors; 

17 (3) companies across hundreds of supply chains 

18 critical to the American economy are seeking to re19 duce costs and open new markets through innovations 

20 in manufacturing and materials, and are in need of 

21 new innovations in chemistry, including sustainable 

22 chemistry; 

23 (4) sustainable chemistry can improve the effi24 ciency with which natural resources are used to meet 

25 human needs for chemical products while avoiding 


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1 environmental harm, reduce or eliminate the emis2 sions of and exposures to hazardous substances, mini3 mize the use of resources, and benefit the economy, 

4 people, and the environment; and 

5 (5) a recent report by the Government Account6 ability Office (GAO–18–307) found that the Federal 

7 Government could play an important role in helping 

8 realize the full innovation and market potential of 

9 sustainable chemistry technologies, including through 

10 a coordinated national effort on sustainable chemistry 

11 and standardized tools and definitions to support sus12 tainable chemistry research, development, demonstra13 tion, and commercialization. 

14 SEC. 3. NATIONAL COORDINATING ENTITY FOR SUSTAIN15 ABLE CHEMISTRY. 

16 (a) ESTABLISHMENT.—Not later than 180 days after 

17 the date of enactment of this Act, the Director of the Office 

18 of Science and Technology Policy shall convene an inter19 agency entity (referred to in this Act as the ‘‘Entity’’) under 

20 the National Science and Technology Council with the re21 sponsibility to coordinate Federal programs and activities 

22 in support of sustainable chemistry, including those de23 scribed in sections 5 and 6. 

24 (b) COORDINATION WITH EXISTING GROUPS.—In con25 vening the Entity, the Director of the Office of Science and 


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1 Technology Policy shall consider overlap and possible co2 ordination with existing committees, subcommittees, or 

3 other groups of the National Science and Technology Coun4 cil, such as— 

5 (1) the Committee on Environment; 

6 (2) the Committee on Technology; 

7 (3) the Committee on Science; or 

8 (4) related groups or subcommittees. 

9 (c) CO-CHAIRS.—The Entity shall be co-chaired by the 

10 Office of Science and Technology Policy and a representa11 tive from the Environmental Protection Agency, the Na12 tional Institute of Standards and Technology, the National 

13 Science Foundation, or the Department of Energy, as se14 lected by the Director of the Office of Science and Tech15 nology Policy. 

16 (d) AGENCY PARTICIPATION.—The Entity shall in17 clude representatives, including subject matter experts, from 

18 the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Insti19 tute of Standards and Technology, the National Science 

20 Foundation, the Department of Energy, the Department of 

21 Agriculture, the Department of Defense, the National Insti22 tutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Preven23 tion, the Food and Drug Administration, and other related 

24 Federal agencies, as appropriate. 


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1 (e) TERMINATION.—The Entity shall terminate on the 

2 date that is 10 years after the date of enactment of this 

3 Act. 

4 SEC. 4. ROADMAP FOR SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY. 

5 (a) ROADMAP.—Not later than 2 years after the date 

6 of enactment of this Act, the Entity shall— 

7 (1) consult with relevant stakeholders including 

8 representatives from industry, academia, the Federal 

9 Government, and international entities to develop 

10 and update as needed a consensus definition of ‘‘sus11 tainable chemistry’’ to guide the activities under this 

12 Act; 

13 (2) develop a working framework of attributes 

14 characterizing and metrics for assessing sustainable 

15 chemistry, as described in subsection (b); 

16 (3) assess the state of sustainable chemistry in 

17 the United States as a key benchmark from which 

18 progress under the activities described in this Act can 

19 be measured, including assessing key sectors of the 

20 United States economy, key technology platforms, 

21 commercial priorities, and barriers to innovation; 

22 (4) coordinate and support Federal research, de23 velopment, demonstration, technology transfer, com24 mercialization, education, and training efforts in sus25 tainable chemistry, including budget coordination 


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1 and support for public-private partnerships, as ap2 propriate; 

3 (5) identify methods by which the Federal agen4 cies can facilitate the development of incentives for 

5 development, consideration and use of sustainable 

6 chemistry processes and products, including innova7 tive financing mechanisms; 

8 (6) identify major scientific challenges, road9 blocks, or hurdles to transformational progress in im10 proving the sustainability of the chemical sciences; 

11 and 

12 (7) identify other opportunities for expanding 

13 Federal efforts in support of sustainable chemistry. 

14 (b) CHARACTERIZING AND ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE

15 CHEMISTRY.—The Entity shall develop a working frame16 work of attributes characterizing and metrics for assessing 

17 sustainable chemistry for the purposes of carrying out the 

18 Act. In developing this framework, the Entity shall— 

19 (1) seek advice and input from stakeholders as 

20 described in subsection (c); 

21 (2) consider existing definitions of or frameworks 

22 characterizing and metrics for assessing sustainable 

23 chemistry already in use at Federal agencies; 

24 (3) consider existing definitions of or frameworks 

25 characterizing and metrics for assessing sustainable 


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1 chemistry already in use by international organiza2 tions of which the United States is a member, such 

3 as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and 

4 Development; and 

5 (4) consider any other appropriate existing defi6 nitions of or frameworks characterizing and metrics 

7 for assessing sustainable chemistry. 

8 (c) CONSULTATION.—In carrying out the duties de9 scribed in subsections (a) and (b), the Entity shall consult 

10 with stakeholders qualified to provide advice and informa11 tion to guide Federal activities related to sustainable chem12 istry through workshops, requests for information, and other 

13 mechanisms as necessary. The stakeholders shall include 

14 representatives from— 

15 (1) business and industry (including trade asso16 ciations and small- and medium-sized enterprises 

17 from across the value chain); 

18 (2) the scientific community (including the Na19 tional Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medi20 cine, scientific professional societies, and academia); 

21 (3) the defense community; 

22 (4) State, tribal, and local governments, includ23 ing nonregulatory State or regional sustainable chem24 istry programs, as appropriate; 

25 (5) nongovernmental organizations; and 


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1 (6) other appropriate organizations. 

2 (d) REPORT TO CONGRESS.— 

3 (1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 3 years after 

4 the date of enactment of this Act, the Entity shall 

5 submit a report to the Committee on Environment 

6 and Public Works, the Committee on Commerce, 

7 Science, and Transportation, and the Committee on 

8 Appropriations of the Senate, and the Committee on 

9 Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on 

10 Energy and Commerce, and the Committee on Appro11 priations of the House of Representatives. In addition 

12 to the elements described in subsections (a) and (b), 

13 the report shall include— 

14 (A) a summary of federally funded, sustain15 able chemistry research, development, demonstra16 tion, technology transfer, commercialization, 

17 education, and training activities; 

18 (B) a summary of the financial resources 

19 allocated to sustainable chemistry initiatives; 

20 (C) an assessment of the current state of 

21 sustainable chemistry in the United States, in22 cluding the role that Federal agencies are play23 ing in supporting it; 

24 (D) an analysis of the progress made to25 ward achieving the goals and priorities of this 


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1 Act, and recommendations for future program 

2 activities; 

3 (E) an assessment of the benefits of expand4 ing existing, federally supported, regional inno5 vation and manufacturing hubs, centers, and in6 stitutes to include sustainable chemistry and the 

7 value of directing the creation of 1 or more dedi8 cated sustainable chemistry centers of excellence, 

9 hubs, or institutes; and 

10 (F) an evaluation of steps taken and future 

11 strategies to avoid duplication of efforts, stream12 line interagency coordination, facilitate informa13 tion sharing, and spread best practices among 

14 participating agencies. 

15 (2) SUBMISSION TO GAO.—The Entity shall also 

16 submit the report described in paragraph (1) to the 

17 Comptroller General of the United States for consider18 ation in future Congressional inquiries. 

19 SEC. 5. AGENCY ACTIVITIES IN SUPPORT OF SUSTAINABLE 

20 CHEMISTRY. 

21 (a) IN GENERAL.—The agencies participating in the 

22 Entity shall carry out activities in support of sustainable 

23 chemistry, as appropriate to the specific mission and pro24 grams of each agency. 


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1 (b) ACTIVITIES.—The activities described in subsection 

2 (a) shall— 

3 (1) incorporate sustainable chemistry into exist4 ing research, development, demonstration, technology 

5 transfer, commercialization, education, and training 

6 programs, that the agency determines to be relevant, 

7 including consideration of— 

8 (A) merit-based competitive grants to indi9 vidual investigators and teams of investigators, 

10 including, to the extent practicable, early career 

11 investigators for research and development; 

12 (B) grants to fund collaborative research 

13 and development partnerships among univer14 sities, industry, and nonprofit organizations; 

15 (C) coordination of sustainable chemistry 

16 research, development, demonstration, and tech17 nology transfer conducted at Federal laboratories 

18 and agencies; 

19 (D) incentive prize competitions and chal20 lenges in coordination with such existing Federal 

21 agency programs; and 

22 (E) grants, loans, and loan guarantees to 

23 aid in the technology transfer and commer24 cialization of sustainable chemicals, materials, 

25 processes, and products; 


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1 (2) collect and disseminate information on sus2 tainable chemistry research, development, technology 

3 transfer, and commercialization, including informa4 tion on accomplishments and best practices; 

5 (3) raise awareness of sustainable chemistry con6 cepts through public outreach activities; 

7 (4) expand the education and training of stu8 dents at all levels of education, professional scientists 

9 and engineers, and other professionals involved in all 

10 aspects of sustainable chemistry and engineering ap11 propriate to that level of education and training, in12 cluding through— 

13 (A) partnerships with industry as described 

14 in section 6; 

15 (B) support for the integration of sustain16 able chemistry principles into elementary, sec17 ondary, undergraduate, and graduate chemistry 

18 and chemical engineering curriculum and re19 search training, as appropriate to that level of 

20 education and training; and 

21 (C) support for integration of sustainable 

22 chemistry principles into existing or new profes23 sional development opportunities for profes24 sionals including teachers, faculty, and individ25 uals involved in laboratory research, (product 


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1 development, materials specification and testing, 

2 life cycle analysis, and management); 

3 (5) as relevant to an agency’s programs, examine 

4 methods by which the Federal agencies, in collabora5 tion and consultation with the National Institute of 

6 Standards and Technology, may facilitate the devel7 opment or recognition of validated, standardized tools 

8 for performing sustainability assessments of chemistry 

9 processes or products; 

10 (6) through programs identified by an agency, 

11 support (including through technical assistance, par12 ticipation, financial support, communications tools, 

13 awards, or other forms of support) outreach and dis14 semination of sustainable chemistry advances such as 

15 non-Federal symposia, forums, conferences, and publi16 cations in collaboration with, as appropriate, indus17 try, academia, scientific and professional societies, 

18 and other relevant groups; 

19 (7) provide for public input and outreach to be 

20 integrated into the activities described in this section 

21 by the convening of public discussions, through mech22 anisms such as public meetings, consensus con23 ferences, and educational events, as appropriate; 


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1 (8) within each agency, develop metrics to track 

2 the outputs and outcomes of the programs supported 

3 by that agency; and 

4 (9) incentivize or recognize actions that advance 

5 sustainable chemistry products, processes, or initia6 tives, including through the establishment of a nation7 ally recognized awards program through the Environ8 mental Protection Agency to identify, publicize, and 

9 celebrate innovations in sustainable chemistry and 

10 chemical technologies. 

11 (c) LIMITATIONS.—Financial support provided under 

12 this section shall— 

13 (1) be available only for pre-competitive activi14 ties; and 

15 (2) not be used to promote the sale of a specific 

16 product, process, or technology, or to disparage a spe17 cific product, process, or technology. 

18 (d) AGENCY BUDGET REPORT.—For each of fiscal 

19 years 2021 through 2030, not later than 90 days after sub20 mission of the President’s annual budget request, the Entity 

21 shall prepare and submit to the Committee on Environment 

22 and Public Works, the Committee on Commerce, Science, 

23 and Transportation, and the Committee on Appropriations 

24 of the Senate, and the Committee on Science, Space, and 

25 Technology, the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and 


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1 the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Rep2 resentatives a report that includes a summarized agency 

3 budget in support of the activities under this Act for the 

4 fiscal year to which such budget request applies, and for 

5 the then current fiscal year, including a breakout of spend6 ing for each agency participating in such activities. 

7 SEC. 6. PARTNERSHIPS IN SUSTAINABLE CHEMISTRY. 

8 (a) IN GENERAL.—The agencies participating in the 

9 Entity may facilitate and support, through financial, tech10 nical, or other assistance, the creation of partnerships be11 tween institutions of higher education, nongovernmental or12 ganizations, consortia, or companies across the value chain 

13 in the chemical industry, including small- and medium14 sized enterprises, to— 

15 (1) create collaborative sustainable chemistry re16 search, development, demonstration, technology trans17 fer, and commercialization programs; and 

18 (2) train students and retrain professional sci19 entists, engineers, and others involved in materials 

20 specification on the use of sustainable chemistry con21 cepts and strategies by methods, including— 

22 (A) developing or recognizing curricular 

23 materials and courses for undergraduate and 

24 graduate levels and for the professional developVerDate Sep 11 2014 21:25 Nov 26, 2019 Jkt 099200 PO 00000 Frm 00015 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6203 E:\BILLS\H2051.RH H2051

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1 ment of scientists, engineers, and others involved 

2 in materials specification; and 

3 (B) publicizing the availability of profes4 sional development courses in sustainable chem5 istry and recruiting professionals to pursue such 

6 courses. 

7 (b) PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION.—To be eligible 

8 for support under this section, a partnership in sustainable 

9 chemistry shall include at least one private sector organiza10 tion. 

11 (c) SELECTION OF PARTNERSHIPS.—In selecting part12 nerships for support under this section, the agencies partici13 pating in the Entity shall also consider the extent to which 

14 the applicants are willing and able to demonstrate evidence 

15 of support for, and commitment to, the goals outlined in 

16 the roadmap and report described in section 4. 

17 (d) PROHIBITED USE OF FUNDS.—Financial support 

18 provided under this section may not be used— 

19 (1) to support or expand a regulatory chemical 

20 management program at an implementing agency 

21 under a State law; 

22 (2) to construct or renovate a building or struc23 ture; or 


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1 (3) to promote the sale of a specific product, 

2 process, or technology, or to disparage a specific prod3 uct, process, or technology. 

4 SEC. 7. PRIORITIZATION. 

5 In carrying out this Act, the Entity shall focus its sup6 port for sustainable chemistry activities on those that 

7 achieve, to the highest extent practicable, the goals outlined 

8 in the Act. 

9 SEC. 8. RULE OF CONSTRUCTION. 

10 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to alter or 

11 amend any State law or action with regard to sustainable 

12 chemistry, as defined by the State. 


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Union Calendar No. 253 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2051 

[Report No. 116–312, Part I] 

A BILL 

To provide for Federal coordination of activities 

purposes. supporting sustainable chemistry, and for other 

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Reported from the Committee on Science, Space, and 

Technology with an amendment 

NOVEMBER 26, 2019 

Committee on the Budget discharged; committed to the 

Union and ordered to be printed. Committee of the Whole House on the State of the 


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