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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4905 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 4905

   To guide and provide for research activities at the Department of 
           Energy Office of Science, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 22, 2010

Mr. Baird (for himself and Mrs. Biggert) introduced the following bill; 
     which was referred to the Committee on Science and Technology

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 
   To guide and provide for research activities at the Department of 
           Energy Office of Science, 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 ``Department of Energy Office of 
Science Authorization Act of 2010''.

SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.

    Except as otherwise provided, in this Act:
            (1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the 
        Department of Energy.
            (2) Director.--The term ``Director'' means the Director of 
        the Office of Science.
            (3) Office of science.--The term ``Office of Science'' 
        means the Department of Energy Office of Science.
            (4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
        of Energy.

SEC. 3. OFFICE OF SCIENCE ACTIVITIES.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out, through the Office 
of Science, research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
application activities in science supporting the missions of the 
Department, including programs on basic energy sciences, biological and 
environmental research, advanced scientific computing research, fusion 
energy sciences, high energy physics, and nuclear physics.
    (b) Supporting Activities.--The activities described in subsection 
(a) shall include providing for relevant facilities and infrastructure, 
analysis, coordination, and education and outreach activities.
    (c) Other Authorized Activities.--In addition to the activities 
authorized under this Act, the Office of Science shall carry out such 
other activities it is authorized or required to carry out by law.
    (d) Coordination and Joint Activities.--The Department's Under 
Secretary for Science shall ensure the coordination of activities under 
this Act with the other activities of the Department, and shall support 
joint activities among the programs of the Department.

SEC. 4. BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--As part of the activities authorized under section 3, 
the Director shall carry out a program in basic energy sciences, 
including materials sciences and engineering, chemical sciences, 
biosciences, and geosciences, for the purpose of providing the 
scientific foundations for new energy technologies.
    (b) User Facilities.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a program for 
        the construction, operation, and maintenance of national user 
        facilities to support the program under this section. As 
        practicable, these facilities shall serve the needs of the 
        Department, industry, the academic community, and other 
        relevant entities to create and examine new materials and 
        chemical processes for the purposes of advancing new energy 
        technologies and improving the competitiveness of the United 
        States. These facilities shall include--
                    (A) high-intensity light sources;
                    (B) neutron sources;
                    (C) electron beam characterization centers; and
                    (D) nanoscale science research centers.
            (2) Facility construction and upgrades.--Consistent with 
        the Office of Science's project management practices, the 
        Director shall support construction of--
                    (A) the National Synchrotron Light Source II; and
                    (B) a Second Target Station at the Spallation 
                Neutron Source.
    (c) Energy Frontier Research Centers.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a grant 
        program to provide awards, on a competitive, merit-reviewed 
        basis, to multi-institutional collaborations or other 
        appropriate entities to meet energy research, development, 
        demonstration, and commercial application needs identified in--
                    (A) the Grand Challenges report of the Department's 
                Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee;
                    (B) energy-related Grand Challenges for 
                Engineering, as described by the National Academy of 
                Engineering; or
                    (C) other relevant reports identified by the 
                Director.
            (2) Collaborations.--A collaboration receiving a grant 
        under this subsection may include multiple types of 
        institutions and private sector entities.
            (3) Duration.--Grants shall be provided under this 
        subsection to a collaboration or entity for a period of not 
        more than 5 years. Grants may be renewed for an additional 5 
        years on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
            (4) No funding for construction.--No funding provided 
        pursuant to this subsection may be used for the construction of 
        new buildings or facilities.
    (d) Accelerator Research and Development.--The Director shall carry 
out research and development on advanced accelerator technologies 
relevant to the development of Basic Energy Sciences user facilities, 
in consultation with the Office of Science's High Energy Physics and 
Nuclear Physics programs.

SEC. 5. BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--As part of the activities authorized under section 
3, the Director shall carry out a program of research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application in the areas of biological, 
climate, and environmental systems science to support the energy and 
environmental missions of the Department.
    (b) Biological Systems Science Subprogram.--
            (1) Subprogram.--As part of the activities authorized under 
        subsection (a), the Director shall carry out a subprogram of 
        research, development, and demonstration on fundamental, 
        structural, computational, and systems biology to increase 
        systems-level understanding of complex biological systems, 
        which shall include activities to--
                    (A) increase cost-effective sustainable production 
                of biomass-based liquid transportation fuels, 
                bioenergy, and biobased products that minimize 
                greenhouse gas emissions;
                    (B) remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, 
                through photosynthesis and other biological processes, 
                for sequestration and storage; and
                    (C) destroy, immobilize, or remove contaminants 
                from subsurface environments, including at facilities 
                of the Department.
            (2) Research plan.--Not later than 1 year after the date of 
        enactment of this Act, and at least once every 2 years 
        thereafter, the Director shall prepare and transmit to Congress 
        a research plan describing how the subprogram authorized under 
        this subsection will be undertaken.
            (3) Bioenergy research centers.--
                    (A) Establishment of centers.--In carrying out the 
                subprogram under paragraph (1), the Director shall 
                establish or maintain at least 3 bioenergy research 
                centers to accelerate basic biological research, 
                development, demonstration, and commercial application 
                of biomass-based liquid transportation fuels, 
                bioenergy, and biobased products that reduce greenhouse 
                gas emissions and are produced from a variety of 
                regionally diverse feedstocks.
                    (B) Geographic distribution.--The Secretary shall 
                ensure that the bioenergy research centers under this 
                paragraph are established in geographically diverse 
                locations.
                    (C) Selection and duration.--
                            (i) In general.--A center under this 
                        paragraph shall be selected on a competitive 
                        basis for a period of 5 years.
                            (ii) Reapplication.--After the end of the 
                        period described in clause (i), a grantee may 
                        reapply for selection on a competitive, merit-
                        reviewed basis.
            (4) Enabling synthetic biology plan.--
                    (A) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation 
                with other relevant Federal agencies, the academic 
                community, research-based nonprofit entities, and the 
                private sector, shall develop a comprehensive plan for 
                federally supported research and development activities 
                that will support the energy and environmental missions 
                of the Department and accelerate the growth of a 
                competitive synthetic biology industry in the United 
                States.
                    (B) Plan.--The plan developed under subparagraph 
                (A) shall assess the need to create a database for 
                synthetic biology information, the need and process for 
                developing standards for biological parts, components 
                and systems, and the need for a federally funded 
                facility that enables the discovery, design, 
                development, production, and systematic use of parts, 
                components, and systems created through synthetic 
                biology.
                    (C) Submission to congress.--The Secretary shall 
                transmit the plan developed under subparagraph (A) to 
                the Congress not later than 9 months after the date of 
                enactment of this Act.
            (5) Computational biology and systems biology 
        knowledgebase.--As part of the subprogram described in 
        paragraph (1), the Director shall carry out research in 
        computational biology, acquire or otherwise ensure the 
        availability of hardware for biology-specific computation, and 
        establish and maintain an open virtual database and information 
        management system to centrally integrate systems biology data, 
        analytical software, and computational modeling tools that will 
        allow data sharing and free information exchange in the 
        scientific community.
            (6) Repeal.--Section 977 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 
        (42 U.S.C. 16317) is repealed.
    (c) Climate and Environmental Sciences Subprogram.--
            (1) In general.--As part of the activities authorized under 
        subsection (a), the Director shall carry out a subprogram of 
        climate and environmental science research, which shall include 
        activities to--
                    (A) understand, observe, and model the response of 
                the Earth's atmosphere and biosphere, including oceans, 
                to increased greenhouse gas emissions, and any 
                associated changes in climate;
                    (B) sequester, destroy, immobilize, or remove 
                contaminants and carbon from subsurface environments, 
                including at facilities of the Department; and
                    (C) develop potential mitigation and adaptation 
                options for increased greenhouse gas emissions and any 
                associated changes in climate.
            (2) Subsurface biogeochemistry research.--
                    (A) In general.--As part of the subprogram 
                described in paragraph (1), the Director shall carry 
                out research to advance a fundamental understanding of 
                coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes 
                for controlling the movement of sequestered carbon and 
                subsurface environmental contaminants, including field 
                observations of subsurface microorganisms and field-
                scale subsurface research.
                    (B) Coordination.--
                            (i) Director.--The Director shall carry out 
                        activities under this paragraph in accordance 
                        with priorities established by the Department's 
                        Under Secretary for Science to support and 
                        accelerate the decontamination of relevant 
                        facilities managed by the Department.
                            (ii) Under secretary for science.--The 
                        Department's Under Secretary for Science shall 
                        ensure the coordination of the activities of 
                        the Department, including activities under this 
                        paragraph, to support and accelerate the 
                        decontamination of relevant facilities managed 
                        by the Department.
            (3) Next-generation ecosystem-climate experiment.--
                    (A) In general.--The Director, in collaboration 
                with other relevant agencies who are participants in 
                the United States Global Change Research Program, shall 
                carry out the selection and development of a next-
                generation ecosystem-climate change experiment to 
                understand the impact and feedbacks of increased 
                temperature and elevated carbon levels on ecosystems.
                    (B) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date 
                of enactment of this Act, the Director shall transmit 
                to the Congress a report containing--
                            (i) an identification of the location or 
                        locations that have been selected for the 
                        experiment described in subparagraph (A);
                            (ii) a description of the need for 
                        additional experiments; and
                            (iii) an associated research plan.
            (4) Ameriflux network coordination and research.--As part 
        of the subprogram described in paragraph (1), the Director 
        shall carry out research and coordinate the AmeriFlux Network 
        to directly observe and understand the exchange of greenhouse 
        gases, water, and energy within terrestrial ecosystems and the 
        response of those systems to climate change and other dynamic 
        terrestrial landscape changes. The Director, in collaboration 
        with other relevant Federal agencies, shall--
                    (A) identify opportunities to incorporate 
                innovative and emerging observation technologies and 
                practices into the existing Network;
                    (B) conduct research to determine the need for 
                increased greenhouse gas observation facilities across 
                North America to meet future mitigation and adaptation 
                needs of the United States; and
                    (C) examine how the technologies and practices 
                described in subparagraph (A), and increased 
                coordination among scientific communities through the 
                Network, have the potential to help characterize 
                baseline greenhouse gas emission sources and sinks in 
                the United States and internationally.
            (5) Regional and global climate modeling.--As part of the 
        subprogram described in paragraph (1), the Director, in 
        collaboration with the Office of Advanced Scientific Computing 
        Research described in section 6, shall carry out research to 
        develop, evaluate, and use high-resolution regional and global 
        climate and Earth models and predictions to determine, and 
        support efforts to reduce, the impacts of changing climate.
            (6) Integrated assessment research.--The Director shall 
        carry out research into options for mitigation of and 
        adaptation to climate change through multiscale models of the 
        entire climate system. Such modeling shall include human 
        processes and greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and 
        interaction among human and Earth systems.
            (7) Coordination.--The Director shall coordinate activities 
        under this subsection with other Office of Science activities 
        and with the United States Global Change Research Program.
    (d) User Facilities and Ancillary Equipment.--
            (1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a program for 
        the construction, operation, and maintenance of user facilities 
        to support the program under this section. As practicable, 
        these facilities shall serve the needs of the Department, 
        industry, the academic community, and other relevant entities.
            (2) Included functions.--User facilities described in 
        paragraph (1) shall include facilities which carry out--
                    (A) genome sequencing and analysis of plants, 
                microbes, and microbial communities using high 
                throughput tools, technologies, and comparative 
                analysis;
                    (B) molecular level research in biological 
                interactions, subsurface science, and the interfaces of 
                natural and engineered materials; and
                    (C) measurement of cloud and aerosol properties 
                used for examining atmospheric processes and evaluating 
                climate model performance, including ground stations at 
                various locations, mobile resources, and aerial 
                vehicles.

SEC. 6. ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) In General.--As part of the activities authorized under section 
3, the Director shall carry out a research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application program to advance computational and 
networking capabilities to analyze, model, simulate, and predict 
complex phenomena relevant to the development of new energy 
technologies and the competitiveness of the United States.
    (b) Coordination.--
            (1) Director.--The Director shall carry out activities 
        under this section in accordance with priorities established by 
        the Department's Under Secretary for Science to determine and 
        meet the computational and networking research and facility 
        needs of the Office of Science and all other relevant energy 
        technology programs within the Department.
            (2) Under secretary for science.--The Department's Under 
        Secretary for Science shall ensure the coordination of the 
        activities of the Department, including activities under this 
        section, to determine and meet the computational and networking 
        research and facility needs of the Office of Science and all 
        other relevant energy technology programs within the 
        Department.
    (c) Reports.--
            (1) Advanced computing for energy applications.--Not later 
        than one year after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
        Secretary shall transmit to the Congress a plan to integrate 
        and leverage the expertise and capabilities of the program 
        described in subsection (a), as well as other relevant 
        computational and networking research programs and resources 
        supported by the Federal Government, to advance the missions of 
        the Department's applied energy and energy efficiency programs.
            (2) Exascale computing.--At least 18 months prior to the 
        initiation of construction or installation of any exascale-
        class computing facility, the Secretary shall transmit a plan 
        to the Congress detailing the proposed facility's cost 
        projections and capabilities to significantly accelerate the 
        development of new energy technologies.
    (d) Applied Mathematics and Software Development for High-End 
Computing Systems.--The Director shall carry out activities to develop, 
test, maintain, and support mathematics, models, and algorithms for 
complex systems, as well as programming environments, tools, languages, 
and operating systems for high-end computing systems (as defined in 
section 2 of the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization 
Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 5541)).
    (e) High-End Computing Facilities.--The Director shall--
            (1) provide for sustained access by the research community 
        in the United States to high-end computing systems and to 
        Leadership Systems (as defined in section 2 of the Department 
        of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 (15 
        U.S.C. 5541)), including provision of technical support for 
        users of such systems; and
            (2) conduct research and development on next-generation 
        computing architectures and platforms to support the missions 
        of the Department.

SEC. 7. FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--As part of the activities authorized under section 3, 
the Director shall carry out a fusion energy sciences research and 
development program to effectively address the scientific and 
engineering challenges to building a cost-competitive fusion power 
plant and a competitive fusion power industry in the United States.
    (b) ITER.--The Director shall coordinate and carry out the 
responsibilities of the United States with respect to the ITER 
international fusion project pursuant to the Agreement on the 
Establishment of the ITER International Fusion Energy Organization for 
the Joint Implementation of the ITER Project.
    (c) Identification of Priorities.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the 
Congress a report on the Department's proposed research and development 
activities in magnetic fusion over the 10 years following the date of 
enactment of this Act under four realistic budget scenarios. The report 
shall--
            (1) identify priorities for initiation of facility 
        construction and facility decommissioning under each of those 
        scenarios;
            (2) provide an assessment of the need for a facility or 
        facilities that can examine and test potential fusion 
        materials; and
            (3) provide an assessment of whether a single new facility 
        that substantially addresses magnetic fusion, inertial fusion, 
        and next generation fission materials research needs is 
        feasible, in conjunction with the expected capabilities of 
        facilities operational as of the date of enactment of this Act.
    (d) Fusion Materials Research and Development.--The Director, in 
coordination with the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy of the 
Department, shall carry out research and development activities to 
identify, characterize, and create materials that can endure the 
neutron, plasma, and heat fluxes expected in a commercial fusion power 
plant.
    (e) Fusion Simulation Project.--In collaboration with the Office of 
Science's Advanced Scientific Computing Research program described in 
section 6, the Director shall carry out a computational project to 
advance the capability of fusion researchers to accurately simulate an 
entire fusion energy system.
    (f) Inertial Fusion Energy Research and Technology Development 
Program.--The Secretary shall carry out a program of research and 
technology development in inertial fusion for energy applications, 
including ion beam and laser fusion.

SEC. 8. HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--As part of the activities authorized under section 3, 
the Director shall carry out a research program on the elementary 
constituents of matter and energy and the nature of space and time.
    (b) Neutrino Research.--As part of the program described in 
subsection (a), the Director shall carry out research activities on the 
nature of the neutrino, which may--
            (1) include collaborations with the National Science 
        Foundation on relevant projects; and
            (2) utilize components of existing accelerator facilities 
        to produce neutrino beams of sufficient intensity to explore 
        research priorities identified by the High Energy Physics 
        Advisory Panel or the National Academy of Sciences.
    (c) Dark Energy and Dark Matter Research.--As part of the program 
described in subsection (a), the Director shall carry out research 
activities on the nature of dark energy and dark matter. These 
activities shall be consistent with research priorities identified by 
the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel or the National Academy of 
Sciences, and may include--
            (1) the development of space-based and land-based 
        facilities and experiments; and
            (2) collaborations with the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, the National Science Foundation, or 
        international collaborations on relevant research projects.
    (d) Accelerator Research and Development.--The Director shall carry 
out research and development in advanced accelerator concepts and 
technologies to reduce the necessary scope and cost for the next 
generation of particle accelerators.
    (e) International Collaboration.--The Director, as practicable and 
in coordination with other appropriate Federal agencies as necessary, 
shall maximize the access of United States researchers to the most 
advanced facilities and research capabilities in the world, including 
the Large Hadron Collider.

SEC. 9. NUCLEAR PHYSICS PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--As part of the activities authorized under section 3, 
the Director shall carry out a research program, and support relevant 
facilities, to discover and understand various forms of nuclear matter.
    (b) Facility Construction and Upgrades.--Consistent with the Office 
of Science's project management practices, the Director shall carry 
out--
            (1) an upgrade of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator 
        Facility to a 12 gigaelectronvolt beam of electrons; and
            (2) construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
    (c) Isotope Development and Production for Research Applications.--
The Director shall carry out a program for the production of isotopes, 
including the development of techniques to produce isotopes, that the 
Secretary determines are needed for research or other purposes. In 
making this determination, the Secretary shall consider any relevant 
recommendations made by Federal advisory committees, the National 
Academies, and interagency working groups in which the Department 
participates.

SEC. 10. SCIENCE LABORATORIES INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a program to improve the 
safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of infrastructure at Office 
of Science laboratories. The program shall include projects to--
            (1) renovate or replace space that does not meet research 
        needs;
            (2) replace facilities that are no longer cost effective to 
        renovate or operate;
            (3) modernize utility systems to prevent failures and 
        ensure efficiency;
            (4) remove excess facilities to allow safe and efficient 
        operations; and
            (5) construct modern facilities to conduct advanced 
        research in controlled environmental conditions.
    (b) Minor Construction Projects.--
            (1) Authority.--Using operation and maintenance funds or 
        facilities and infrastructure funds authorized by law, the 
        Secretary may carry out minor construction projects with 
        respect to laboratories administered by the Office of Science.
            (2) Annual report.--The Secretary shall submit to Congress 
        on an annual basis a report on each exercise of the authority 
        under subsection (a) during the preceding fiscal year. Each 
        report shall provide a brief description of each minor 
        construction project covered by the report.
            (3) Cost variation reports.--If, at any time during the 
        construction of any minor construction project, the estimated 
        cost of the project is revised and the revised cost of the 
        project exceeds the minor construction threshold, the Secretary 
        shall immediately submit to Congress a report explaining the 
        reasons for the cost variation.
            (4) Definitions.--In this section--
                    (A) the term ``minor construction project'' means 
                any plant project not specifically authorized by law 
                for which the approved total estimated cost does not 
                exceed the minor construction threshold; and
                    (B) the term ``minor construction threshold'' means 
                $10,000,000, with such amount to be adjusted by the 
                Secretary in accordance with the Engineering News-
                Record Construction Cost Index, or an appropriate 
                alternative index as determined by the Secretary, once 
                every five years after the date of enactment of this 
                Act.
            (5) Nonapplicability.--Sections 4703 and 4704 of the Atomic 
        Energy Defense Act (50 U.S.C. 2743 and 2744) shall not apply to 
        laboratories administered by the Office of Science.

SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary for the 
activities of the Office of Science--
            (1) $6,221,000,000 for fiscal year 2011, of which--
                    (A) $2,020,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences 
                activities under section 4;
                    (B) $700,000 shall be for Biological and 
                Environmental Research activities under section 5; and
                    (C) $469,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific 
                Computing Research activities under section 6;
            (2) $6,656,000,000 for fiscal year 2012, of which--
                    (A) $2,220,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences 
                activities under section 4;
                    (B) $791,000 shall be for Biological and 
                Environmental Research activities under section 5; and
                    (C) $515,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific 
                Computing Research activities under section 6;
            (3) $7,122,000,000 for fiscal year 2013, of which--
                    (A) $2,440,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences 
                activities under section 4;
                    (B) $894,000 shall be for Biological and 
                Environmental Research activities under section 5; and
                    (C) $567,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific 
                Computing Research activities under section 6;
            (4) $7,621,000,000 for fiscal year 2014, of which--
                    (A) $2,690,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences 
                activities under section 4;
                    (B) $957,000 shall be for Biological and 
                Environmental Research activities under section 5; and
                    (C) $624,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific 
                Computing Research activities under section 6; and
            (5) $8,154,000,000 for fiscal year 2015, of which--
                    (A) $2,960,000 shall be for Basic Energy Sciences 
                activities under section 4;
                    (B) $1,060,000 shall be for Biological and 
                Environmental Research activities under section 5; and
                    (C) $686,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific 
                Computing Research activities under section 6.
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