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Union Calendar No. 113 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2729 

[Report No. 111–207] 

To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks by 

the Secretary of Energy, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 4, 2009 

Mr. LUJA ́N introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Science and Technology 

JULY 14, 2009 

Additional sponsors: Mr. BAIRD, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mrs. BIGGERT, Ms. 

GIFFORDS, and Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas 

JULY 14, 2009 

Reported with an amendment, committed to the Committee of the Whole 

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

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

[For text of introduced bill, see copy of bill as introduced on June 4, 2009] 

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A BILL 

To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks by the Secretary of Energy, 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. FINDINGS. 

4 Congress finds the following: 

5 (1) The National Environmental Research Parks 

6 are unique outdoor laboratories that provide 

7 opportunities for environmental studies on protected 

8 lands around Department of Energy facilities. 

9 (2) In 1972, the Atomic Energy Commission 

10 established its first official environmental research 

11 park at the Savannah River site in South Carolina. 

12 (3) In 1976, the Department of Energy defined 

13 the mission for the research parks in accordance with 

14 the recommendations of the multiagency review team 

15 for environmental research activities at the Savannah 

16 River site. 

17 (4) The mission of the research parks is to— 

18 (A) conduct research and education activi19 ties to assess and document environmental effects 

20 associated with energy and weapons use; 

21 (B) explore methods for eliminating or 

22 minimizing adverse effects of energy development 

23 and nuclear materials on the environment; 

24 (C) train people in ecological and 

25 environmental sciences; and 

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1 (D) educate the public. 

2 (5) The seven National Environmental Research 

3 Parks are located within six major ecological regions 

4 of the United States, covering more than half of the 

5 Nation. 

6 (6) The parks are especially valuable research 

7 sites because within their borders they provide secure 

8 settings for scientists to conduct long-term research on 

9 a broad range of subjects including— 

10 (A) plant succession; 

11 (B) biomass production; 

12 (C) population ecology; 

13 (D) radioecology; 

14 (E) ecological restoration; and 

15 (F) thermal effects on freshwater ecosystems. 

16 (7) The parks maintain several long-term data 

17 sets that are available nowhere else in the United 

18 States or in the world on amphibian populations, 

19 bird populations, and soil moisture and plant water 

20 stress. These data sets are uniquely valuable for the 

21 detection of long-term shifts in climate. 

22 (8) The maintenance of these parks by the 

23 Department of Energy is consistent with statutory 

24 obligations to promote sound environmental 

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1 stewardship of Federal lands and to safeguard sites 

2 containing cultural and archeological resources. 

3 (9) Public education and outreach activities 

4 carried out on these sites provide unique learning 

5 opportunities, promote a stronger connection between 

6 these Federal facilities and the surrounding 

7 communities, and enhance public confidence that the 

8 Department of Energy is fulfilling its environmental 

9 stewardship responsibilities. 

10 SEC. 2. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PARKS. 

11 (a) DESIGNATION.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

12 designate the seven National Environmental Research 

13 Parks located on Department of Energy sites as permanent 

14 protected outdoor research reserves for the purposes of 

15 conducting long-term environmental research on the 

16 impacts of human activities on the natural environment. 

17 The seven National Environmental Research Parks shall 

18 include— 

19 (1) the Savannah River National Environmental 

20 Research Park; 

21 (2) the Idaho National Environmental Research 

22 Park; 

23 (3) the Los Alamos National Environmental 

24 Research Park; 

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1 (4) the Fermi Lab National Environmental 

2 Research Park; 

3 (5) the Hanford National Environmental 

4 Research Park; 

5 (6) the Oak Ridge National Environmental 

6 Research Park; and 

7 (7) the Nevada National Environmental 

8 Research Park. 

9 (b) PURPOSES.—Each site shall support— 

10 (1) environmental research and monitoring ac11 tivities to characterize and monitor present and 

12 future site conditions, and serve as control areas for 

13 comparison with environmental impacts of 

14 Department of Energy land management, energy 

15 technology development, remediation, and other site 

16 activities outside the National Environmental 

17 Research Park areas. Areas of research and 

18 monitoring on the sites may include— 

19 (A) ecology of the site and the region; 

20 (B) population biology and ecology; 

21 (C) radioecology; 

22 (D) effects of climate variability and change 

23 on ecosystems; 

24 (E) ecosystem science; 

25 (F) pollution fate and transport research; 

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1 (G) surface and groundwater modeling; and 

2 (H) environmental impacts of development 

3 and use of energy generation technologies, 

4 including renewable energy technologies; and 

5 (2) public education and outreach activities con6 sistent with subsection (d). 

7 (c) COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT.—To ensure the 

8 independence of the research, monitoring, public education, 

9 and outreach activities conducted on each site, the Secretary 

10 shall enter into a cooperative agreement with a university, 

11 community college, or consortium of institutions of higher 

12 education with expertise in ecology and environmental 

13 science of the region in which the National Environmental 

14 Research Park is located. 

15 (d) ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION AND OUTREACH.— 

16 Each site shall support an outreach program to inform the 

17 public of the diverse ecological activities conducted at the 

18 park and to educate students at various levels in 

19 environmental science. Program activities may include— 

20 (1) on-site and in-classroom education programs 

21 for elementary and secondary students; 

22 (2) presentations to school, civic, and 

23 professional groups; 

24 (3) exhibits at local and regional events; 

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1 (4) development of educational projects and 

2 materials for students at all levels; 

3 (5) undergraduate and community college in4 ternships and graduate research opportunities; and 

5 (6) regularly scheduled public tours. 

6 (e) COORDINATION.—The Secretary of Energy shall 

7 designate a National Environmental Research Park 

8 Coordinator within the Department of Energy Office of 

9 Science. The Coordinator shall— 

10 (1) coordinate research activities among the 

11 National Environmental Research Parks as appro12 priate; 

13 (2) ensure that information on best practices for 

14 research, education, and outreach activities is shared 

15 among the sites; and 

16 (3) serve as liaison to other Federal agencies to 

17 facilitate collaborative work at the Parks. 

18 (f) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are 

19 authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary of Energy, 

20 acting through the Director of the Office of Science, for 

21 carrying out this section $35,000,000, including $5,000,000 

22 for each National Environmental Research Park, for each 

23 of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014. 

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1 SEC. 3. SAVINGS. 

2 Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the ac3 tivities that the Federal Government may carry out or au4 thorize on a site on which a National Environmental 

5 Research Park is located. 

6 SEC. 4. SUMMER INSTITUTES PROGRAM. 

7 The National Environmental Research Parks may be 

8 utilized to provide educational opportunities through the 

9 Summer Institutes program authorized in section 3185 of 

10 the Department of Energy Science Education Enhancement 

11 Act (42 U.S.C. 7381n). 

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Union Calendar No. 113 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 2729 

[Report No. 111–207] 

A BILL 

To authorize the designation of National Environergy, and for other purposes. mental Research Parks by the Secretary of EnJULY 14, 2009 Reported with an amendment, committed to the Comand ordered to be printed mittee of the Whole House on the State of the Union, 

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