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[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2729 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

111th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2729

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 22, 2009

   Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT

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

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The National Environmental Research Parks are unique 
        outdoor laboratories that provide opportunities for 
        environmental studies on protected lands around Department of 
        Energy facilities.
            (2) In 1972, the Atomic Energy Commission established its 
        first official environmental research park at the Savannah 
        River site in South Carolina.
            (3) In 1976, the Department of Energy defined the mission 
        for the research parks in accordance with the recommendations 
        of the multiagency review team for environmental research 
        activities at the Savannah River site.
            (4) The mission of the research parks is to--
                    (A) conduct research and education activities to 
                assess and document environmental effects associated 
                with energy and weapons use;
                    (B) explore methods for eliminating or minimizing 
                adverse effects of energy development and nuclear 
                materials on the environment;
                    (C) train people in ecological and environmental 
                sciences; and
                    (D) educate the public.
            (5) The National Environmental Research Parks are located 
        within six major ecological regions of the United States, 
        covering more than half of the Nation.
            (6) The parks are especially valuable research sites 
        because within their borders they provide secure settings for 
        scientists to conduct long-term research on a broad range of 
        subjects including--
                    (A) plant succession;
                    (B) biomass production;
                    (C) population ecology;
                    (D) radioecology;
                    (E) ecological restoration; and
                    (F) thermal effects on freshwater ecosystems.
            (7) The parks maintain several long-term data sets that are 
        available nowhere else in the United States or in the world on 
        amphibian populations, bird populations, and soil moisture and 
        plant water stress. These data sets are uniquely valuable for 
        the detection of long-term shifts in climate.
            (8) The maintenance of these parks by the Department of 
        Energy is consistent with statutory obligations to promote 
        sound environmental stewardship of Federal lands and to 
        safeguard sites containing cultural and archeological 
        resources.
            (9) Public education and outreach activities carried out on 
        these sites provide unique learning opportunities, promote a 
        stronger connection between these Federal facilities and the 
        surrounding communities, and enhance public confidence that the 
        Department of Energy is fulfilling its environmental 
        stewardship responsibilities.

SEC. 2. NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH PARKS.

    (a) Designation.--The Secretary of Energy shall designate the six 
National Environmental Research Parks located on Department of Energy 
sites as protected outdoor research reserves for the purposes of 
conducting long-term environmental research on the impacts of human 
activities on the natural environment. The six National Environmental 
Research Parks shall include--
            (1) the Savannah River National Environmental Research 
        Park;
            (2) the Idaho National Environmental Research Park;
            (3) the Los Alamos National Environmental Research Park;
            (4) the Fermi Lab National Environmental Research Park;
            (5) the Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park; and
            (6) the Nevada National Environmental Research Park.
    (b) Purposes.--Each site shall support--
            (1) environmental research and monitoring activities to 
        characterize and monitor present and future site conditions, 
        and serve as control areas for comparison with environmental 
        impacts of Department of Energy land management, energy 
        technology development, remediation, and other site activities 
        outside the National Environmental Research Park areas. Areas 
        of research and monitoring on the sites may include--
                    (A) ecology of the site and the region;
                    (B) population biology and ecology;
                    (C) radioecology;
                    (D) effects of climate variability and change on 
                ecosystems;
                    (E) ecosystem science;
                    (F) pollution fate and transport research;
                    (G) surface and groundwater modeling; and
                    (H) environmental impacts of development and use of 
                energy generation technologies, including renewable 
                energy technologies; and
            (2) public education and outreach activities consistent 
        with subsection (d).
    (c) Cooperative Agreement.--To ensure the independence of the 
research, monitoring, public education, and outreach activities 
conducted on each site, the Secretary shall enter into a cooperative 
agreement with a university, community college, or consortium of 
institutions of higher education with expertise in ecology and 
environmental science of the region in which the National Environmental 
Research Park is located.
    (d) Environmental Education and Outreach.--Each site shall support 
an outreach program to inform the public of the diverse ecological 
activities conducted at the park and to educate students at various 
levels in environmental science. Program activities may include--
            (1) on-site and in-classroom education programs for 
        elementary and secondary students;
            (2) presentations to school, civic, and professional 
        groups;
            (3) exhibits at local and regional events;
            (4) development of educational projects and materials for 
        students at all levels;
            (5) undergraduate and community college internships and 
        graduate research opportunities; and
            (6) regularly scheduled public tours.
    (e) Coordination.--The Secretary of Energy shall designate a 
National Environmental Research Park Coordinator within the Department 
of Energy Office of Science. The Coordinator shall--
            (1) coordinate research activities among the National 
        Environmental Research Parks as appropriate;
            (2) ensure that information on best practices for research, 
        education, and outreach activities is shared among the sites; 
        and
            (3) serve as liaison to other Federal agencies to 
        facilitate collaborative work at the Parks.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be 
appropriated to the Secretary of Energy, acting through the Director of 
the Office of Science, for carrying out this section $30,000,000, 
including $5,000,000 for each National Environmental Research Park, for 
each of the fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

SEC. 3. SAVINGS.

    Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the activities that 
the Federal Government may carry out or authorize on a site on which a 
National Environmental Research Park is located.

SEC. 4. SUMMER INSTITUTES PROGRAM.

    The National Environmental Research Parks may be utilized to 
provide educational opportunities through the Summer Institutes program 
authorized in section 3185 of the Department of Energy Science 
Education Enhancement Act (42 U.S.C. 7381n).

            Passed the House of Representatives July 21, 2009.

            Attest:

                                            LORRAINE C. MILLER,

                                                                 Clerk.
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