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‘‘(D) research institutions and organiza-
tions; 
‘‘(E) private organizations or corporations; 
‘‘(F) State agricultural experiment sta-
tions; and 
‘‘(G) individuals. 
‘‘(2) RESEARCH
AND
DEVELOPMENT
OBJEC-
TIVES.—The laboratory network shall focus on im-
proving biomass production and sustainability, and 
improving biomass conversion in biorefineries, by— 
‘‘(A) leveraging the broad scientific capa-
bilities of the Department in— 
‘‘(i) plant genetics and breeding; 
‘‘(ii) crop production; 
‘‘(iii) soil and water science; 
‘‘(iv) use of agricultural waste; 
‘‘(v) carbohydrate, lipid, protein, and 
lignin chemistry and biochemistry; 
‘‘(vi) enzyme development; 
‘‘(vii) fermentation; 
‘‘(viii) microbiology; 
‘‘(ix) cellulosic gasification; and 
‘‘(x) ethanol by-product utilization. 
‘‘(B) supporting bioenergy and biobased 
product research that will enhance the produc-
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tion, sustainability, and conversion of biomass 
to renewable fuels and related products; and 
‘‘(C) supporting bioenergy and biobased 
product research, and the dissemination of that 
research, that will assist in achieving the goals 
of this section. 
‘‘(d) COORDINATION.—In carrying out the Initiative, 
the Secretary shall ensure that the Director of the applica-
ble Program office established under section 7104(a)(1) 
shall coordinate projects and activities carried out under 
the Initiative with projects and activities under the Bio-
mass Research and Development Act of 2000 (7 U.S.C. 
8601 et seq) to ensure, to the maximum extent prac-
ticable, that— 
‘‘(1) duplication of effort is eliminated or mini-
mized; and 
‘‘(2) the respective strengths of the Department 
and the Department of Energy are maximized. 
‘‘(e) RESEARCH PROJECTS.—In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall award grants on a competitive 
basis. 
‘‘(f) ADMINISTRATION.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—For grants awarded under 
subsection (e)(2), the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(A) seek and accept proposals for grants; 
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‘‘(B) determine the relevance and merit of 
proposals through a system of peer review in 
accordance with section 103 of the Agricultural 
Research, Extension, and Education Reform 
Act of 1998 (7 U.S.C. 7613); and 
‘‘(C) award grants on the basis of merit, 
quality, and relevance. 
‘‘(2) TERM.—A grant under this section shall 
have a term that does not exceed 5 years. 
‘‘(3) OTHER CONDITIONS.—The Secretary may 
set such other conditions on the award of a grant 
under this section as the Secretary determines ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(g) BUILDINGS
AND FACILITIES.—Funds made 
available under this section shall not be used for the con-
struction of a new building or facility or the acquisition, 
expansion, remodeling, or alteration of an existing build-
ing or facility (including site grading and improvement 
and architect fees). 
‘‘(h) FUNDING.—There is authorized to be appro-
priated $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 
2012 to carry out this section.’’. 
SEC. 7411. SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Title IV of the Agricultural Re-
search, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (7 
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U.S.C. 7621 et seq.), as amended by section 7410, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 413. SPECIALTY CROP RESEARCH INITIATIVE. 
‘‘(a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) INITIATIVE.—The term ‘Initiative’ means 
the specialty crop research initiative established by 
subsection (b). 
‘‘(2) SPECIALTY
CROP.—The term ‘specialty 
crop’ shall have the meaning given that term in sec-
tion 3(1) of the Specialty Crops Competitiveness Act 
of 2004 (7 U.S.C. 1621 note). 
‘‘(b) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established within 
the Department a specialty crop research initiative to ad-
dress the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by 
developing and disseminating science-based tools to ad-
dress needs of specific crops and their regions, including— 
‘‘(1) research in— 
‘‘(A) 
plant 
breeding, 
genetics, 
and 
genomics to improve crop characteristics, such 
as— 
‘‘(i) product appearance; 
‘‘(ii) environmental responses and tol-
erances; 
‘‘(iii) nutrient management; 
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‘‘(iv) pest and disease management; 
and 
‘‘(v) enhanced phytonutrient content; 
‘‘(B) safety; 
‘‘(C) quality; 
‘‘(D) yield; 
‘‘(E) taste; 
‘‘(F) shelf life; 
‘‘(G) policy and marketing; and 
‘‘(H) specialty crop pollination; 
‘‘(2) efforts to identify and address threats 
from invasive species; 
‘‘(3) efforts to improve agricultural production 
by developing more technologically efficient and ef-
fective applications of water, nutrients, and pes-
ticides; 
‘‘(4) new innovations and technology, such as 
enhancing mechanization and reducing reliance on 
labor; and 
‘‘(5) production efficiency, productivity, profit-
ability and marketing. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The Secretary may carry 
out the Initiative through— 
‘‘(1) Federal agencies; 
‘‘(2) national laboratories; 
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