I
105TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. R. 4593
To establish a National Resources Institute at the Idaho National Engineering
and Environmental Laboratory.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 17, 1998
Mr. CRAPO introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee
on Science
A BILL
To establish a National Resources Institute at the Idaho
National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Natural Resources In-
stitute Act of 1998’’.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
As used in this Act:
(1) ENVIRONMENTAL
SCIENCES.—The term
‘‘environmental sciences’’ means the full range of
fields of study (including biological, physical, chemi-
cal, geological, and social sciences, engineering, and
humanities) relevant to the understanding of envi-
ronmental problems.
(2) INTERMOUNTAIN WEST.—The term ‘‘Inter-
mountain West’’ means Montana, Idaho, Wyoming,
Utah, and the far eastern areas of Oregon and
Washington.
SEC. 3. FINDINGS.
The Congress finds the following:
(1) In order to maintain quality of life, eco-
nomic growth should be balanced with environmental
protection and incorporate collaborative scientific in-
quiry, technology development, and public policy.
(2) The environmental science data and knowl-
edge fail to adequately support long-term policy
leading to questions of science quality, credibility,
and utility, resulting in an atmosphere of adversarial
science.
(3) Individuals affected by decisions regarding
natural resources are not effectively involved in de-
termining the needs, setting the agenda, and partici-
pating in environmental research and development.
(4) Coordinated environmental research and de-
velopment of Federal and State agencies is nec-
essary to support effective policy and environmental
and economic sustainability.
(5) Decisions regarding the management of nat-
ural resources can significantly impact a region’s
economy and its residents’ quality of life.
(6) The Idaho National Engineering and Envi-
ronmental Laboratory is the only multiprogrammatic
federally funded research and development labora-
tory in the Intermountain West region of the United
States, a region which will be greatly impacted by
future natural resource decisions.
(7) The creation of a Natural Resources Insti-
tute that focuses the scientific strengths of govern-
ment, universities, and industry in collaboration with
a wide variety of individuals affected by decisions re-
garding natural resources will expedite sustainable
environmental and natural resource decisionmaking,
which will result in the creation and retention of
jobs and savings to taxpayers.
SEC. 4. PURPOSE.
The purpose of this Act is to create a Natural Re-
sources Institute to—
(1) coordinate research and develop appropriate
and systematic approaches to managing natural re-
sources and the specific tools and mechanisms nec-
essary to implement these approaches;
(2) support public policy development by facili-
tating the creation of public-private partnerships
necessary to implement systematic approaches to
natural resource use and management;
(3) provide education and training regarding
natural resources for a wide variety of users, includ-
ing the public, local and regional government, and
industry, by developing training programs and edu-
cational curricula using modern information systems
such as the Internet and video teleconferencing;
(4) facilitate the creation of commercial enter-
prises by involving local economic development agen-
cies, technology incubators, research institutes, and
the private sector to apply derived use science and
technology; and
(5) transfer information and analyses regarding
natural resources to persons and organizations to
allow informed decisionmaking and eliminate dupli-
cation of environmental studies.
SEC. 5. ESTABLISHMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES INSTI-
TUTE.
There is hereby established a Natural Resources In-
stitute (in this Act referred to as the ‘‘Institute’’), the pur-
pose of which shall be to provide a neutral forum to de-
velop scientific solutions that improve the economic and
environmental viability of the Intermountain West region
of the United States. The Institute shall be located at the
Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Labora-
tory.
SEC. 6. DUTIES AND FUNCTIONS.
The duties and functions of the Institute shall be as
follows:
(1) To initiate and perform multidisciplinary,
solution-oriented, focused, and needs-driven research
regarding natural resources, including—
(A) coordination of research activities to
minimize duplication of effort and maximize sci-
entific advancement;
(B) maintenance of meaningful public in-
volvement in the development and implementa-
tion of research activities;
(C) performance of research by accessing
high-quality scientific talent through private
partners of the Institute; and
(D) performance of research and develop-
ment on understanding and predicting regional
ecosystem dynamics, developing methodologies
and tools for environmental stewardship, and
developing and understanding the science asso-
ciated with the natural resource issues in the
Intermountain West region of the United
States.
(2) To support formulation and implementation
of natural resources public policy through—
(A) consideration of the balance of socio-
economic concerns and quality of life issues
with environmental remediation, cost, and
schedule concerns; and
(B) involvement of the public with the re-
search and development activities of the Insti-
tute.
(3) To act as an information resource center
by—
(A) serving as a centralized repository for
environmental data, data management, and an-
alytical tools for the Intermountain West region
of the United States;
(B) entering into partnership agreements
with private entities to access or acquire and
maintain regional environmental data sets, in-
cluding monitoring data, Geographical Informa-
tion System coverages, satellite data, and data
from local and regional ecological studies;
(C) providing quick and affordable access
to all existing public databases, such as those
maintained by the Federal and State agencies,
and, as appropriate, access to private databases
developed to support specific models or deci-
sions; and
(D) maintaining trained personnel to assist
the public and researchers in gaining access to
information on natural resources.
(4) To provide education and training, includ-
ing—
(A) education for the public, future sci-
entists, and educators; and
(B) seminars and training aids for the
public and collaborating with universities in the
Intermountain West region of the United States
to provide resources, internships, and research
opportunities.
SEC. 7. BOARD OF STAKEHOLDERS.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There shall be a Board of
Stakeholders for the Institute, which shall incorporate the
vested interests and stakeholder prospectuses into the de-
sign and operation of the Institute.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) APPOINTMENT.—The Board of Stakehold-
ers shall be composed of 11 members who shall be
appointed by the Secretary of Energy.
(2) REPRESENTATION.—The Board of Stake-
holders shall be comprised of representatives from
government, industry, the private sector, univer-
sities, and interest groups.
(3) TERMS.—Members of the Board of Stake-
holders shall serve for a term of 5 years.
(4) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the
Board of Stakeholders shall be elected by the Board
from among its members.
SEC. 8. DIRECTOR; STAFF.
(a) DIRECTOR.—(1) The Board of Stakeholders shall
appoint, and define the requirements of, the Director of
the Institute. The Director of the Institute shall exercise
all authority granted to the Institute in this Act, including
powers delegated by the Board.
(2) The Director of the Institute shall be a nonvoting,
ex officio member of the Board of Stakeholders.
(3) The Director shall be responsible for the integra-
tion of the duties and functions of the Institute as de-
scribed in section 6, and for ensuring the full involvement
of all relevant environmental sciences and the full range
of users in these duties.
(b) STAFF.—The Director of the Institute shall hire
such staff as necessary to carry out the functions of the
Institute under this Act.
SEC. 9. SCIENCE ADVISORY PANEL.
(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is hereby established a
Science Advisory Panel which shall—
(1) oversee development and implementation of
the technical strategy of the Institute; and
(2) provide oversight of the quality of science,
and provide recommendations for the research and
development portfolio structure of the Institute.
(b) MEMBERSHIP.—
(1) 
APPOINTMENT.—The 
Science 
Advisory
Panel shall be composed of 15 members who shall be
appointed by the Board of Stakeholders, in consulta-
tion with the Director of the Idaho National Engi-
neering and Environmental Laboratory.
(2) REPRESENTATION.—The Science Advisory
Panel shall be composed of members representing
multiple disciplines of science and engineering.
(3) TERMS.—Members of the Science Advisory
Panel shall serve for a term of 2 years.
(4) CHAIRPERSON.—The Chairperson of the
Science Advisory Panel shall be selected by the
Science Advisory Panel from among its members.
SEC. 10. ACQUISITION OF INFORMATION FROM FEDERAL
AGENCIES.
The Institute may acquire from any Federal agency
unclassified data and nonproprietary knowledge and infor-
mation obtained by Federal departments and agencies to
assist the Institute in carrying out its duties under this
Act.
SEC. 11. ACCESSIBILITY OF INFORMATION.
The Institute shall work with Federal and State
agencies, universities, the public, and the private sector
to ensure that the information and products of the Insti-
tute are useful and accessible.
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