SUPER Act of 2021
Bill: H.R.4599 | Sponsor: Rep. Gonzalez, Anthony (R-OH)
Policy area: Environmental Protection

Summary:
Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions Reduction Act or the SUPER Act of 2021
This bill requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the production of iron, steel, and steel mill products. Specifically, DOE must establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of advanced tools, technologies, and methods for low-emissions steel manufacturing. DOE, in collaboration with industry partners, institutions of higher education, and DOE's national laboratories, must also support an initiative for the demonstration of low-emissions steel manufacturing.

To strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing 
through the research and development of advanced technologies to reduce 
             steelmaking emissions, 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 ``Steel Upgrading Partnerships and 
Emissions Reduction Act'' or the ``SUPER Act of 2021''.

SEC. 2. LOW-EMISSIONS STEEL MANUFACTURING RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    (a) Program.--Subtitle D of title IV of the Energy Independence and 
Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17111 et seq.) is amended by inserting 
after section 454 the following:

``SEC. 454A. LOW-EMISSIONS STEEL MANUFACTURING RESEARCH PROGRAM.

    ``(a) Purpose.--The purpose of this section is to encourage the 
research and development of innovative technologies aimed at--
            ``(1) increasing the technological and economic 
        competitiveness of industry and manufacturing in the United 
        States; and
            ``(2) achieving significant net nonwater greenhouse 
        emissions reductions in the production processes for iron, 
        steel, and steel mill products.
    ``(b) Definitions.--In this section:
            ``(1) Commercially available steelmaking.--The term 
        `commercially available steelmaking' means the current 
        production method of iron, steel, and steel mill products.
            ``(2) Critical material.--The term `critical material' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 7002 of division Z of 
        the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).
            ``(3) Critical mineral.--The term `critical mineral' has 
        the meaning given such term in section 7002 of division Z of 
        the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (Public Law 116-260).
            ``(4) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means--
                    ``(A) an institution of higher education;
                    ``(B) an appropriate State or Federal entity, 
                including a federally funded research and development 
                center of the Department;
                    ``(C) a nonprofit research institution;
                    ``(D) a private entity;
                    ``(E) any other relevant entity the Secretary 
                determines appropriate; and
                    ``(F) a partnership or consortium of two or more 
                entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (E).
            ``(5) Low-emissions steel manufacturing.--The term `low-
        emissions steel manufacturing' means advanced or commercially 
        available steelmaking with the reduction, to the maximum extent 
        practicable, of net nonwater greenhouse gas emissions to the 
        atmosphere from the production of iron, steel, and steel mill 
        products.
    ``(c) In General.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions Reduction 
Act, the Secretary shall establish a program of research, development, 
demonstration, and commercial application of advanced tools, 
technologies, and methods for low-emissions steel manufacturing.
    ``(d) Requirements.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(c), the Secretary shall--
            ``(1) coordinate this program with the programs and 
        activities authorized in title VI of division Z of the 
        Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021;
            ``(2) coordinate across all relevant program offices of the 
        Department, including the Office of Science, Office of Energy 
        Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Fossil Energy, 
        and the Office of Nuclear Energy;
            ``(3) leverage, to the extent practicable, the research 
        infrastructure of the Department, including scientific 
        computing user facilities, x-ray light sources, neutron 
        scattering facilities, and nanoscale science research centers; 
        and
            ``(4) conduct research, development, and demonstration of 
        low-emissions steel manufacturing technologies that have the 
        potential to increase domestic production and employment in 
        advanced and commercially available steelmaking.
    ``(e) Strategic Plan.--
            ``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date 
        of enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and Emissions 
        Reduction Act, the Secretary shall develop a 5-year strategic 
        plan identifying research, development, demonstration, and 
        commercial application goals for the program established in 
        subsection (c). The Secretary shall submit this plan to the 
        Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate.
            ``(2) Contents.--The strategic plan submitted under 
        paragraph (1) shall--
                    ``(A) identify programs at the Department related 
                to low-emissions steel manufacturing that support the 
                research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
                application activities described in this section, and 
                the demonstration projects under subsection (h);
                    ``(B) establish technological and programmatic 
                goals to achieve the requirements of subsection (d); 
                and
                    ``(C) include timelines for the accomplishment of 
                goals developed under the plan.
            ``(3) Updates to plan.--Not less than once every two years, 
        the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
        and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
        Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate an 
        updated version of the plan under paragraph (1).
    ``(f) Focus Areas.--In carrying out the program established in 
subsection (c), the Secretary shall focus on--
            ``(1) medium- and high-temperature heat generation 
        technologies used for low-emissions steel manufacturing, which 
        may include--
                    ``(A) alternative fuels, including hydrogen and 
                biomass;
                    ``(B) alternative reducing agents, including 
                hydrogen;
                    ``(C) renewable heat generation technology, 
                including solar and geothermal;
                    ``(D) electrification of heating processes, 
                including through electrolysis; and
                    ``(E) other heat generation sources;
            ``(2) carbon capture technologies for advanced and 
        commercially available steelmaking processes, which may 
        include--
                    ``(A) combustion and chemical looping technologies;
                    ``(B) use of slag to reduce carbon dioxide 
                emissions;
                    ``(C) pre-combustion technologies; and
                    ``(D) post-combustion technologies;
            ``(3) smart manufacturing technologies and principles, 
        digital manufacturing technologies, and advanced data analytics 
        to develop advanced technologies and practices in information, 
        automation, monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and 
        networking to--
                    ``(A) model and simulate manufacturing production 
                lines;
                    ``(B) monitor and communicate production line 
                status; and
                    ``(C) model, simulate, and optimize the energy 
                efficiency of manufacturing processes;
            ``(4) technologies and practices that minimize energy and 
        natural resource consumption, which may include--
                    ``(A) designing products that enable reuse, 
                refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling;
                    ``(B) minimizing waste from advanced and 
                commercially available steelmaking processes, including 
                through the reuse of waste as resources in other 
                industrial processes for mutual benefit;
                    ``(C) increasing resource efficiency; and
                    ``(D) increasing the energy efficiency of advanced 
                and commercially available steelmaking processes;
            ``(5) alternative materials and technologies that produce 
        fewer emissions during production and result in fewer emissions 
        during use, which may include--
                    ``(A) innovative raw materials;
                    ``(B) high-performance lightweight materials;
                    ``(C) substitutions for critical materials and 
                critical minerals; and
                    ``(D) other technologies that achieve significant 
                carbon emission reductions in low-emissions steel 
                manufacturing, as determined by the Secretary; and
            ``(6) high-performance computing to develop advanced 
        materials and manufacturing processes contributing to the focus 
        areas described in paragraphs (1) through (5), including--
                    ``(A) modeling, simulation, and optimization of the 
                design of energy efficient and sustainable products; 
                and
                    ``(B) the use of digital prototyping and additive 
                manufacturing to enhance product design.
    ``(g) Testing and Validation.--The Secretary, in consultation with 
the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
shall support the development of standardized testing and technical 
validation of advanced and commercially available steelmaking and low-
emissions steel manufacturing through collaboration with one or more 
National Laboratories, and one or more eligible entities.
    ``(h) Demonstration.--
            ``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
        date of enactment of the Steel Upgrading Partnerships and 
        Emissions Reduction Act, the Secretary, in carrying out the 
        program established in subsection (c), and in collaboration 
        with industry partners, institutions of higher education, and 
        the National Laboratories, shall support an initiative for the 
        demonstration of low-emissions steel manufacturing, as 
        identified by the Secretary, that uses either--
                    ``(A) a single technology; or
                    ``(B) a combination of multiple technologies.
            ``(2) Selection requirements.--Under the initiative 
        established under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall select 
        eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects and to 
        the maximum extent practicable--
                    ``(A) encourage regional diversity among eligible 
                entities, including participation by rural States;
                    ``(B) encourage technological diversity among 
                eligible entities; and
                    ``(C) ensure that specific projects selected--
                            ``(i) expand on the existing technology 
                        demonstration programs of the Department; and
                            ``(ii) prioritize projects that leverage 
                        matching funds from non-Federal sources.
            ``(3) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
        on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
        Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
        Resources of the Senate--
                    ``(A) not less frequently than once every two years 
                for the duration of the demonstration initiative under 
                this subsection, a report describing the performance of 
                the initiative; and
                    ``(B) if the initiative established under this 
                subsection is terminated, an assessment of the success 
                of, and education provided by, the measures carried out 
                by recipients of financial assistance under the 
                initiative.
    ``(i) Additional Coordination.--
            ``(1) Manufacturing u.s.a..--In carrying out this section 
        the Secretary shall consider--
                    ``(A) leveraging the resources of relevant existing 
                Manufacturing USA Institutes described in section 34(d) 
                of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
                Act (15 U.S.C. 278s(d));
                    ``(B) integrating program activities into a 
                relevant existing Manufacturing USA Institute; or
                    ``(C) establishing a new institute focused on low-
                emissions steel manufacturing.
            ``(2) Other federal agencies.--In carrying out this 
        section, the Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal 
        agencies that are carrying out research and development 
        initiatives to increase industrial competitiveness and achieve 
        significant net nonwater greenhouse emissions reductions 
        through low-emissions steel manufacturing, including the 
        Department of Defense, Department of Transportation, and the 
        National Institute of Standards and Technology.''.
    (b) Clerical Amendment.--Section 1(b) of the Energy Independence 
and Security Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17001 note) is amended in the table 
of contents by inserting after the item relating to section 454 the 
following:

``Sec. 454A. Low-Emissions Steel Manufacturing Research Program.''.
                                                 Union Calendar No. 161

117th CONGRESS

  2d Session

                               H. R. 4599

                          [Report No. 117-227]

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