Sec. 4. Biological and environmental research
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Section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ) is amended— by redesignating subsections
(a)through
(c)as subsections
(b)through (d), respectively; and by inserting before subsection (b), as so redesignated, the following: As part of the duties of the Director authorized under section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7139 ), and coordinated with the activities authorized under sections 303 and 304 of this Act, the Director shall carry out a program of research and development in the areas of biological systems science and climate and environmental science, including subsurface science, relevant to the development of new energy technologies and to support the energy, environmental, and national security missions of the Department. . Section 977(f) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 16317(f) ) is amended to read as follows: In carrying out the program under section 306(a) of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644(a) ), the Director shall support up to six bioenergy research centers to conduct fundamental research in plant and microbial systems biology, biological imaging and analysis, and genomics, and to accelerate advanced research and development of biomass-based liquid transportation fuels, bioenergy, or biobased materials, chemicals, and products that are produced from a variety of regionally diverse feedstocks, and to facilitate the translation of research results to industry. The activities of the centers authorized under this subsection may include— accelerating the domestication of bioenergy-relevant plants and microbes to enable high-impact, value-added coproduct development at multiple points in the bioenergy supply chain; developing the science and technological advances to ensure process sustainability is considered in the creation of biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulose; and using the latest tools in genomics, molecular biology, catalysis science, chemical engineering, systems biology, and computational and robotics technologies to sustainably produce and transform biomass into biofuels and bioproducts. A center established under paragraph
(1)shall be selected on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years, subject to the availability of appropriations, beginning on the date of establishment of that center. The Director shall consider applications from National Laboratories, multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate entities. A center already in existence on the date of enactment of the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act may continue to receive support for a period of not more than 5 years beginning on the date of establishment of that center. After the end of either period described in paragraph (2), the Director may renew support for the center for a period of not more than 5 years on a merit-reviewed basis. For a center in operation for 10 years after its previous selection on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, the Director may renew support for the center on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years, and may subsequently provide an additional renewal on a merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years. Consistent with the existing authorities of the Department, the Director may terminate an underperforming center for cause during the performance period. Centers shall undertake research activities to accelerate the production of biofuels and bioproducts from advanced biomass resources by identifying the most suitable species of plants for use as energy crops; and improving methods of breeding, propagation, planting, producing, harvesting, storage and processing. Activities may include the following: Research activities to increase sustainability, including— advancing knowledge of how bioenergy crop interactions with biotic and abiotic environmental factors influence crop growth, yield, and quality; identifying the most impactful research areas that address the economics of biofuels and bioproducts production; and utilizing multiscale modeling to advance predictive understanding of biofuel cropping ecosystems. Research activities to further feedstock development, including lignocellulosic, algal, gaseous wastes including carbon oxides and methane, and direct air capture of single carbon gases via plants and microbes, including— developing genetic and genomic tools, high-throughput analytical tools, and biosystems design approaches to enhance bioenergy feedstocks; conducting field testing of new potential bioenergy feedstock crops under environmentally benign and geographically diverse conditions to assess viability and robustness; and developing quantitative models informed by experimentation to predict how bioenergy feedstocks perform under diverse conditions. Research activities to improve lignocellulosic deconstruction and separation methods, including— developing feedstock-agnostic deconstruction processes capable of efficiently fractionating biomass into targeted output streams; gaining a detailed understanding of plant cell wall biosynthesis, composition, structure, and properties during deconstruction; and improving enzymes and approaches for biomass breakdown and cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin processing. Research activities to improve the feedstock conversion process for advanced biofuels and bioproducts, including— developing high-throughput methods to screen or select high-performance microbial strains to improve product formation rates, yields, and selectivity; establishing a broad set of platform microorganisms suitable for metabolic engineering to produce biofuels and bioproducts, as well as high-throughput methods for experimental validation of gene function; developing techniques to enhance microbial robustness for tolerating toxins to improve biofuel and bioproduct yields and to gain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular bases of tolerance for major chemical classes of inhibitors found in these processes; advancing technologies for the use of batch, continuous, as well as consolidated bioprocessing; identifying, creating, and optimizing microbial and chemical pathways to produce promising, atom-economical intermediates and final bioproducts from biomass with considerations given to environmentally benign processes; developing high-throughput, real-time, in situ analytical techniques to understand and characterize the pre- and post-bioproduct separation streams in detail; creating methodologies for efficiently identifying viable target molecules, identifying high-value bioproducts in existing biomass streams, and utilizing current byproduct streams; identifying and improving plant feedstocks with enhanced extractable levels of desired bioproducts or bioproduct precursors, including lignin streams; and developing integrated biological and chemical catalytic approaches to valorize and produce a diverse portfolio of advanced fuels and bioproducts. Centers shall establish industry partnerships to translate research results to commercial applications. . Section 306(d)(7) of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644(c) ), as redesignated under subsection (a), is amended to read as follows: For purposes of carrying out this subsection, the Secretary is authorized to make available from funds provided to the Biological and Environmental Research Program $40,000,000 for fiscal year 2025 and $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. . Section 306(b) of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ), as redesignated under subsection (a), is amended as follows: The Director shall carry out research and development activities in fundamental, structural, computational, and systems biology to increase systems-level understanding of the complex biological systems, which may include activities to— accelerate breakthroughs and new knowledge that would enable the cost-effective, sustainable production of— biomass-based liquid transportation fuels; bioenergy; and biobased materials; improve understanding of the global carbon cycle, including processes for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, through photosynthesis and other biological processes, for sequestration and storage; understand the biological mechanisms used to transform, immobilize, or remove contaminants from subsurface environments; leverage tools and approaches across the Office of Science to expand research to include novel processes, methods, and science to develop bio-based chemicals, polymers, inorganic materials, including research to— advance the understanding of how CRISPR tools and other gene editing tools and technologies work in nature, in the laboratory, and in practice; deepen knowledge of the genetics of root architecture and growth in crops, including trees; and develop methods and tools to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis in plants; and develop other relevant methods and processes as determined by the Director. . Section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ) is further amended by adding at the end the following: As part of the activities authorized under subsection (a), and in coordination with activities carried out under subsection (b), the Director shall carry out earth and environmental systems science research, which may include activities to— understand, observe, and model the response of Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere to increased concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions and any associated changes in climate, including frequency and intensity of extreme weather events; understand the coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes to transform, immobilize, remove, or move carbon, nitrogen, and other energy production-derived contaminants such as radionuclides and heavy metals, and understand the process of sequestration and transformation of these, carbon dioxide, and other relevant molecules in subsurface environments; understand, observe, and model the cycling of water, carbon, and nutrients in terrestrial systems and at scales relevant to resources management; understand the biological, biogeochemical, and physical processes across the multiple scales that control the flux of environmentally relevant compounds between the terrestrial surface and the atmosphere; and inform potential natural mitigation and adaptation options for increased concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions and any associated changes in climate. In carrying out the program authorized under paragraph (1), the Director shall prioritize— the development of software and algorithms to enable the productive application of environmental systems and extreme weather prediction models in high-performance computing systems; and capabilities that support the Department’s mission needs for energy and infrastructure security, resilience, and reliability. As part of the activities described in paragraph (1), the Director shall carry out research to advance a fundamental understanding of coupled physical, chemical, and biological processes for controlling the movement of sequestered carbon, nitrogen, and other subsurface environmental contaminants, including how hydrology drives biogeochemistry across molecular to watershed scales, and how coupling between physical, chemical, and biological processes influence flows of water, carbon, nutrients, and contaminants. The Director shall carry out activities under this paragraph in accordance with priorities established by the Secretary to support and accelerate the decontamination of relevant facilities managed by the Department. The Secretary shall ensure the coordination of activities of the Department, including activities under this paragraph, to support and accelerate the decontamination of relevant facilities managed by the Department. As part of the activities described in paragraph (1), the Director, in collaboration with the Advanced Scientific Computing Research program described in section 304, and in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant agencies, shall carry out research to develop, evaluate, and use high-resolution regional climate, global climate, and Earth system models to inform decisions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting impacts of a changing global climate. Such modeling shall include, among other critical elements, greenhouse gas emissions, land use, watershed responses, and interaction among human and Earth systems. Any of the activities authorized in this subsection may be carried out by competitively selected mid-scale, multi-institutional research centers in lieu of individual research grants, or large-scale experiments or user facilities. The Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee shall provide recommendations to the Director on projects most suitable for the research centers described in subparagraph (A). The Director shall carry out a program for the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of user facilities to enhance the collection and analysis of observational data related to complex biological, climate, and environmental systems. To the maximum extent practicable, the user facilities developed, constructed, operated, or maintained under paragraph
(1)shall include— distributed field research and observation platforms for understanding earth system processes; instruments and modeling resources for understanding the physical, chemical, and cellular processes of biological and environmental systems; integrated high-throughput sequencing, advanced bioanalytic techniques, DNA design and synthesis, metabolomics, and computational analysis; and such other facilities as the Director considers appropriate, consistent with section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7139 ). In carrying out the program established in paragraph (1), the Director is encouraged to evaluate the capabilities of existing user facilities and, to the maximum extent practicable, invest in modernization of those capabilities to address emerging research priorities. The Director shall support a program of collaboration between user facilities as defined under this subsection to encourage and enable researchers to more readily integrate the tools, expertise, resources, and capabilities of multiple user facilities to further research and advance emerging technologies. The program shall advance the integration of automation, robotics, computational biology, bioinformatics, biosensing, cellular platforms and other relevant emerging technologies as determined by the Director to enhance productivity and scientific impact of user facilities. In carrying out the activities authorized under paragraph (1), the Director shall establish and operate user facilities to advance the collection, validation, and analysis of atmospheric data, including activities to advance knowledge and improve model representations and measure the impact of atmospheric gases, aerosols, and clouds on earth and environmental systems. The Director shall select user facilities under paragraph
(1)on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis. The Director shall consider applications from the National Laboratories, institutes of higher education, multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate entities. Consistent with the existing authorities of the Department, the Director may terminate an underperforming user facility for cause during the performance period. To the maximum extent practicable, the Director shall utilize existing facilities to carry out this subsection. In carrying out the program authorized in paragraph (1), the Director shall ensure that the Office of Science— consults and coordinates with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of the Interior, and any other relevant Federal agency on the collection, validation, and analysis of atmospheric data; and coordinates with relevant stakeholders, including institutes of higher education, nonprofit research institutions, industry, State, local, and tribal governments, and other appropriate entities to ensure access to the best available relevant atmospheric and historical weather data. The Director shall carry out a research program to enhance the understanding of coastal ecosystems. In carrying out this program, the Director shall prioritize efforts to enhance the collection of observational data, and shall develop models to analyze the ecological, biogeochemical, hydrological and physical processes that interact in coastal zones. The Director shall establish an integrated system of geographically diverse field research sites in order to improve the quantity and quality of observational data, and that encompass the major land water interfaces of the United States, including— the Great Lakes region; the Pacific coast; the Atlantic coast; the Arctic; and the Gulf coast. In carrying out the programs and establishing the field research sites under paragraphs
(1)and (2), the Secretary shall leverage existing research and development infrastructure supported by the Department, including the Department’s existing marine and coastal research lab. For the purposes of carrying out the programs and establishing the field research sites under the Initiative, the Secretary may enter into agreements with Federal Departments and agencies with complementary capabilities. Not less than 2 years after the date of the enactment of the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act , the Director shall provide to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and the Committee on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Appropriations of the Senate a report examining whether the system described in this section should be established as a National User Facility. The Director shall support a technology research program for the development of instrumentation and other research tools required to meet the missions of the Department and to provide platform technologies for the broader scientific community. Technologies shall include but are not limited to— cryo-electron microscopy; fabricated ecosystems; and next generation sensors including quantum sensors for biological integration and bioproduction. There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the activities described in this section— $820,360,000 for fiscal year 2022; $886,385,200 for fiscal year 2023; $956,332,164 for fiscal year 2024; $1,020,475,415 for fiscal year 2025; and $1,099,108,695 for fiscal year 2026. .
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