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— in subsection (c), by redesignating paragraphs

(6)through

(8)as paragraphs

(5)through (7), respectively; by redesignating subsections

(b)through

(d)as subsections

(d)through (f), respectively; by striking subsection

(a)and inserting 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, 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. The Director shall carry out research and development activities in genomic science including fundamental research on plants and microbes to increase systems-level understanding of the complex biological systems, which may include activities— to provide a fundamental understanding of the biology of plants, fungi, and microbes as a basis for developing innovative processes for bioenergy and bioproducts and accelerate breakthroughs and new knowledge that would enable the cost-effective, sustainable production of— advanced biofuels; bioenergy; and biobased materials; to conduct foundational functional biology research— to support expanded biosystems design research; and to understand— fundamental genome structure; and phenomes, including functional genomics of gene products at genome scale; to develop biosystems designs and synthetic biology approaches for new nonfood plant-derived and microbially derived bioproducts as a basis for new bioeconomy and biotechnology applications in bioproducts production, resource recovery, recycling, and upcycling ventures; to conduct research to better understand environmentally relevant microbiomes and the interdependencies between plants and microbes in a sustainable ecosystem; to improve fundamental understanding of plant and microbial processes impacting the global carbon cycle, including processes for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, through photosynthesis and other biological processes, for sequestration, storage, and utilization; to understand the microbiome mechanisms and microbiota used to transform, immobilize, or remove contaminants from subsurface environments and that affect the cycling and disposition of carbon, nutrients, and contaminants in the environment; to develop the computational approaches and integrated platforms for open access collaborative science; to 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 fungal, microbial, and plant biosystems design 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; to deepen genome-enabled knowledge of the roles of microbes and microbial communities, including fungi, in— supporting plant and tree productivity, performance, adaptation, and resilience in changing environmental conditions; and optimizing end uses of biomass; to develop biosystems design methods and tools to increase the efficiency of photosynthesis in plants; and to increase the scale and pace of characterizing the functions and physical characteristics of microbes and microbial communities to improve biosystems design; to conduct research focused on developing analysis techniques and simulation capabilities, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, on high-performance computing platforms to accelerate collaborative and reproducible systems biology research; to develop new technologies for bioimaging, measurement, and characterization purposes— through the Biomolecular Characterization and Imaging Science program of the Department; and to understand the structural, spatial, and temporal relationships of metabolic processes governing phenotypic expression in plants and microbes; to conduct research focused on genotype-to-phenotype translations to develop a predictive understanding of cellular function under a variety of relevant environmental and bioenergy-related conditions; to conduct metagenomic and metadata assembly research sequencing and analysis; and to develop other relevant methods and processes as determined by the Director. The Director shall carry out research and development activities in biomolecular characterization and imaging science, including development of integrative imaging and analysis platforms and biosensors to understand the expression, structure, and function of genome information encoded within cells and for real-time measurements in ecosystems and field sites of relevance to the mission of the Department. ; and by adding at the end the following: In this section: The term advanced biofuel has the meaning given the term in section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 ( 7 U.S.C. 8101 ). The term bioenergy means energy derived from biofuels. The term biomass has the meaning given the term in section 203(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 15852(b) ). The term bioproduct has the meaning given the term biobased product in section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 ( 7 U.S.C. 8101 ). . Paragraph

(8)of subsection

(e)of section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ), as redesignated by subsection (a)(2), is amended— in subparagraph (C), by striking and ; in subparagraph (D), by striking the period at the end and inserting a semicolon; and by adding at the end the following: $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2025; and $60,000,000 for fiscal year 2026. . Subsection

(f)of section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ), as redesignated by subsection (a)(2), is amended to read as follows: The Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, shall carry out a basic research program on the similarities and differences between the effects of exposure to low-dose radiation on Earth, in low Earth orbit, and in the space environment. The purpose of the program described in paragraph

(1)is to accelerate breakthroughs in low-dose and low dose-rate radiation research and development as described in subsection

(e)and to inform the advancement of new tools, technologies, and advanced materials needed to facilitate long-duration space exploration. . Section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ) (as amended by subsection (a)) is amended by inserting after subsection

(f)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, in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant agencies, which may include activities— to understand, observe, measure, and model the response of Earth’s atmosphere and biosphere to changing concentrations of greenhouse gas emissions and any associated changes in climate, including frequency and intensity of extreme weather events; to 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; to understand, observe, and model the cycling of water, carbon, and nutrients in terrestrial systems and at scales relevant to resources management; to 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 to understand and predict interactions among natural and human systems to inform potential 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 in climate and Earth system 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 an integrated, robust, and scale-aware predictive understanding of environmental systems, including the role of hydrobiogeochemistry, from the subsurface to the top of the vegetative canopy that considers effects of seasonal to interannual variability and change. As part of the activities described in subparagraph (A), the Director shall— support interdisciplinary research to significantly advance our understanding of water availability, quality, and the impact of human activity and a changing climate on urban and rural watershed systems, including in freshwater environments; consult with the Interagency Research, Development, and Demonstration Coordination Committee on the Nexus of Energy and Water for Sustainability established under section 1010 of the Energy Act of 2020 ( Public Law 116–260 ) on energy-water nexus research activities; and engage with representatives of research and academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, State, local, and tribal governments, and industry, who have expertise in technologies, technological innovations, or practices relating to the energy-water nexus, as applicable. 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 other programs carried out by the Department, as applicable, 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, Earth system, and other relevant models to inform decisions on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting impacts of a changing global climate. Such modeling shall include— integrated capabilities for modeling multisectoral interactions, including the impacts of climate policies on human systems and the interdependencies and risks at the energy-water-land nexus; greenhouse gas emissions, air quality, energy supply and demand, and other critical elements; and interaction among human and Earth systems informed by interdisciplinary research, including the economic and social sciences. Any of the activities authorized in this subsection may be carried out by competitively selected midscale, 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 Secretary shall establish a subprogram as part of the activities carried out under paragraph (1), to be known as the Atmospheric Sciences Research Subprogram , under which the Secretary shall conduct research relating to— better understanding the atmosphere and the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface of the Earth; understanding sources of uncertainty in Earth system models, including with respect to the interdependence of clouds (including contrails), atmospheric aerosols (including natural aerosol loading events), and precipitation; understanding the radiative balance and hydrological cycle of Earth; and demonstrating the improved predictability of regional and global atmospheric models due to improved process-level understanding. In carrying out the Atmospheric Sciences Research Subprogram, the Secretary shall— collect data and conduct research to advance atmospheric and Earth system modeling capabilities; develop integrated, scalable test-beds that— incorporate process-level understanding of the life cycles of aerosols, clouds, and precipitation; and can be incorporated into other models; improve data, analysis, and prediction systems in marine, littoral, terrestrial, and arctic environments, including those environments sensitive to changes in the climate; and support the development of technologies relating to— more accurate cloud, aerosol, and other atmospheric sensors; observing sensor networks; and computational predictive modeling. To support the Atmospheric Sciences Research Subprogram and improve fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical processes that impact the formation, life cycle, and radiative impacts of cloud and aerosol particles, the Secretary shall use the facilities and infrastructure of the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement User Facility— to provide support to environmental scientists by collecting high-quality and well-characterized in-situ and aircraft observations of— the microphysical properties of clouds and atmospheric aerosols; the coincident and highly detailed dynamical and thermodynamic properties of the atmospheric environment that contains those clouds and aerosols; the properties of precipitation; and the properties of radiation and the background environment; and to carry out laboratory studies and ground-based and airborne field campaigns to target specific atmospheric processes in different locations and across a range of environments, including by developing technologies to assist in advancing predictive capabilities. 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. The Director shall select user facilities under paragraph

(1)on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis. In selecting user facilities under paragraph (1), the Director shall consider applications from the National Laboratories, institutes of higher education, multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate entities. 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; analytical techniques, instruments, and modeling resources, including high-throughput molecular phenotyping, for understanding and predicting the functional 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 Secretary shall provide for the creation of a high-throughput microbial molecular phenotyping capability to accelerate discovery of new protein functions and metabolic pathways in microbial systems. In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure the following capabilities: Coupled high-throughput autonomous experimental and multimodal analytical capabilities. Direct integration of automated multiomics analyses, biomolecular and cellular imaging, and functional biological assays with high-throughput microbial culturing and cultivation capabilities at timescales relevant to biological processes under natural and perturbed environmental conditions. In carrying out subparagraph (A), the Secretary shall ensure integration and coordination with existing data platforms of the Department. Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall begin carrying out subparagraph

(A)not later than September 29, 2027. Of the funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection

(k)for a fiscal year, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this paragraph— $550,000 for fiscal year 2022; $29,000,000 for fiscal year 2023; $32,000,000 for fiscal year 2024; $30,500,000 for fiscal year 2025; and $27,500,000 for fiscal year 2026. The Director shall support a program of collaboration between user facilities to encourage and enable researchers to more readily integrate the tools, expertise, resources, and capabilities of multiple Office of Science user facilities (as described in subsection

(d)of section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act ( 42 U.S.C. 7139 )) 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 program authorized under paragraph (1), the Director shall ensure that the Office of Science— consults and coordinates with the National Oceanic and 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, in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant Federal agencies, 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, physical, and human processes that interact in coastal zones. The Director shall establish, in consultation with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant agencies, an integrated system of geographically diverse field research sites in order to improve the scientific understanding and predictability of the major land water interfaces of the United States, including— the Great Lakes region; the Pacific coast; the Atlantic coast; the Arctic; the Gulf coast; and the coasts of United States territories and freely associated States. 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 paragraphs

(1)and (2), the Secretary may enter into agreements with Federal Departments and agencies with complementary capabilities. The Secretary shall establish within the Biological and Environmental Research program an initiative focused on the development of engineered ecosystems through the application of artificial intelligence, novel sensing capabilities, and other emerging technologies. The Secretary shall coordinate with the Director of the National Science Foundation, the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Director of the U.S. Geological Survey, the Secretary of Agriculture, and other relevant officials to avoid duplication of research and observational activities and to ensure that activities carried out under the initiative established under paragraph

(1)are complimentary to activities being undertaken by other agencies. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act of 2022 , 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 report on the activity authorized under this subsection. Out of funds authorized to be appropriated for the Office of Science in a fiscal year, there are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out the activities described in this section— $880,360,000 for fiscal year 2022; $946,385,200 for fiscal year 2023; $1,016,332,164 for fiscal year 2024; $1,090,475,415 for fiscal year 2025; and $1,169,108,695 for fiscal year 2026. . Section 977 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 16317 ) is amended by striking subsection

(f)and inserting the following: 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 6 bioenergy research centers, or make an equivalent investment in other center-scale funding modalities, to conduct fundamental research in plant and microbial systems biology, biological imaging and analysis, and genomics, and to accelerate advanced research and development of advanced biofuels, 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, microbes, and associated microbial communities 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 advanced biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulosic biomass; 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 advanced 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 of 2022 may continue to receive support for a period of not more than 5 years beginning on the date of establishment of that center. At least 1 new center established under paragraph

(1)shall be led by an institution of higher education (as defined in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 1001 )) that is located in an eligible jurisdiction (as defined in section 2203(b)(3)(A) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 ( 42 U.S.C. 13503(b)(3)(A) )). After the end of the applicable period described in paragraph (2), the Director may renew support for a 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. Centers shall undertake research activities to accelerate the production of advanced biofuels and bioproducts from 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 advanced biofuels and bioproducts production; and utilizing multiscale modeling to advance predictive understanding of advanced 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 and their associated microbiomes; 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 and communities to improve product formation rates, yields, and selectivity; establishing a broad set of platform microorganisms and microbial communities suitable for metabolic engineering to produce advanced biofuels and bioproducts and high-throughput methods for experimental validation of gene function; developing techniques to enhance microbial robustness for tolerating toxins to improve advanced 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, and 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 biofuels and bioproducts. Centers shall establish industry partnerships to translate research results to commercial applications. In coordination with the Bioenergy Technologies Office of the Department, the Secretary shall support interdisciplinary research activities to improve the capacity, efficiency, resilience, security, reliability, and affordability, of the production and use of advanced biofuels and bioproducts, as well as activities to enable positive impacts and avoid the potential negative impacts that the production and use of advanced biofuels and bioproducts may have on ecosystems, people, and historically marginalized communities. Of the funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection

(k)of section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act ( 42 U.S.C. 18644 ) for a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection $30,000,000 per center established under paragraph

(1)for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. In this subsection: The term advanced biofuel has the meaning given the term in section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 ( 7 U.S.C. 8101 ). The term bioenergy means energy derived from biofuels. The term biomass has the meaning given the term in section 203(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ( 42 U.S.C. 15852(b) ). The term bioproduct has the meaning given the term biobased product in section 9001 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 ( 7 U.S.C. 8101 ). .

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