42 U.S.C. § 16317 — Systems biology program

Page 8866 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 16316 (A) the Director of the Office of Basic En- ergy Sciences and the Associate Director of Biological and Environmental Research shall investigate phenomena of mesoscale electrochemical confinement for the purpose of replicating and controlling new electro- chemical behavior; and (B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Ef- ficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program. (3) Standard of review The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones. (4) Funding Of the funds authorized to be appropriated for basic energy sciences in a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Sec- retary to carry out activities under this sub- section $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 975, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 903; Pub. L. 115–246, title III, § 303(g)(1), for- merly § 303(e)(1), Sept. 28, 2018, 132 Stat. 3143, re- numbered § 303(g)(1), Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(a)(1), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1409; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10102(c), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1415.) Editorial Notes AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (a)(1)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(A), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (a)(2)(C). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(1)(B), added subpar. (C). Subsec. (b)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(2), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘No funds allocated to the pro- gram described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or ex- pended for commercial application of energy tech- nology.’’ Subsec. (c)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(3), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘No funds allocated to the pro- gram described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or ex- pended for commercial application of energy tech- nology.’’ Subsec. (d)(4). Pub. L. 117–167, § 10102(c)(4), added par. (4) and struck out former par. (4). Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘No funds allocated to the pro- gram described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or ex- pended for commercial application of energy tech- nology.’’ 2018—Pub. L. 115–246 amended section generally. Prior to amendment, text read as follows: ‘‘The Secretary shall conduct a program of fundamental research on solid state lighting in support of the Next Generation Lighting Initiative carried out under section 16192 of this title.’’ § 16316. Advanced scientific computing research and development program (1) In general The Secretary shall conduct an advanced sci- entific computing research and development program that includes activities related to ap- plied mathematics and activities authorized by the American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 5541 et seq.). (2) Goal The Secretary shall carry out the program with the goal of supporting departmental mis- sions, and providing the high-performance com- putational, networking, advanced visualization technologies, and workforce resources, that are required for world leadership in science. (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 976(a), Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 903; Pub. L. 115–246, title III, § 304(b)(1)(B), formerly § 304(a)(1)(B), Sept. 28, 2018, 132 Stat. 3145, renumbered § 304(b)(1)(B), Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10104(a)(1), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1433.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT The American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017, referred to in par. (1), is Pub. L. 108–423, Nov. 30, 2004, 118 Stat. 2400, which is classified principally to subchapter III (§ 5541 et seq.) of chapter 81 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 5501 of Title 15 and Tables. AMENDMENTS 2018—Par. (1). Pub. L. 115–246 substituted ‘‘American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017’’ for ‘‘Depart- ment of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004’’. § 16317. Systems biology program (a) Program (1) Establishment The Secretary shall establish a research, de- velopment, and demonstration program in mi- crobial and plant systems biology, protein science, computational biology, and environ- mental science to support the energy, national security, and environmental missions of the Department. (2) Grants The program shall support individual re- searchers and multidisciplinary teams of re- searchers through competitive, merit-reviewed grants. (3) Consultation In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall consult with other Federal agencies that conduct genetic and protein research. (b) Goals The program shall have the goal of developing technologies and methods based on the biologi- cal functions of genomes, microbes, and plants that— (1) can facilitate the production of fuels, in- cluding hydrogen in sustainable production systems that reduce greenhouse gas emissions; (2) convert carbon dioxide to organic carbon; (3) detoxify soils and water, including at fa- cilities of the Department, contaminated with heavy metals and radiological materials; (4) develop cellulosic and other feedstocks that are less resource and land intensive and that promote sustainable use of resources, in- cluding soil, water, energy, forests, and land, and ensure protection of air, water, and soil quality; and Page 8867 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 16317 (5) address other Department missions as identified by the Secretary. (c) Plan (1) Development of plan Not later than 1 year after August 8, 2005, the Secretary shall prepare and transmit to Congress a research plan describing how the program authorized pursuant to this section will be undertaken to accomplish the program goals established in subsection (b). (2) Review of plan The Secretary shall contract with the Na- tional Academy of Sciences to review the re- search plan developed under this subsection. The Secretary shall transmit the review to Congress not later than 18 months after trans- mittal of the research plan under paragraph (1), along with the Secretary’s response to the recommendations contained in the review. (d) User facilities and ancillary equipment Within the funds authorized to be appro- priated pursuant to this part, amounts shall be available for projects to develop, plan, con- struct, acquire, or operate special equipment, instrumentation, or facilities, including user fa- cilities at National Laboratories, for researchers conducting research, development, demonstra- tion, and commercial application in systems bi- ology and proteomics and associated biological disciplines. (e) Prohibition on biomedical and human cell and human subject research (1) No biomedical research In carrying out the program under this sec- tion, the Secretary shall not conduct bio- medical research. (2) Limitations Nothing in this section shall authorize the Secretary to conduct any research or dem- onstrations— (A) on human cells or human subjects; or (B) designed to have direct application with respect to human cells or human sub- jects. (f) Bioenergy research centers (1) In general In carrying out the program under section 18644(a) of this title, the Director shall support up to 6 bioenergy research centers to conduct fundamental research in plant and microbial systems biology, biological imaging and anal- ysis, 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 feed- stocks, and to facilitate the translation of re- search results to industry. The activities of the centers authorized under this subsection may include— (A) accelerating the domestication of bio- energy-relevant plants, microbes, and asso- ciated microbial communities to enable high-impact, value-added coproduct develop- ment at multiple points in the bioenergy supply chain; (B) developing the science and techno- logical advances to ensure process sustain- ability is considered in the creation of ad- vanced biofuels and bioproducts from lignocellulosic biomass; and (C) using the latest tools in genomics, mo- lecular biology, catalysis science, chemical engineering, systems biology, and computa- tional and robotics technologies to sustainably produce and transform biomass into advanced biofuels and bioproducts. (2) Selection and duration (A) In general A center established under paragraph (1) shall be selected on a competitive, merit-re- viewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years, subject to the availability of appro- priations, beginning on the date of establish- ment of that center. (B) Applications The Director shall consider applications from National Laboratories, multi-institu- tional collaborations, and other appropriate entities. (C) Existing centers A center already in existence on August 9, 2022, may continue to receive support for a period of not more than 5 years beginning on the date of establishment of that center. (D) New centers The Director shall select any new center pursuant to paragraph (1) on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, with special consider- ation for applications from an institution of higher education (as defined in section 1001 of title 20) that is located in an eligible ju- risdiction (as defined in section 13503(b)(3)(A) of this title). (3) Renewal After the end of the applicable period de- scribed 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-re- viewed basis, the Director may renew support for the center on a competitive, merit-re- viewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years, and may subsequently provide an addi- tional renewal on a merit-reviewed basis for a period of not more than 5 years. (4) Activities Centers shall undertake research activities to accelerate the production of advanced biofuels and bioproducts from biomass re- sources by identifying the most suitable spe- cies of plants for use as energy crops; and im- proving methods of breeding, propagation, planting, producing, harvesting, storage and processing. Activities may include the fol- lowing: (A) Research activities to increase sustain- ability, including— (i) advancing knowledge of how bio- energy crop interactions with biotic and abiotic environmental factors influence crop growth, yield, and quality; Page 8868 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 16317 (ii) identifying the most impactful re- search areas that address the economics of advanced biofuels and bioproducts produc- tion; and (iii) utilizing multiscale modeling to ad- vance predictive understanding of ad- vanced biofuel cropping ecosystems. (B) Research activities to further feed- stock development, including lignocellulosic, algal, gaseous wastes includ- ing carbon oxides and methane, and direct air capture of single carbon gases via plants and microbes, including— (i) developing genetic and genomic tools, high-throughput analytical tools, and bio- systems design approaches to enhance bio- energy feedstocks and their associated microbiomes; (ii) conducting field testing of new po- tential bioenergy feedstock crops under environmentally benign and geographi- cally diverse conditions to assess viability and robustness; and (iii) developing quantitative models in- formed by experimentation to predict how bioenergy feedstocks perform under di- verse conditions. (C) Research activities to improve lignocellulosic deconstruction and separa- tion methods, including— (i) developing feedstock-agnostic deconstruction processes capable of effi- ciently fractionating biomass into tar- geted output streams; (ii) gaining a detailed understanding of plant cell wall biosynthesis, composition, structure, and properties during deconstruction; and (iii) improving enzymes and approaches for biomass breakdown and cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin processing. (D) Research activities to improve the feedstock conversion process for advanced biofuels and bioproducts, including— (i) developing high-throughput methods to screen or select high-performance mi- crobial strains and communities to im- prove product formation rates, yields, and selectivity; (ii) establishing a broad set of platform microorganisms and microbial commu- nities suitable for metabolic engineering to produce advanced biofuels and bioprod- ucts and high-throughput methods for ex- perimental validation of gene function; (iii) developing techniques to enhance microbial robustness for tolerating toxins to improve advanced biofuel and bio- product yields and to gain a better under- standing of the cellular and molecular bases of tolerance for major chemical classes of inhibitors found in these proc- esses; (iv) advancing technologies for the use of batch, continuous, and consolidated bio- processing; (v) identifying, creating, and optimizing microbial and chemical pathways to produce promising, atom-economical intermediates and final bioproducts from biomass with considerations given to envi- ronmentally benign processes; (vi) developing high-throughput, real- time, in situ analytical techniques to un- derstand and characterize the pre- and post-bioproduct separation streams in de- tail; (vii) creating methodologies for effi- ciently identifying viable target mol- ecules, identifying high-value bioproducts in existing biomass streams, and utilizing current byproduct streams; (viii) identifying and improving plant feedstocks with enhanced extractable lev- els of desired bioproducts or bioproduct precursors, including lignin streams; and (ix) developing integrated biological and chemical catalytic approaches to valorize and produce a diverse portfolio of ad- vanced biofuels and bioproducts. (5) Industry partnerships Centers shall establish industry partnerships to translate research results to commercial applications. (6) Coordination In coordination with the Bioenergy Tech- nologies Office of the Department, the Sec- retary shall support interdisciplinary research activities to improve the capacity, efficiency, resilience, security, reliability, and afford- ability, of the production and use of advanced biofuels and bioproducts, as well as activities to enable positive impacts and avoid the po- tential negative impacts that the production and use of advanced biofuels and bioproducts may have on ecosystems, people, and histori- cally marginalized communities. (7) Funding Of the funds authorized to be appropriated under subsection (k) of section 18644 of this title for a fiscal year, there is authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this subsection $30,000,000 per center estab- lished under paragraph (1) for each of fiscal years 2023 through 2027. (8) Definitions In this subsection: (A) Advanced biofuel The term ‘‘advanced biofuel’’ has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of title 7. (B) Bioenergy The term ‘‘bioenergy’’ means energy de- rived from biofuels. (C) Biomass The term ‘‘biomass’’ has the meaning given the term in section 15852(b) of this title. (D) Bioproduct The term ‘‘bioproduct’’ has the meaning given the term ‘‘biobased product’’ in sec- tion 8101 of title 7. (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 977, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 903; Pub. L. 110–140, title II, §§ 232(a), 233, Dec. 19, 2007, 121 Stat. 1537; Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title I, § 10103(e), Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1430.) Page 8869 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 16320 Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT This part, referred to in subsec. (d), was in the origi- nal ‘‘this subtitle’’, meaning subtitle G (§§ 971–984A) of title IX of Pub. L. 109–58, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 898, which enacted this part and amended section 5523 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade. For complete classifica- tion of subtitle G to the Code, see Tables. AMENDMENTS 2022—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 117–167 added subsec. (f) and struck out former subsec. (f) which related to establish- ment of at least 7 bioenergy research centers to carry out the program under subsec. (a) of this section. 2007—Subsec. (a)(1). Pub. L. 110–140, § 232(a)(1), sub- stituted ‘‘computational biology, and environmental science’’ for ‘‘and computational biology’’. Subsec. (b)(1). Pub. L. 110–140, § 232(a)(2)(A), inserted ‘‘in sustainable production systems that reduce green- house gas emissions’’ after ‘‘hydrogen’’. Subsec. (b)(4), (5). Pub. L. 110–140, § 232(a)(2)(B)–(D), added par. (4) and redesignated former par. (4) as (5). Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 110–140, § 233, added subsec. (f). Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries EFFECTIVE DATE OF 2007 AMENDMENT Amendment by Pub. L. 110–140 effective on the date that is 1 day after Dec. 19, 2007, see section 1601 of Pub. L. 110–140, set out as an Effective Date note under sec- tion 1824 of Title 2, The Congress. § 16318. Fission and fusion energy materials re- search program (a) In general Along with the budget request of the President submitted to Congress for fiscal year 2007, the Secretary shall establish a research and develop- ment program on material science issues pre- sented by advanced fission reactors and the fu- sion energy program of the Department. (b) Administration In carrying out the program, the Secretary shall develop— (1) a catalog of material properties required for applications described in subsection (a); (2) theoretical models for materials pos- sessing the required properties; (3) benchmark models against existing data; and (4) a roadmap to guide further research and development in the area covered by the pro- gram. (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 978, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 904.) § 16319. Energy and water supplies (a) In general The Secretary shall carry out a program of re- search, development, demonstration, and com- mercial application to— (1) address energy-related issues associated with provision of adequate water supplies, op- timal management, and efficient use of water; (2) address water-related issues associated with the provision of adequate supplies, opti- mal management, and efficient use of energy; and (3) assess the effectiveness of existing pro- grams within the Department and other Fed- eral agencies to address these energy and water related issues. (b) Program elements The program under this section shall include— (1) arsenic treatment; (2) desalination; and (3) planning, analysis, and modeling of en- ergy and water supply and demand. (c) Collaboration In carrying out this section, the Secretary shall consult with the Administrator of the En- vironmental Protection Agency, the Secretary of the Interior, the Chief Engineer of the Army Corps of Engineers, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, and other Federal agencies as appropriate. (d) Facilities The Secretary may utilize all existing facili- ties within the Department and may design and construct additional facilities as needed to carry out the purposes of this program. (e) Advisory committee The Secretary shall establish or utilize an ad- visory committee to provide independent advice and review of the program. (f) Reports Not later than 2 years after August 8, 2005, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the assessment described in subsection (b) and recommendations for future actions. (Pub. L. 109–58, title IX, § 979, Aug. 8, 2005, 119 Stat. 905.) § 16320. Spallation Neutron Source (a) Definitions In this section: (1) SING The term ‘‘SING’’ means the Spallation Neu- tron Source Instruments Next Generation major item of equipment. (2) SNS power upgrade The term ‘‘SNS power upgrade’’ means the Spallation Neutron Source power upgrade de- scribed in the 20-year facilities plan of the Of- fice of Science of the Department. (3) SNS second target station The term ‘‘SNS second target station’’ means the Spallation Neutron Source second target station described in the 20-year facili- ties plan of the Office of Science of the Depart- ment. (4) Spallation Neutron Source Facility The terms ‘‘Spallation Neutron Source Fa- cility’’ and ‘‘Facility’’ mean the completed Spallation Neutron Source scientific user fa- cility located at Oak Ridge National Labora- tory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (5) Spallation Neutron Source Project The terms ‘‘Spallation Neutron Source Project’’ and ‘‘Project’’ means Department Project 99–E–334, Oak Ridge National Labora- tory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee. (b) Spallation Neutron Source Project (1) In general The Secretary shall submit to Congress, as part of the annual budget request of the Presi-