42 U.S.C. § 18932 — Greenhouse gas measurement research

Page 9260 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 18921 which enacted this chapter and enacted, amended, and repealed numerous other sections and notes in the Code. For complete classification of div. B to the Code, see Short Title note set out under section 18901 of this title and Tables. Division A, referred to in subsec. (a)(1)(A), (2), is div. A of Pub. L. 117–167, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1372, known as the CHIPS Act of 2022. For complete classification of div. A to the Code, see Short Title of 2022 Amendment note set out under section 4651 of Title 15, Commerce and Trade, and Tables. Section 9(b)(3) of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act of 2020, referred to in subsec. (a)(3)(D), is section 9(b)(3) of Pub. L. 116–145, June 17, 2020, 134 Stat. 656, which is not classified to the Code. SUBCHAPTER II—NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY FOR THE FUTURE § 18921. Definitions In this subchapter: (1) Director The term ‘‘Director’’ means the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Tech- nology. (2) Enrollment of needy students The term ‘‘enrollment of needy students’’ has the meaning given the term in section 1058(d) of title 20. (3) Framework The term ‘‘Framework’’ means the Frame- work for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity developed by the National Insti- tute of Standards and Technology and referred to in Executive Order No. 13800 issued on May 11, 2017 (82 Fed. Reg. 22391 et seq.). (4) Institute The term ‘‘Institute’’ means the National In- stitute of Standards and Technology. (5) International standards organization The term ‘‘international standards organiza- tion’’ has the meaning given such term in sec- tion 2571 of title 19. (6) Secretary The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of Commerce. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title II, § 10201, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1471.) Editorial Notes REFERENCES IN TEXT Executive Order No. 13800, referred to in par. (3), is set out as a note preceding section 1500 of Title 6, Do- mestic Security. PART A—MEASUREMENT RESEARCH § 18931. Engineering biology and biometrology (a) In general The Director, in coordination with the Na- tional Engineering Biology Research and Devel- opment Initiative established pursuant to sub- chapter IV, shall— (1) support basic measurement science and technology research for engineering biology, biomanufacturing, and biometrology to ad- vance— (A) measurement technologies to support foundational understanding of the mecha- nisms of conversion of DNA information into cellular function; (B) technologies for measurement of such biomolecular components and related sys- tems; (C) new data tools, techniques, and proc- esses to improve engineering biology, bio- manufacturing, and biometrology research; and (D) other areas of measurement science and technology research determined by the Director to be critical to the development and deployment of engineering biology, bio- manufacturing and biometrology; (2) support activities to inform and expand the development of measurements infrastruc- ture needed to develop technical standards to establish interoperability and facilitate com- mercial development of biomolecular measure- ment technology and engineering biology ap- plications; (3) convene industry, institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations, Federal laboratories, and other Federal agencies en- gaged in engineering biology research and de- velopment to develop coordinated technical roadmaps for authoritative measurement of the molecular components of the cell; (4) provide access to user facilities with ad- vanced or unique equipment, services, mate- rials, and other resources to industry, institu- tions of higher education, nonprofit organiza- tions, and government agencies to perform re- search and testing; (5) establish or expand collaborative partner- ships or consortia with other Federal agencies engaged in engineering biology research and development, institutions of higher education, Federal laboratories, and industry to advance engineering biology applications; and (6) support graduate and postgraduate re- search and training in biometrology, biomanu- facturing, and engineering biology. (b) Rule of construction Nothing in this section may be construed to alter the policies, processes, or practices of indi- vidual Federal agencies in effect on the day be- fore August 9, 2022, relating to the conduct or support of biomedical research and advanced de- velopment, including the solicitation and review of extramural research proposals. (c) Controls In carrying out activities authorized by this section, the Secretary shall ensure proper secu- rity controls are in place to protect sensitive in- formation, as appropriate. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title II, § 10221, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1474.) § 18932. Greenhouse gas measurement research (a) In general The Director, in consultation with the Admin- istrator of the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Di- Page 9261 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 18932 rector of the National Science Foundation, the Secretary of Energy, and the heads of other Fed- eral agencies, as appropriate, shall carry out a measurement research program to inform the development or improvement of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, procedures, and technical standards for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions and to assess and im- prove the performance of greenhouse gas emis- sions measurement systems placed in situ and on space-based platforms. (b) Activities In carrying out such a program, the Director may— (1) conduct research and testing to improve the accuracy, efficacy, and reliability of the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions at a range of scales that covers direct measure- ment at the component or process level through atmospheric observations; (2) conduct research to create novel meas- urement technologies and techniques for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions; (3) convene and engage with relevant Fed- eral agencies and stakeholders to establish common definitions and characterizations for the measurement of greenhouse gas emissions, taking into account any existing United States and international technical standards and guidance; (4) conduct outreach and coordination to share technical expertise with relevant indus- try and nonindustry stakeholders and stand- ards development organizations to— (A) assist such entities in the development and adoption of best practices and technical standards for greenhouse gas emissions measurements; and (B) promote consistency and traceability in international reference standards and central calibration laboratories; (5) in coordination with the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin- istration, the Administrator of the Environ- mental Protection Agency, and the Secretary of Energy, develop such standard reference materials as the Director determines is nec- essary to further the development of such technical standards, taking into account any existing United States or international stand- ards; (6) coordinate with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to ensure data are managed, stewarded, and archived at all levels and promote full and open exchange at Federal and State levels, and with academia, industry, and other users; and (7) coordinate with international partners, including international standards organiza- tions, to maintain global greenhouse gas measurement technical standards. (c) Testbeds In coordination with the private sector, insti- tutions of higher education, State and local gov- ernments, the National Oceanic and Atmos- pheric Administration, the Environmental Pro- tection Agency, the Department of Energy, and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, the Di- rector may continue to develop and manage testbeds to advance research and standards de- velopment for greenhouse gas emissions meas- urements from in situ and space-based plat- forms. (d) Center for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, Standards, and Information (1) In general The Director, in collaboration with the Ad- ministrator of the National Oceanic and At- mospheric Administration, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the heads of other Federal agencies, as appro- priate, shall establish a Center for Greenhouse Gas Measurements, Standards, and Informa- tion (in this subsection referred to as the ‘‘Center’’). (2) Collaborations The Director shall require that the activi- ties of the Center include collaboration among public and private organizations, including in- stitutions of higher education, nonprofit orga- nizations, private sector entities, and State, Tribal, territorial, and local officials. (3) Purpose The purpose of the Center shall be to— (A) advance measurement science, data analytics, and modeling at a range of scales that covers direct measurement and esti- mation at the component or process level through atmospheric observations and at the analysis level to improve the accuracy of spatially and temporally resolved green- house gas emissions measurement, valida- tion, and attribution to specific underlying activities and processes; (B) test and evaluate the performance of existing capabilities, and inform and im- prove best practices, benchmarks, meth- odologies, procedures, and technical stand- ards, for the measurement and validation of greenhouse gas emissions at scales noted in subparagraph (A); (C) educate and train students in measure- ment science, computational science, and systems engineering research relevant to greenhouse gas emissions measurements; (D) foster collaboration among academic researchers, private sector stakeholders, and State, Tribal, territorial, and local officials in the use of Institute testbeds as described in subsection (c); (E) conduct activities with research insti- tutions, industry partners, and State and local officials to identify research, testing, and technical standards needs relevant to greenhouse gas emissions; and (F) collaborate with other Federal agen- cies to conduct outreach and coordination to share and promote technical data, tools, and expertise with relevant public and private sector stakeholders, including State, Tribal, territorial, and local officials, to assist such in the accurate measurement of greenhouse gas emissions. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title II, § 10222, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1475.) Page 9262 TITLE 42—THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE § 18933 § 18933. Software security and authentication (a) Vulnerabilities in open source software The Director shall assign severity metrics to identified vulnerabilities with open source soft- ware and produce voluntary guidance to assist the entities that maintain open source software repositories to discover and mitigate vulnerabilities. (b) Artificial intelligence-enabled defenses The Director shall carry out research and test- ing to improve the effectiveness of artificial in- telligence-enabled cybersecurity, including by generating optimized data sets to train artificial intelligence defense systems and evaluating the performance of varying network architectures at strengthening network security. (c) Authentication of Institute software The Director shall ensure all software released by the Institute is digitally signed and main- tained to enable stakeholders to verify its au- thenticity and integrity upon installation and execution. (d) Assistance to Inspectors General Subject to available funding, the Director shall provide technical assistance to improve the education and training of individual Federal agency Inspectors General and staff who are re- sponsible for the annual independent evaluation they are required to perform of the information security program and practices of Federal agen- cies under section 3555 of title 44. (e) Software supply chain security practices (1) In general The Director shall, in coordination with in- dustry, academia, and other Federal agencies, as appropriate, develop a set of security out- comes and practices, including security con- trols, control enhancements, supplemental guidance, or other supporting information to enable software developers and operators to identify, assess, and manage cybersecurity risks over the full lifecycle of software prod- ucts. (2) Outreach The Director shall conduct outreach and co- ordination activities to share technical exper- tise with Federal agencies, relevant industry stakeholders, and standards development or- ganizations, as appropriate, to encourage the voluntary adoption of the software lifecycle security practices by Federal agencies and in- dustry stakeholders. (Pub. L. 117–167, div. B, title II, § 10224, Aug. 9, 2022, 136 Stat. 1478.) § 18934. Biometrics research and testing (a) In general The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall establish a program to support measure- ment research to inform the development of best practices, benchmarks, methodologies, proce- dures, and voluntary, consensus-based technical standards for biometric identification systems, including facial recognition systems, to assess and improve the performance of such systems. In carrying out such program, the Director may— (1) conduct measurement research to sup- port efforts to improve the performance of bio- metric identification systems, including in areas related to conformity assessment, image quality and interoperability, contactless bio- metric capture technologies, and human-in- the-loop biometric identification systems and processes; (2) convene and engage with relevant stake- holders to establish common definitions and characterizations for biometric identification systems, which may include accuracy, fair- ness, bias, privacy, consent, and other prop- erties, taking into account definitions in rel- evant international technical standards and other publications; (3) carry out measurement research and test- ing on a range of biometric modalities, such as fingerprints, voice, iris, face, vein, behavioral biometrics, genetics, multimodal biometrics, and emerging applications of biometric identi- fication technology; (4) study the use of privacy-enhancing tech- nologies and other technical protective con- trols to facilitate access, as appropriate, to public data sets for biometric research; (5) conduct outreach and coordination to share technical expertise with relevant indus- try and nonindustry stakeholders and stand- ards development organizations to assist such entities in the development of best practices and voluntary technical standards; and (6) develop such standard reference artifacts as the Director determines is necessary to fur- ther the development of such voluntary tech- nical standards. (b) Biometrics test program (1) In general The Secretary, acting through the Director, shall carry out a test program to provide bio- metrics vendors the opportunity to test bio- metric identification technologies across a range of modalities. (2) Activities In carrying out the program under this sub- section, the Director shall— (A) conduct research and regular testing to improve and benchmark the accuracy, effi- cacy, and bias of biometric identification technologies, which may include research and testing on demographic variations, cap- ture devices, presentation attack detection, partially occluded or computer generated images, privacy and security designs and controls, template protection, de-identifica- tion, and comparison of algorithm, human, and combined algorithm-human recognition capability; (B) develop an approach for testing soft- ware and cloud-based biometrics applica- tions, including remote systems, in Institute test facilities; (C) establish reference use cases for bio- metric identification technologies and per- formance criteria for assessing each use case, including accuracy, efficacy, and bias metrics;