,,ii #aagth ,,congress #ast ,session ,s4 #ajfe ,,in ,,the ,,senate ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states ,march #be1 #bjba,mrs4 ,murray 7for herself and ,mr4 ,manchin7 introduced the following bill2 which was read twice and referred to the ,committee on ,energy and ,natural ,resources ,a ,,bill ,to increase collaboration between offices within the ,department of ,energy to develop and deploy technology to assist the mission of the ,office of ,environmental ,management4 #a4 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,environmental ,management ,liability ,reduction and ,technology ,development ,act of #bjba4 #b4 ,purpose ,the purpose of this ,act is to establish programs-- 7#a7 to develop and deploy technologies in a timely manner to better fulfill the mission of the ,office of ,environmental ,management of the ,department of ,energy2 7#b7 to coordinate available technologies with remediation projects to enable the start1 and cost-efficient and economical completion1 of remediation projects2 7#c7 to establish a consistent process for technology development to achieve long-term solutions rather than developing technologies to address #a phase of a project at a time1 which potentially increases the long-term cleanup costs2 7#d7 to reduce aggregate cost1 better protect workers1 and complete the mission more effectively and safely2 and 7#e7 to develop new technology and to train a skilled workforce to enable the ,secretary of ,energy to address the significant challenges the ,department faces4 #c4 ,definitions ,in this ,act3 7#a7 ,complex ,the term complex means all sites managed in whole or in part by the ,office4 7#b7 ,department ,the term ,department means the ,department of ,energy4 7#c7 ,institution of higher education ,the term institution of higher education has the meaning given the term in section #aja7;a7 of the ,higher ,education ,act of #aife 7#bj ,u4,s4,c4 #ajja7;a774 7#d7 ,mission ,the term mission means the mission of the ,office4 7#e7 ,national ,laboratory ,the term ,national ,laboratory has the meaning given the term in section #b of the ,energy ,policy ,act of #bjje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #aehja74 7#f7 ,office ,the term ,office means the ,office of ,environmental ,management of the ,department4 7#g7 ,secretary ,the term ,secretary means the ,secretary of ,energy1 acting through the ,assistant ,secretary for ,environmental ,management4 7#h7 ,small business concern ,the term small business concern has the meaning given the term in section #c of the ,small ,business ,act 7#ae ,u4,s4,c4 #fcb74 #d4 ,independent assessment and management 7a7 ,independent assessment 7#a7 ,in general ,the ,secretary shall obtain from the ,corps of ,engineers an independent assessment of the lifecycle costs and schedules of the cleanup programs of the ,office4 7#b7 ,focus of assessment ,the assessment under paragraph 7#a7 shall be focused on identifying key remaining technical risks and uncertainties of the cleanup programs4 7#c7 ,use of assessment ,the ,office shall use the assessment under paragraph 7#a7-- 7,a7 to reevaluate the major cleanup challenges faced by the ,office1 including the timeline and costs associated with addressing those challenges with existing science and technology investments2 7,b7 to make any adjustments to the science and technology development program of the ,office that are necessary to address those major cleanup challenges2 7,c7 to evaluate potential savings from the development of new technologies over the life of the cleanup programs of the ,office2 and 7,d7 to provide recommendations to ,congress with respect to the annual funding levels for the ,incremental ,technology ,development ,program established under section #e7;a71 the ,high-,impact ,technology ,development ,program established under section #f7;a71 and the ,fundamental ,research ,program established under section #g7;a7 that will ensure maximum cost-savings over the life of the cleanup programs of the ,office4 7#d7 ,no effect on program implementation ,nothing in this subsection affects the establishment1 implementation1 or carrying out of any project or program under any other provision of law1 including this ,act1 during the time period in which the assessment under paragraph 7#a7 is carried out4 7b7 ,management process ,the ,secretary shall design and implement a science and technology management process for identifying1 prioritizing1 selecting1 developing1 and deploying the new knowledge and technologies needed to address the cleanup challenges faced by the ,office1 including the technical risks and uncertainties identified by the assessment under subsection 7a74 7c7 ,peer review ,the ,secretary shall use independent peer review to evaluate-- 7#a7 the science and technology management process designed under subsection 7b7 before that process is implemented2 7#b7 any science and technology projects before those projects are funded2 and 7#c7 the overall effectiveness and impact of the science and technology efforts of the ,office4 #e4 ,incremental ,technology ,development ,program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,incremental ,technology ,development ,program 7referred to in this section as the program71 to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the cleanup processes of the ,office4 7b7 ,focus 7#a7 ,in general ,the program shall focus on the continuous improvement of new or available technologies for-- 7,a7 decontamination chemicals and techniques2 7,b7 remote sensing and wireless communication to reduce manpower and laboratory efforts2 7,c7 detection1 assay1 and certification instrumentation2 7,d7 packaging materials1 methods1 and shipping systems2 and 7,e7 improving the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the ,office4 7#b7 ,other areas ,the program may include mission-relevant development1 demonstration1 and deployment activities unrelated to the focus areas described in paragraph 7#a74 7c7 ,use of new and emerging technologies 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary shall ensure that site offices of the ,office conduct technology development and demonstration of new and emerging technologies to establish a sound technical basis for the selection of technologies for cleanup or infrastructure operations4 7#b7 ,collaboration required ,the ,secretary shall collaborate with the heads of other ,federal agencies1 the ,national ,laboratories1 other ,federal laboratories1 appropriate ,state regulators and agencies1 and the ,department of ,labor in the development1 demonstration1 and deployment of new technologies under the program4 7d7 ,grant program 7#a7 ,in general ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary may provide to eligible entities grants for technology development1 demonstration1 and deployment projects to improve technologies in accordance with subsection 7b74 7#b7 ,eligible entities ,entities eligible to receive a grant under the program include-- 7,a7 the ,national ,laboratories2 7,b7 other ,federal laboratories2 7,c7 institutions of higher education2 7,d7 contractors2 and 7,e7 small business concerns4 7#c7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select eligible entities for grants under the program through a rigorous process that involves-- 7,a7 transparent and open competition2 and 7,b7 an independent peer review process described in paragraph 7#d74 7#d7 ,peer review process 7,a7 ,in general ,each technology development1 demonstration1 and deployment project of an eligible entity under consideration for a grant under the program shall undergo an independent peer review process by a panel of not fewer than #c peer reviewers selected in accordance with subparagraph 7,c71 who shall evaluate the project in accordance with the criteria described in subparagraph 7,b71 with the goal of maximizing-- 7i7 returns on the research and development expenditures of the ,office2 and 7ii7 the return on investment of grant funds awarded under the program4 7,b7 ,criteria ,the general criteria for peer review under subparagraph 7,a7 shall include1 with respect to each project1 including any technology to be developed1 demonstrated1 or deployed by the project1 an evaluation of-- 7i7 mission relevancy2 7ii7 scientific and technical validity2 7iii7 ability to meet an existing mission void2 7iv7 superiority to alternatives2 7v7 cost effectiveness2 7vi7 ability to reduce risk2 7vii7 regulatory acceptance2 7viii7 public acceptance2 and 7ix7 likelihood of implementation4 7,c7 ,peer reviewers 7i7 ,in general ,a peer reviewer for a project under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be selected-- 7,i7 through a systematic approach to accessing peer reviewer information that ensures the appropriate range of expertise for the peer review panel2 and 7,,ii7 from among-- 7aa7 contractors2 7bb7 the ,national ,laboratories2 7cc7 other ,federal ,laboratories2 7dd7 institutions of higher education2 and 7ee7 members of relevant professional societies4 7ii7 ,minimization of ,,doe participation ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the peer reviewer selection process under clause 7i7 shall minimize the participation of staff of the ,department as peer reviewers4 7iii7 ,minimization of conflicts of interest ,a peer reviewer selected under clause 7i7 to review the project may not be affiliated with the eligible entity or the project being reviewed4 7,d7 ,review process ,each panel of peer reviewers shall review the project-- 7i7 using a process of regular review and staged decision making that is comparable to other peer review programs2 and 7ii7 with rigorous attention to-- 7,i7 the collection of activity2 and 7,,ii7 the achievement of performance metrics4 7#e7 ,cost-sharing ,the ,federal share of the costs of the development1 demonstration1 and deployment of new technologies carried out using a grant under this subsection shall be not more than #gj percent4 7e7 ,funding ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program-- 7#a7 #cj1jjj1jjj for each of fiscal years #bjbb through #bjbd2 and 7#b7 #ej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbe and each fiscal year thereafter4 #f4 ,high-impact ,technology ,development ,program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,high-,impact ,technology ,development ,program 7referred to in this section as the program71 under which the ,secretary shall make grants to eligible entities for projects that pursue technologies that1 with respect to the mission-- 7#a7 holistically address difficult challenges2 7#b7 hold the promise of breakthrough improvements2 or 7#c7 align existing or in-use technologies with difficult challenges4 7b7 ,workshop ,the ,secretary shall commence the program with a workshop to identify1 with respect to the technologies developed pursuant to the program-- 7#a7 the challenges that need to be addressed2 and 7#b7 how-- 7,a7 to maximize the impact of existing resources of the ,office2 and 7,b7 to ensure that the technology development targets challenges across the complex4 7c7 ,areas of focus ,areas of focus of a project receiving a grant under this section may include-- 7#a7 developing and demonstrating improved methods for source and plume characterization and monitoring1 with an emphasis on-- 7,a7 real-time field acquisition2 and 7,b7 the use of indicator species analyses with advanced contaminant transport models to enable better understanding of contaminant migration2 7#b7 developing and determining the limits of performance for remediation technologies and integrated remedial systems that prevent migration of contaminants1 including by producing associated guidance and design manuals for technologies that could be widely used across the complex2 7#c7 demonstrating advanced monitoring approaches that use multiple lines of evidence for monitoring long-term performance of-- 7,a7 remediation systems2 and 7,b7 noninvasive near-field monitoring techniques2 7#d7 developing and demonstrating methods to characterize the physical and chemical attributes of waste that control behavior1 with an emphasis on-- 7,a7 rapid and nondestructive examination and assay techniques2 and 7,b7 methods to determine radio-nuclide1 heavy metals1 and organic constituents2 7#e7 demonstrating the technical basis for determining when enhanced or natural attenuation is an appropriate approach for remediation of complex sites2 7#f7 developing and demonstrating innovative methods to achieve real-time and1 if practicable1 in situ characterization data for tank waste and process streams that could be useful for all phases of the waste management program1 including improving characterization of residual waste in tanks2 7#g7 adapting existing treatment technologies or demonstrating new treatment technologies at the pilot plant scale using real wastes or realistic surrogates-- 7,a7 to address engineering adaptations2 and 7,b7 to enable successful deployment at full-scale and in support of operations2 7#h7 developing and demonstrating rapid testing protocols that-- 7,a7 are accepted by the ,environmental ,protection ,agency1 the ,nuclear ,regulatory ,commission1 the ,department1 and the scientific community2 7,b7 can be used to measure long-term waste form performance under realistic disposal environments2 7,c7 can determine whether a stabilized waste is suitable for disposal2 and 7,d7 reduce the need for extensive1 time-consuming1 and costly analyses on every batch of waste prior to disposal2 7#i7 developing and demonstrating direct stabilization technologies to provide waste forms for disposing of elemental mercury2 and 7#aj7 developing and demonstrating innovative and effective retrieval methods for removal of residual materials from tanks and connecting pipelines4 7d7 ,project selection 7#a7 ,eligible entities ,entities eligible to receive a grant under the program include-- 7,a7 the ,national ,laboratories2 7,b7 other ,federal laboratories2 7,c7 institutions of higher education2 7,d7 contractors2 and 7,e7 small business concerns4 7#b7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select eligible entities for grants under the program through a rigorous process that involves-- 7,a7 transparent and open competition2 and 7,b7 an independent peer review process described in paragraph 7#c74 7#c7 ,peer review process 7,a7 ,in general ,each project of an eligible entity under consideration for a grant under the program shall undergo an independent peer review process by a panel of not fewer than #c peer reviewers selected in accordance with subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,peer reviewers 7i7 ,in general ,a peer reviewer for a project under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be selected-- 7,i7 through a systematic approach to accessing peer reviewer information that ensures the appropriate range of expertise for the peer review panel2 and 7,,ii7 from-- 7aa7 a relevant database1 such as a database of chemical engineers1 geologists1 physicists1 materials scientists1 or biologists2 or 7bb7 among members of relevant professional societies4 7ii7 ,minimization of ,,doe participation ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the peer reviewer selection process under clause 7i7 shall minimize the participation of staff of the ,department as peer reviewers4 7iii7 ,minimization of conflicts of interest ,a peer reviewer selected under clause 7i7 to review the project may not be affiliated with the eligible entity or the project being reviewed4 7,c7 ,review process ,each panel of peer reviewers shall review the project-- 7i7 using a process of regular review and staged decision making that is comparable to other peer review programs2 and 7ii7 with rigorous attention to-- 7,i7 the collection of activity2 and 7,,ii7 the achievement of performance metrics4 7e7 ,funding ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program #aej1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb and each fiscal year thereafter4 #g4 ,fundamental research program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,director of the ,office of ,science 7referred to in this section as the ,director7 shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,fundamental ,research ,program 7referred to in this section as the program71 under which the ,director shall make grants to eligible entities for projects focused on developing new knowledge and capabilities that are associated with the challenges of the mission4 7b7 ,administration ,the ,director shall-- 7#a7 manage the program in close coordination with the ,assistant ,secretary of ,energy for ,environmental ,management2 7#b7 specifically tailor the program to the mission2 and 7#c7 align the program with long-term1 #e- to #aj-year site milestones agreed to by ,federal regulators and the ,states1 so that the science developed pursuant to the program can-- 7,a7 progress effectively2 and 7,b7 provide the understanding necessary to develop solutions that align with the site timelines4 7c7 ,areas of focus ,areas of focus of a project receiving a grant under this section may include research on-- 7#a7 the atomic- and molecular-scale chemistries of waste processing2 7#b7 contaminant immobilization in engineered and natural systems2 7#c7 developing innovative materials1 with an emphasis on nanomaterials or biomaterials1 that could enable sequestration of challenging hazardous or radioactive constituents such as technetium and iodine2 7#d7 elucidating and exploiting complex speciation and reactivity far from equilibrium2 7#e7 understanding and controlling chemical and physical processes at interfaces2 7#f7 harnessing physical and chemical processes to revolutionize separations2 7#g7 tailoring waste forms for contaminants in harsh chemical environments2 or 7#h7 predicting and understanding subsurface system behavior and response to perturbations4 7d7 ,program ,requirements 4 7#a7 ,eligible entities ,entities eligible to receive a grant under the program include-- 7,a7 the ,national ,laboratories2 7,b7 other ,federal laboratories2 7,c7 institutions of higher education2 7,d7 contractors2 and 7,e7 small business concerns4 7#b7 ,selection ,the ,secretary shall select eligible entities for grants under the program through a rigorous process that involves-- 7,a7 transparent and open competition2 and 7,b7 an independent peer review process described in paragraph 7#c74 7#c7 ,peer review process 7,a7 ,in general ,each project of an eligible entity under consideration for a grant under the program shall undergo an independent peer review process by a panel of not fewer than #c peer reviewers selected in accordance with subparagraph 7,b74 7,b7 ,peer reviewers 7i7 ,in general ,a peer reviewer for a project under subparagraph 7,a7 shall be selected-- 7,i7 through a systematic approach to accessing peer reviewer information that ensures the appropriate range of expertise for the peer review panel2 and 7,,ii7 from-- 7aa7 a relevant database1 such as a database of chemical engineers1 geologists1 physicists1 materials scientists1 or biologists2 or 7bb7 among members of relevant professional societies4 7ii7 ,minimization of ,,doe participation ,to the maximum extent practicable1 the peer reviewer selection process under clause 7i7 shall minimize the participation of staff of the ,department as peer reviewers4 7iii7 ,minimization of conflicts of interest ,a peer reviewer selected under clause 7i7 to review the project may not be affiliated with the eligible entity or the project being reviewed4 7,c7 ,review process ,each panel of peer reviewers shall review the project-- 7i7 using a process of regular review and staged decision making that is comparable to other peer review programs2 and 7ii7 with rigorous attention to-- 7,i7 the collection of activity2 and 7,,ii7 the achievement of performance metrics4 7e7 ,funding ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program #cj1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb and each fiscal year thereafter4 #h4 ,environmental management university program 7a7 ,establishment ,the ,secretary shall establish a program1 to be known as the ,environmental ,management ,university ,program 7referred to in this section as the program7-- 7#a7 to engage faculty1 post-doctoral fellows or researchers1 and graduate students of institutions of higher education on subjects relating to the mission to show a clear path for students for employment with the ,department2 7#b7 to provide to institutions of higher education-- 7,a7 a source of new ideas2 and 7,b7 access to advances in engineering and science2 7#c7 to clearly identify to institutions of higher education the tools necessary to enter into the environmental management field professionally2 and 7#d7 to encourage current employees of the ,department to pursue advanced degrees4 7b7 ,areas of focus ,areas of focus of a project receiving a grant under this section may include-- 7#a7 the atomic- and molecular-scale chemistries of waste processing2 7#b7 contaminant immobilization in engineered and natural systems2 7#c7 developing innovative materials1 with an emphasis on nanomaterials or biomaterials1 that could enable sequestration of challenging hazardous or radioactive constituents such as technetium and iodine2 7#d7 elucidating and exploiting complex speciation and reactivity far from equilibrium2 7#e7 understanding and controlling chemical and physical processes at interfaces2 7#f7 harnessing physical and chemical processes to revolutionize separations2 7#g7 tailoring waste forms for contaminants in harsh chemical environments2 or 7#h7 predicting and understanding subsurface system behavior and response to perturbations4 7c7 ,individual research grants ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary may make individual research grants1 in the amount of not less than #aej1jjj but not more than #cjj1jjj per year1 to faculty1 post-doctoral fellows or researchers1 and graduate students of institutions of higher education for #c-year research projects1 with an option for an extension of #a additional period of #b years4 7d7 ,grants for interdisciplinary collaborations ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary may make research grants1 in the amount of not more than #djj1jjj per year for each grant1 for strategic partnerships among scientists1 faculty1 post-doctoral fellows or researchers1 and graduate students of institutions of higher education for #c-year research projects4 7e7 ,hiring of undergraduates ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary may establish a summer internship program for undergraduates of institutions of higher education to work on projects relating to environmental management4 7f7 ,workshops ,in carrying out the program1 the ,secretary may hold workshops with the ,office of ,environmental ,management1 the ,office of ,science1 and members of academia and industry concerning environmental management challenges and solutions4 7g7 ,funding ,there is authorized to be appropriated to carry out the program #g1jjj1jjj for fiscal year #bjbb and each fiscal year thereafter4