As part of the duties of the Director authorized under section 7139 of this title, and coordinated with the activities authorized under sections 18641 and 18642 of this title, 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 biomolecular characterization and imaging science, including development of new and 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.
The Director shall not approve new climate science-related initiatives without making a determination that such work is well-coordinated with any relevant work carried out by other Federal agencies.
The term “low-dose radiation” means a radiation dose of less than 100 millisieverts.
The term “low dose-rate radiation” means a radiation dose rate of less than 5 millisieverts per hour.
Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to subject any research carried out by the Secretary for the program under this subsection to any limitations described in section 16317(e) of this title.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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, institutions of higher education, multi-institutional collaborations, and other appropriate entities.
In carrying out the program established under 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 expansion of the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory, or subsequent facility successor, to advance high-throughput microbial plant and 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 integration and coordination with existing data platforms and user facilities of the Department.
Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary shall begin carrying out subparagraph (A) not later than September 29, 2027.
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 7139 of this title) 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.
The Director shall carry out a research program to enhance the understanding of terrestrial-aquatic interface. In carrying out the program, the Director shall prioritize efforts to enhance the collection of observational data, and shall develop models to analyze the natural and human processes that interact in littoral zones.
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, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and any other relevant Federal agency as appropriate.
Not earlier than 2 years after August 9, 2022, the Director shall provide to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, the Committee on Natural Resources, 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 paragraph (2) should be established as a National User Facility within the Department or as a research facility within another Federal agency.
The Director shall ensure that activities carried out under paragraphs (1) and (2), including observation, data collection, monitoring, and model development and enhancements, are interoperable and may be integrated with existing related systems at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other relevant Federal agencies, as practicable.
In carrying out subparagraph (A), in support of interoperability, as practicable, the Director may make available to other Federal agencies high performance computing resources.
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 August 9, 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.
The term “advanced biofuel” has the meaning given the term in section 8101 of title 7.
The term “bioproduct” has the meaning given the term “biobased product” in section 8101 of title 7.