WASHINGTON, D.C., April 1, 2004 – The House Science Committee today passed H.R. 3970, the Green Chemistry Research and Development Act of 2004 by a voice vote. The legislation, introduced by Representative Phil Gingrey (R-GA), is designed to increase the federal focus on green chemistry to discover more environmentally benign alternatives to today’s chemical products and processes.

Representative Gingrey said, “H.R. 3970 will establish a research and development program to promote and coordinate federal green chemistry research, development, demonstration, education, and technology transfer activities within the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the Department of Energy. This legislation provides modest and prudent focus in an area that frankly deserves greater federal attention.”

Gingrey continued, “The program established by the green chemistry bill will provide sustained support for green chemistry research and development through merit-reviewed competitive grants to researchers, university-industry partnerships, and federal laboratories. In addition, this program will promote the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students in green chemistry and collect and disseminate information on green chemistry research and development and technology transfer.”

“[T]his bill is exactly the kind of thing this Committee should be doing – making sure that federal R&D programs give enough attention to important research that could advance national needs,” said Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY). “The federal government has long had a smattering of green chemistry programs and even a Presidential award, but we’ve lacked a sustained, focused and priority effort in this important area. This bill is designed to change that.”

Mr. Gingrey’s legislation is supported by, among others, the American Chemical Society, and by Rohm and Haas Company, a worldwide producer of specialty chemicals with more than 100 plants and research facilities in 26 countries.

The Committee approved the following amendments:

• By voice vote, an amendment by Chairman Boehlert to change the reporting schedule for a National Science Foundation report that is already required by law.
  
• By voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Gingrey to an amendment by Ranking Minority Member Bart Gordon (D-TN) to make work on green chemistry an allowable activity under the Manufacturing Extension Program.
• By voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Gingrey to an amendment by Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) to allow non-profits to receive grants under the program.
• By voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Gingrey to an amendment by Representative David Wu (D-OR) to make the education and training of professional chemists and chemical engineers an allowable activity.

The Committee defeated the following amendments:

• By a vote of 14-19, an amendment by Rep. Gordon to mandate federal purchase of green chemistry products.
• By a voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Johnson to ask the National Academy of Sciences to study barrier to the use of green chemistry products and processes.
• By a vote of 15-18, an amendment by Rep. Johnson to increase the funding for the National Science Foundation’s green chemistry program.
• By a voice vote, an amendment by Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX) to create a program to fund efforts by communities to try to reduce the use and release of toxic chemicals.
• By a voice vote, an amendment by Rep. Jackson-Lee to make the authorizations in the bill additional authorizations as opposed to being from “sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated.”
• By a vote of 15-15, an amendment by Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) to have the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Homeland Security undertake a study of chemicals that should be replaced by green chemistry alternatives.
• By a vote of 16-19, a second amendment by Rep. Jackson-Lee to strike “from sums otherwise authorized to be appropriated” from the bill.

In addition, two amendments were withdrawn after the Chairman agreed to work to have them included in the final version of the bill:

• An amendment by Rep. Gordon to create an undergraduate education program in green chemistry.
• An amendment by Representative Michael Honda (D-CA) to fund research on the legal, societal and ethical consequences of green chemistry.

In explaining his opposition to the defeated amendments, Chairman Boehlert said the amendments would have increased spending in the bill, elaborated on activities already explicitly or implicitly permitted in the bill, or changed the bill’s focus from research and development (R&D) to regulatory matters.

Mr. Boehlert further explained that while he personally supported some of the concepts behind the amendments, they were controversial and would create opposition to the bill and, in some cases, referral to other Committees. “Our goal should be to get the good work authorized by this bill in place, not to weigh it down with amendments that will prevent the bill from being signed into law. If Members have other goals related to green chemistry, they should introduce their own bills. I would support such bills, but they will have a much tougher row to hoe than this bill, and we need this bill now,” Boehlert said.

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108-226