42 U.S.C. § 17113 — Industrial emissions reduction technology development program

(a) Definitions: This section defines five terms. The "Director" is the Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. An "eligible entity" is a scientist or other expert in emissions reduction, an institution of higher education, a nongovernmental organization, a National Laboratory, a private entity, or a partnership of two or more of those. "Emissions reduction" means cutting net non-water greenhouse gas emissions from energy services and industrial processes as much as is practicable — but it does not include eliminating the carbon that ends up embodied in a manufactured product itself. The "program" is the one this section creates in subsection (b)(1). A "critical material or mineral" is a material or mineral that plays an essential role in making a product and carries a high risk of supply disruption serious enough to threaten the U.S. economy or national security. (b) Industrial emissions reduction technology development program: Within one year of December 27, 2020, the Secretary of Energy, working with the Director, relevant Federal agency heads, National Laboratories, industry, and universities, had to create a crosscutting program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application. The program aims to make U.S. industry and manufacturing more technologically and economically competitive, make U.S. industrial technology exports more competitive, and achieve emissions reduction in industrial sectors that don't produce power. In running the program, the Secretary must coordinate with every relevant Department office and other Federal agency, coordinate with the Industrial Technology Innovation Advisory Committee created under section 17115, and coordinate with the separate Future of Industry program under section 17111 to avoid duplicating work. The Secretary must also make the most practical use of existing Department and Federal resources and of public-private partnerships. (c) Focus areas: The program must focus on nine things. First, industrial production processes — cutting emissions in high-emissions materials like iron, steel, aluminum, cement, glass, pulp, and paper; cutting emissions from medium- and high-temperature heat generation through electrification, renewable heat, combined heat and power, or alternative fuels like hydrogen and nuclear; cutting emissions in chemical production, including through sustainable chemistry principles; using smart and digital manufacturing and data analytics to model, monitor, and optimize production lines and their energy use; using sustainable manufacturing principles — like designing for reuse and recycling, minimizing waste, and reusing waste in other processes — to cut environmental impact while saving energy and resources; and generally increasing the energy efficiency of industrial processes. Second, alternative materials that produce fewer emissions both when they're made and when they're used, including lightweight materials and substitutes for critical materials and minerals. Third, developing net-zero-emissions liquid and gaseous fuels. Fourth, cutting emissions in shipping, aviation, and long-distance transportation. Fifth, carbon capture technology for industrial processes. Sixth, other technologies that achieve net-zero emissions in nonpower industrial sectors, as the Secretary and Director decide. Seventh, high-performance computing to help develop advanced materials and manufacturing processes for all these focus areas, including modeling and optimizing efficient product designs and using digital prototyping and additive manufacturing. Eighth, incorporating sustainable chemistry and engineering principles as the Secretary sees fit. Ninth, any other research or technology area named in the Strategic Plan required under section 17114. (d) Grants, contracts, cooperative agreements, and demonstration projects: The Secretary must award competitive grants to eligible entities for the projects that best achieve the program's goals, and may also use contracts and cooperative agreements with eligible entities and other Federal agencies for projects that further the program. The Secretary must fund demonstration projects that test and validate the technologies described in subsection (c). Anyone seeking funding, a contract, or an agreement must apply in whatever way the Secretary requires, and the Secretary must require cost sharing under section 16352. (e) Authorization of appropriations: Congress authorized money specifically for the demonstration projects in subsection (d)(3): $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2021, $80,000,000 for 2022, $100,000,000 for 2023, and $150,000,000 for both 2024 and 2025. (f) Coordination: The Secretary must carry out this section's activities in line with the coordination requirements in section 18631.