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e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e the committee on science space and Technology will come to order without objection the chair is authorized to declare recesses of the committee at any time pursuant to rule pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 the

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chair announces that roll call votes will be postponed until after the first votes on the floor and I believe in consultation with the ranking member we agree that there is a an event uh in support of our friend Mr gildy and after

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that let's all immediately return we'll vote promptly by machine and proceed aggressively today we meet to consider HR 272 the Astro act HR 6219 the ascenda HR 7687 the NASA streamlining Partnerships and HR 4152 space resources Institute act HR

0:17:26

7630 the anchor Act HR 7686 clarifying the definition of foreign country regarding malign Talent recruitment restrictions HR 773 the Next Generation pipelines R&D act HR 7685 the impact act I now recognize myself for an opening

0:17:45

statement thank you all for joining us at this markup today we consider range of bills that span the our jurisdiction from research security to energy R&D to space as is traditional on this committee the bills are all bipartisan

0:17:59

with solid support from both sides of the aisle we'll kick things off today with a handful of bills related to our space sector first up is h272 the Astro act from space and Aeronautics subcommittee chairman Brian babon and representative Jeff Jackson

0:18:13

this is a common sense bill that addresses a long-standing issue at Nasa regarding transportation of astronauts currently the NASA administrator must approve ground transportation for each astronaut until they are cleared to

0:18:25

drive after having flown in space this is time assuming and an unnecessary bureaucracy the Astro act will give a blanket approval to transport astronauts after their missions until they are medically cleared to drive the next bill will consider is HR

0:18:41

6219 the Ascend act from representative Cain and bonami this bill creates a commercial satellite data acquisition program within NASA's science Mission directorate by allowing NASA to procure commercial remote sensing data this bill

0:18:57

supports critical work and precision and agriculture natural disaster monitoring and Environmental Management I appreciate my colleagues work to make remote sensing at Nasa more efficient next we'll have HR 7687 the NASA streamlining Partnerships

0:19:12

act offered by my friend representative senson friends I should say Sorenson and chairman Babin this bill allows NASA to receive funds from other federal agencies for scientific or engineering research and education this will

0:19:25

strengthen our ability to conduct research by allow allowing coming comingled phones com comingled funds comingling is a challenge isn't it for important work including experiments on the ISS our final space related bill

0:19:42

is HR 4152 the space resources Institute act sponsored by representative carve it directs NASA and the Department of Commerce to submit a report to Congress on the merits of establishing a space resources Institute as we explore deeper

0:19:56

into space we will need to consider consider how best to utilize resources on the Moon Mars and Beyond establishing an Institute that will help us consider this important topic thoughtfully I thank my colleagues for their work on this bill and next we'll

0:20:11

turn to Two Bills designed to improve our research security both sponsored by representative Garcia the first is HR 7630 the anchor act this bill directs the NSF to submit a plan for much needed updates to our academic research Fleet

0:20:27

to improve cyber security and modernized Telecom equipment these research vessels will allow us to conduct scientific research around the globe help us better understand our oceans lakes and polar regions and to do that we require

0:20:43

security secure digital networking and Communications this bill ensures that we are not vulnerable to cyber attacks our second research security bill is 7686 which updates the definition of malign foreign Talent recruit recruitment programs by updating the

0:21:00

definition from the chips and science act we'll make it easier for universities and federal research agencies to identify and address threats to our taxpayer funded research and I want to thank representative Garcia for his work on both of these important

0:21:13

bills finishing our agenda will consider two energy bills related to American industry I'm proud to join representative Weber and co-sponsor HR 773 the Next Generation pipelines research and development act which invests in the R&D needed to modernize

0:21:29

our pipeline systems pipelines play a critical role in delivering Energy across the country as the representative Cushing Oklahoma the pipeline Crossroads of the world I would note for the record I'm well aware of the importance of this

0:21:45

infrastructure not only do pipelines carry the oil and gas and natural gas that currently fuels our economy but they'll also be critical in transporting Next Generation fuels hydrogen carbon dioxide and methane today's will invest

0:21:59

in research and development needed to strengthen today's pipelines and keep them functioning long into the future our final bill today is HR 7685 the impact act sponsored by representative Miller this bill strengthens our cement

0:22:14

concrete and asphalt production while reducing greenhouse gas emissions this sector is critical to our infrastructure our National Defense and our economy it's difficult to reduce emissions in this sector but it's critical that any

0:22:27

low emissions materials we use are just as efficient and effective as their counterparts this legislation directs the department of energy to conduct the research development and demonstration work needed to reduce emissions in the

0:22:39

production of cement concrete and asphalt it bills on previous efforts to decrease emissions while increasing competiveness and I appreciate Mr Miller's work on this bill as I said this will be our final bill for the day and I want to thank all the bill

0:22:54

sponsors for working in a bipartisan matter to draft practical smart legis a that addresses key needs and I anticipate a smooth markup I look both ways when I say that today and I appreciate everyone in this room for

0:23:08

working together to make this happen and I now recognize the ranking member Mrs lran for her opening statement well uh thank you chairman Lucas and thanks to all the members for their hard work on these bills I think once again the

0:23:20

science committee can show uh that we can work together in a bipartisan way and make improvements for our country and proud that we are all working to do that as you've mentioned the Astro act would uh eliminate bureaucratic

0:23:36

complications and Mr Babin and Mr Jackson deserve uh praise for their efforts on that the Ascend Act of course led by Representatives keen and bonami would make a successful program uh pilot program at Nasa that utilizes commercial

0:23:56

uh data permanent and that's important too I'm so glad Mr senson uh introduced the bill to give NASA authority to receive and merge funds for the awarding of Grants or cooperative agreements this is going to make a b a big difference uh

0:24:12

and will allow greater efficiency through inter agency Partnerships it's a win-win for everyone involved and thank you Mr Sorenson for your efforts on this obviously the space resources Institute act introduced by Dr caraveo and Mr

0:24:27

Lamor is an important step forward it allows uh local available resources on celestial bodies um which is crucial uh to enabling sustainable deep exploration to be used it directs NASA and the Department of Commerce to evaluate

0:24:43

creating a hub at academic institutions to help organize and Advance us research and Technology developments around space resources and it's a good example once again of the science committee anticip ipating the technological needs of the

0:25:00

future and I'm grateful Dr caraveo for your leadership in this next is the anchor Act of course represented uh introduced by Mr Garcia and Miss Stevens uh it's important that the US academic research Fleet made up of uh 18

0:25:16

oceanographic vessels uh have networking and cyber security challenges and that hinders scientific output uh and this will help address that importantly L HR 7686 the mign foreign talents recruitment program act introduced by Mr

0:25:36

Garcia and Miss Stevens reflects our committee's good faith deliberations on how to protect the nation Nations research Enterprise all of us agree that that is an important priority for Congress and for our nation the chips

0:25:51

and science act uh definition of a malign foreign Talent recruitment program uh is important but we we learn from research institutions uh that they want clarification because they want to make sure they are complying uh that feedback

0:26:09

was important to us and even though they have the best of intentions and good vet vetting we need to make sure that these institutions can get it right uh through providing the clarity that this bill does uh the Next Generation pipeline

0:26:24

Bill introduced by Mr Weber and again Dr ail is really important um 2.8 million miles of pipeline uh in this country half over 60 years old and susceptible to leaks and other defects this bill is going to be critical to ensure that

0:26:44

we're doing all we can to minimize risk associated with aging pipeline infrastructure and it's I thank you Dr Cara once again for your leadership and of course the final bill uh sponsored by Mr Miller and miss hushi is the

0:26:59

Innovative mitigation partnership for asphalt and concrete Technologies act or the impact act globally cement facilities account for an astounding 8% of carbon dioxide emissions and looking that cement is expected to increase by

0:27:18

12% by 2050 we need to address this challenge if we're going to have success in the climate change uh challenge that we Face the Next Generation cement concrete and asphalt emission reduction Technologies is going to need technical

0:27:33

assistance that this bill will provide I thank the authors for um their leadership in this and as the chairman has mentioned I think we have consensus moving forward I expect this to be a short markup but that doesn't mean uh it

0:27:48

isn't important and this is bipar ship in the science committee at work once again and I yield back and I thank the ranking member for observations Other M are invited to submit their opening statements for the record pursuant to

0:28:01

notice I now call up HR 272 the Astro act the clerk will report the bill HR 272 to amend Title 31 United States code to authorize transportation for government astronauts returning from space between their residents in various

0:28:17

locations and for other purposes without objection the bill is considered is read and open for Amendment at any point I now recognize the gentleman from Texas uh Mr Babin to speak on the underlying Bill thank you Mr chairman I really

0:28:31

appreciate it and I'm very pleased to uh sponsor HR 272 the astronaut safe temporary ride options act or Astro act for short one of the great honors associated with serving as the chairman of subcommittee on space and Aeronautics

0:28:46

is having the opportunity uh to meet with astronauts preparing to go into space and also meeting with them and visiting with them after they return uh from their missions the astal act as a result of these conversations and NASA's

0:29:01

advocacy for increased astronaut safety uh the brave men and women who wear the iconic Blue flight suit risk their lives and to Advance America's leadership in space and keep us in that number one position uh when these astronauts return

0:29:17

home we must make certain that they can recover and get back on their feet without red tape the space environment poses significant medical issues on these astronauts on these people uh such as osteoporosis muscle atrophy bone

0:29:32

breaks from re-entry vision changes loss of equilibrium which prevents astronauts from being able to drive upon return from space the Astro act will streamline the approval process for driving astronauts to and from Johnson Space

0:29:48

Center in my district for treatment and study upon their return from space and additionally my bill provides transparency by requiring NASA to send an annual report uh to uh Congress on how the funds are used uh under my bill

0:30:07

there are tremendous benefits and the astronauts Health Data acquired by Johnson Space Center on the impacts of microgravity on the human body this will help us going forward as we reach into deep space looking towards our nearest

0:30:22

neighboring planet Mars uh this bill will lessen the paperwork required to ensure astronaut continue to participate in important medical evaluations to inform future space exploration as I just mentioned I want to thank

0:30:36

Congressman Jeff Jackson who's not here right now for co-sponsoring this legislation and urge all of my colleagues to support this bill so Mr chairman I'd yield back gentleman yields back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying

0:30:53

Bill since no one else is seeking recognition and there are no amendments pre-filed of the bill does any member wish to offer an amendment at this time seeing no reques uh to be recognized to offer an amendment and hearing none pursuant to rule committee

0:31:14

Rule 2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be postponed pursuant to the notice I now call up HR 6219 the Ascend act the clerk will report the bill HR 6219 to require the administrator of the National

0:31:31

Aeronautics and Space Administration to establish a program to identify evaluate acquire and disseminate commercial Earth remote sensing data and imagery in order to satisfy the scientific operational and educational requirements of the

0:31:46

administration without objection the bill is considered as read and open for amendment I now recognize the gentleman from New Jersey Mr Kane to speak on the underlying Bill thank you Mr chairman and I also want to thank Congressman

0:31:58

bonami for her co-sponsorship of this piece of legislation HR 6219 the accessing satellite capabilities to enable new discoveries Ascend act uh it basically is a bill that as you said before is important for the future of this country and

0:32:17

importance of for innovation in 2017 NASA established a pilot program called commercial small set data acquisition to identify and evaluate commercial capabilities establish new processes to onboard and and then to enable broad sharing and use of acquired

0:32:35

data products the csda pilot program proved to be a success with participating scientists evaluation of commercial data sets as useful and reliable for a variety of research topics the Ascend act would build upon the success of the commercial small

0:32:50

satellite data acquisition program by permanently authorizing it within NASA thus ensuring the programs continued growth and Longevity this bill directs a NASA administrator to establish a commercial satellite data acquisition

0:33:05

program with NASA's science Mission directorate the bill allows the administrator to procure commercial Earth remote sensing data from commercial providers to help fulfill the agency's need additionally this legislation requires the administrator

0:33:19

to sub to uh to submit a report to Congress about the commercial agreements signed by NASA and their uses and their impacts by expanding NASA's csda program we ensure that the earth science Community has access to Innovative data

0:33:34

sets from the commercial space sector to support the scientific research by providing these expanded data sets to researchers NASA enables them to propel research across various scientific disciplines this program benefits not

0:33:49

only NASA scientists but also federally funded and accredited researchers across various agencies such as Noah USDA or DOI as well as Federal grantees including National Science Foundation and other agencies by committing to comprehensive

0:34:05

research and leveraging advancements in the private sector we are ensuring that America remains at the Forefront of scientific discovery and technological advancements for generations to come with new leadership and and

0:34:18

responsibilities for csda over the past year is an important time for Congress to reaffirm our support for this program by enacting into statute thus ensuring its continued growth and success for the federal scientific Community by

0:34:32

sustaining this program researchers gain access to timely high quality data crucial for advancing scientific understanding strengthening disaster respons capabilities and driving Innovation across the space commercial industry again I'd like to thank Mrs

0:34:49

bonami for co-leading on this legislation and for her leadership on this committee I'd like to encourage my colleagues to support this vital legislation I yield back the remainder of my time gentlemen yelds back the chair now recognizes the lead co-sponsor

0:35:03

of the bill from Oregon Miss bonami to speak on the underlying Bill uh thank you very much uh Mr chairman and thank you chair Lucas and ranking member Lofgren for continuing the bipartisan and productive nature of the committee

0:35:15

on science space and technology and thank you uh to representative Kean for co-sponsoring this legislation and for your leadership on it as well research at na NASA's earth science division is critical to understand our planets

0:35:28

changing and interconnected natural systems since 2017 scientists at Nasa and other federally funded researchers have used data from the commercial small satellite or smallsat data acquisition program to study Earth's changing climate

0:35:44

geophysics and ocean ecology as more precise commercial satellites launch into orbit this data continues to bolster the suite of Earth observation data that NASA collects NASA acquired commerci commercial data contributes to

0:35:59

scientific research within broad applications including improved detection for red tide or harm harmful ala blooms more precise measurement of wildfire emissions and burn spread and more accurate crop observations to improve yield estimates highquality

0:36:15

remote sensing data and images procured by NASA will strengthen earth science research and help make our community safer I'm pleased to join with my colleague Congressman Kean as the co-lead of the bipartisan send act which will authorize NASA's successful

0:36:31

commercial small stat data acquisition program increasing access to highquality Earth observation data will improve research about our planet and further empower the scientific Community to make the next series of groundbreaking

0:36:45

discoveries I encourage my colleagues to support this important bill and I yield back the balance of my time gentle lady yals back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying bill if there's no further discussion on

0:36:59

the underlying Bill we'll proceed with amendments in order listed on the roster the only amendment on the roster for this bill is offered by the gentlewoman from Ohio Miss Sykes the clerk will report Sykes amendment number 58

0:37:11

amendment to HR 629 offered by Miss Sykes of Ohio without objection the amendment is considered as read and the gentle woman from Ohio is recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chair and first I want to thank my colleagues

0:37:26

representative B banamichi and Keen uh for introducing HR 6219 the accessing satellite data to enable new discoveries the Ascend act authorizing NASA's commercial smallsat data acquisition program and keeping in the spirit of a smooth markup this is a

0:37:45

very simple and easy uh and beneficial Amendment um access to remote sensing data is an imagery is extremely important because it helps us understand and address our nation and our globe's most pressing problems for instance like

0:37:59

issues like soil erosion or Wildfire fires can be accessed by the information we receive from remote sensing and data imagery my Amendment does two simple things first uh it seeks to ensure that the agreements under the NASA csda

0:38:13

program supports the widest possible use of the proc procured data by non-nasa users and second this amendment directs NASA to procure csda program data from vendors based in the United States to maximize to the maximum extent possible

0:38:29

for example NASA has acquired data sets from several different entities including the Ohio State universities boy polar Research Center through collaborative Earth dim project and it is vital that NASA continues to work

0:38:40

with us entities to access reliable and accurate data sets I believe these two uh edits uh to the underlying bill will further support NASA's earth science research and application as well as the committee's goal of bipartisanship and

0:38:54

smooth markup so thank you uh Mr chair and I enourage encourage my colleagues to support this amendment I yield back gentle lady yields back does any other member wish to be recognized to speak on the amendment the ranking members

0:39:06

recognized uh just I want to thank Miss Sykes for improving this bipartisan Bill and uh urge its adoption gentle lady Ys back uh anyone else seeking recognition hearing no others the question is agreeing on the Sykes amendment number 58 all in favor say

0:39:24

I all opposed say no the eyes appear to have it the eyes appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it the amendment is agreed to there were no other amendments pre-filed for this bill does any member wish to offer an amendment at this

0:39:41

time seeing none seeing none hearing none pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this amendment will be postponed pursuant to notice I now call up HR 76 87 the NASA spre Act and the clerk will report the bill HR 7687 to

0:40:04

amend title 51 United States code to authorize the transfer to NASA of funds from other agencies for scientific or engineering research or education and for other purposes without objection the bill is considered as R and open for

0:40:18

Amendment any point I now recognize the gentleman from Illinois Mr Sorenson to speak on the underlying Bill thank you Mr chairman as the ranking member of the space and Aeronautics subcommittee I'm proud to see uh my bill the NASA

0:40:31

streamlining partnership for research and education for engineering and science act or sprees act to be considered by the committee I'd also like to take a moment to thank chairman Babin uh for co-sponsoring my bill so uh

0:40:44

many thanks chairman uh NASA conducts uh inspiring research and education efforts across a wide range of Science and Engineering disciplines effective inter agency collaboration will incre increas the return of investment for the

0:41:00

American people by leveraging the unique expertise and capabilities of each agency this is especially important where the goals of NASA's research and education efforts align with those of other agencies for example NASA and the

0:41:16

NIH work together on biomedical research to better understand human biology and health in microgravity environments and NASA and the Department of Agriculture collaborate to measure soil moisture and land use with satellite based Earth

0:41:31

observations to better understand and predict our food security the NASA spre act aims to help facilitate inter agency research collaboration across space and Earth sciences and Engineering specifically the bill will enable NASA

0:41:47

and other agencies to jointly fund research or education programs in certain areas of shared interest if NASA were to attempt this today today both agencies would have to jump through burdensome bureaucratic Hoops which impose duplicative administrative

0:42:05

burdens on researchers and students who wish to apply for the funding my bill cuts through the red tape and it allows NASA to receive and merge funds approved for transfer from another Agency for the awarding of Grants or cooperative

0:42:19

agreements uh for collaborative scientific or engineering research or educational programs The Authority granted in this Bill to NASA is similar to a longstanding authority of the National Science Foundation the NASA spree act will streamline inter agency

0:42:37

collaboration and help Advance the missions to support science agencies I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this bill today and I look forward to working with our Appropriations Committee counterparts to

0:42:49

swiftly move this bill to the floor thank you and I yield back the balance of M gentlemen yields back the chair recognizes the Gent lady from North Carolina to speak on the underlying Bill thank you uh Mr chairman and thank you

0:43:01

ranking member lren for holding this markup on these critically important bipartisan bills I speak in support of HR 7687 the NASA streamlining Partnerships for research and education for engineering and science act introduced

0:43:18

by my colleague representative senson and thank him for his leadership this bill based on Authority that the National Science found Foundation has had would help Foster joint programs between NASA and other agencies in areas

0:43:33

where their missions align this bill would help support the awarding of Grants and Cooperative agreements for Science and Engineering research or educational activities at institutions like North Carolina State University NC

0:43:50

State is home not just to the ACC Champs but to the space grant program and supports thousands of engineering students with Bright Futures in our research Enterprise I urge all of my colleagues to support this legislation

0:44:06

and I yield back Jen yields back the chair recognizes the ranking member uh thank you Mr chairman I just want to say this bill advances science uh for the well-being of the nation and I want to thank Mr Sorenson for his vision and

0:44:21

introducing it and with that Mr chairman I yield back gentle lady yields back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying Bill there uh seeing none there were no other amendments pre-filed on this bill does any member wish to offer an

0:44:35

amendment at this time hearing none pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be postponed yes pursuant to notice I now call up HR 4152 the space resources Institute act the clerk will report the bill HR 4152

0:44:56

to direct the administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and Secretary of Commerce to submit to Congress a report on the merits of and options for establishing an Institute relating to space resources

0:45:09

and for other purposes without objection the bill is considered as read and open for Amendment any point I now recognize the gentleman from Colorado Miss carve to speak on the underlying Bill thank you chairman Lucas uh as we continue our

0:45:22

push into space there has been more and more interest from both the public and private sector and learning more about how we can use materials we are going to encounter on astronomical objects like the moon this practice is known as nc2

0:45:36

resource utilization and is going to be vital if we want to replace materials we would normally find on Earth it makes sense at a certain point longer term missions to the moon and Beyond will need to replenish things like fuel ship

0:45:50

components and more the space Resource Institute Act is the first step in helping us better understand how we can responsibly perform inc2 resource utilization for these missions the bill would direct NASA and the Department of

0:46:04

Commerce to report to Congress on the merits of establishing an educational institute focused on Space resources while some space resource research is being done already it is scattered across NASA academic institutions and

0:46:18

the commercial sector for example many of you have likely heard me talk about how Colorado is a leader in the Aerospace indust industry and it is no different different when it comes to responsible space Resource Management

0:46:30

Colorado School of Minds has been a Pioneer in the field but they and the rest of the entities engaged in this work would benefit from a central Hub to support the development of foundational science and technology for space

0:46:41

resources ultimately ensuring that the United States maintains The Edge when it comes to this research by establishing an Institute will help us maintain our preeminence in space I'd like to close by thanking my colleague representative

0:46:54

lamorne for co-leading this bipartisan effort with with me and having been a great advocate for this bill I'd like to also thank chairman Lucas for bringing up before the uh full committee for consideration and Congressman

0:47:05

congresswoman zo Lofgren for her support I also recognize that this will be the second time we are voting on this bill so I also think the rest of my colleagues for your thoughtful consideration and ask for your continued

0:47:16

support thank you and I yield back G lady yields back uh the ranking member seeks to be recognized Mr chairman there is one Amendment that's been noticed but representative Lee was in another committee I think she's on her way and

0:47:29

so I'd ask unan consent to allow um the to introduce her amendment in her behalf until she gets here uh the chair sees no objection and prior to the offering of that Amendment we'll see if there's any other comments by any

0:47:44

members uh does any other member wish to speak on the underlying Bill seeing no further discussion on the underlying Bill we proceed with amendments in the order listed on the roster the only amendment on the on the roster for this bill is offered by the

0:47:58

Gent one from Pennsylvania Mrs Lee the clerk will read Lee amendment number 52 amendment to HR 4152 offered by m Lee of Pennsylvania without objection the amendment is considered as read and because of the unanimous consent

0:48:14

agreement a moment ago the ranking member uh from California is recognized to explain the amendment uh thank you Mr chairman I hopefully representative Lee will get here from our other Committee in time to address this but I do want to

0:48:27

thank her for the amendment uh along with uh Dr caraveo and uh Mr Lamborn they all work together to find uh this happy Common Ground the amendment expands the objectives of the study directed in the underlying Bill to include research that maximizes the

0:48:46

responsible use of space resources I think that's something we can all get behind I'm happy to support the amendment and I yield back gentle lady yields back does any other M wish to be recognized to speak on the amendment hearing no others the request

0:49:04

for time uh the question is on agreeing on the Lee amendment number 52 all in favor say yes I I all opposed no the eyes appear to have the eyes appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it and the amendment is agreed to there were no other amendments

0:49:22

pre-filed for the bill does any member wish to offer an amendment at this time hearing none pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be postponed pursuant to notice I now call up hr7

0:49:57

7630 the anchor act the clerk will report the bill HR 7630 to require a plan to improve the cyber security and Telecommunications of the US academic research Fleet and for other purposes without objection the bill is considered

0:50:13

as read and open for Amendment at any point I now recognize the gentle woman uh Miss Stevens to explain the bill well thank you Mr chair and what what a true Delight to help explain this uh piece of legislation that my colleague from

0:50:32

California uh on the other side of the aisle Mr Mike Garcia uh very much spearheaded uh through his expertise and and background and I was very delighted that he asked me to join him uh in introducing this this legislation by partisan by Camal

0:50:52

efforts uh to support us academic research sech Fleet uh to advance cyber infrastructure and networks to ensure that our Fleet is protected and able to continue to do important work the academic research Fleet is a global

0:51:12

Fleet of research vessels operated by incredible institutions all around the country that support our understanding of our world's oceans and they're absolutely key in reducing the research needed for science-based decision making

0:51:32

and mitigating to flight climate change not only does ARF that's the academic research Fleet Advance our understanding of our world's oceans but being a member of Congress from Michigan we know that the Great Lakes through the Blue Heron a

0:51:52

research vessel operated by the University of Minnesota duth is also identifying changes in our freshwater bodies and uh we have to make sure that these freshwater bodies our our Great Lakes remain uh not only a key economic

0:52:12

Powerhouse but a beauty and a splendor for all to en enjoy so as the only R vessel on the Great Lakes ensuring the blue herin remains functional and cyber ready you know it's amazing with these these fleets they can be decades and

0:52:31

decades old but now they're equipped with all the wires and technology and connection and the iot so that demands part of what we're trying to do in this bill which is ensure the Cyber and fight climate change at the same time so we're aware

0:52:50

on this Committee of the challenges on cyber security and making sure that we are cyber ready um we can't have one exposed link and certainly when the federal government and through the agencies that we oversee and authorize

0:53:09

here on this committee uh are are ultimately relying on taxpayer dollars we have a responsibility to include the Cyber component uh so last year major telescopes supported by the National Science Foundation some here Might Recall this you know

0:53:29

those were disabled for weeks due to cyber incidents highlighting what we already know that our research facilities and Equipment are vulnerable they're not uh immune and the anchor act will absolutely support that cyber infrastructure and network upgrades

0:53:50

could you imagine you know all of us here trying to work on the on the fleet if we were on such a fleet identifying uh invasive species monitoring uh the the climate effects dealing with some of these challenges and then getting a Cyber attack then

0:54:12

seeing that the data has been manipulated the data has been corrupted we can't afford that water is life it is absolutely essential we you know breathe the air and walk on land but we we need to have a connection and an understanding to our waterways and

0:54:31

through these research fleets so um thrilled to be able to mention Blue Heron I want to ensure that they stay Mission ready to deliver critical science on the health of our of our great lakes and certainly the rest of

0:54:46

the uh academic research fleets that are on the oceans and I again just Ser sincerely want to thank um my colleague who's dedicated to this committee on science space and technology for asking me to work with him on the anchor act I

0:55:05

encourage and urge all of my colleagues to support this bipartisan Bill and Mr chair I yield back gentle lady eels back the chair now recognizes the gentleman from California Mr Garcia to continue the explanation of the underlying Bill

0:55:19

7630 thank you Mr chairman thanks for the flexibility and another markup just across the hall so I apologize for being second here and I want to thank Miss Stevens for capturing it so concisely what the anchor act does how important

0:55:32

this is uh for a lot of reasons but uh the bottom line is we have the largest military largest economy unraveled natural resources so on and so forth but we also have some of the best mines in the world and uh we often deploy some of

0:55:47

these best mines on vessels that are susceptible to uh cyber attacks susceptible to intellectual property theft and so what this uh Bill does is effectively hardens our assets um um and prevents uh lapses in our research

0:56:03

security vessels to appear uh we know that our adversaries are constantly watching uh Russia and China are heavily investing in efforts to steal our Technologies that's why uh I sought to be on this committee how do we stay

0:56:16

ahead of them in that pursuit of making sure that we are understanding their Technologies and not giving them any advantages um and that we Remain the world's technological leader advancements and conduct vigorous oversight on Research Investments and

0:56:29

that we aren't allowing our enemies to steal our developments and this this anchor act really uh looks to uh uh fix what would otherwise be an Achilles tendon um which is uh these these vessels that are doing critical R&D in

0:56:44

some cases working with critical Technologies and finding uh critical results uh that are vulnerable uh especially uh out in the ocean so um it makes necessary cyber security improvements to the National Science foundation's academic research Fleet uh

0:57:00

this Fleet which is comprised of 17 ocean oceanography vessels operated by the National Science Foundation uh operated by the office of uh Naval Naval Research and uh various us universities enable scientists Across the Nation to

0:57:15

conduct complex research on the ocean floor the seaf floor uh within the ocean within the ocean the Great Lakes uh as my colleague from Michigan knows very well uh and and even remote polar region uh the fleet is also the target of state

0:57:28

sponsored research Espionage and Mr chairman I'd like to request permission to enter into the record a uh March uh 2019 article from The Wall Street Journal uh that's titled Chinese hackers Target universities in pursuit of

0:57:43

Maritime military Secrets without objection I'd like to submit see no objection so ordered thank and this article highlights exactly what the CCP is doing they target the ARF and the universities that use it uh to steal our

0:57:55

research advancement uh we think we have a technological Edge and then all of a sudden a CCP derived widget shows up somewhere else it looks an awful lot like ours and uh it's through these universities and these vessels and so my

0:58:07

bill protects the fleet by requiring the NSF to create a plan to improve the cyber security and T commmunication capabilities of the ARF and to provide that report to Congress uh the anchor act would then authorize the upgrade of

0:58:20

these Legacy systems within a two-year period uh and I want to thank uh chairman Lucas and your team and the committee for the support of this bill as well as a thank you to my co-lead on the anchor act Miss Stevens who has

0:58:31

always been there for uh thoughtful and bipartisan and and very important in case of National Security issues legislation so thank you Miss Stevens Ur urge my colleague support uh and yield back the remainder of My Time gentleman

0:58:43

yields back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying Bill uh seeing no request for time there were no amendments pre-filed for this bill does any member wish to offer an amendment at this time hearing none pursuant to committee Rule

0:58:58

2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be postponed pursuant to notice I now call up HR 7686 a bill to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign Talent recruitment the clerk will report

0:59:12

the bill HR 7686 to amend the research and development competition and Innovation act to clarify of def definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign Talent recruitment restriction and for other purposes without objection the bill is

0:59:29

considered as read and open for Amendment at any point I now recognize the gentleman from California Mr Garcia to explain the underlying Bill thank you again Mr chairman uh the goal of the chips act which was a good act um that I

0:59:41

supported was clear it was to reduce our dependency on China uh by revolutionizing our own domestic semiconductor production and enhancing uh the research security around that uh production uh it was a good bill uh I was proud to support it but a bill is

0:59:56

only as good as as its implementation and and and it's only as good as congress's oversight of its Effectiveness and this bill uh HR 7686 uh continues that work by making technical changes to the chips act uh and science act to uh to close a

1:00:14

loophole that could have allowed the CCP to access uh uh taxpayer funded research basically allow the CCP to tap into some money uh underneath the chips act uh specifically this build would you will would use feedback from University

1:00:27

partners and then uh NSF to update the definition of malign foreign Talent recruitment program uh these programs are used by our enemies to hire researchers who are partaking in the US funded research in order to access the

1:00:41

data and send it back to China or Russia they basically send them overseas under the opes of just being a student uh but they are a hired student by the CCP usually there to uh Rob replicate uh and replace uh uh the final product that we

1:00:57

develop in our universities and these researchers May often be hired by China without their knowledge uh they can be unwittingly hands uh um in in our enemies uh who are trying to take advantage of these technological

1:01:09

advancement and our weaknesses and so my bill is simple it's non-controversial it's bipartisan um it it it ensures that our taxpayers and the research they fund are being protected from CCP Espionage and I again want to thank uh the gentle

1:01:23

lady from Michigan for her support and co-leading this leg legislation and I urge uh my colleagues to support uh the uh the bill and yield back the remainder of My Time gentleman yields back the chair now recognize the gentle lady from

1:01:34

Michigan Miss Stevens co-sponsor of the bill uh thank you Mr chair and uh again thank you to my colleague Mr Garcia uh almost two years ago now we we passed this Landmark groundbreaking legislation the chips and science act

1:01:53

we're so proud of the science space and Technology committee for the role we played in advancing that legislation uh in the months and years frankly leading up to it and so many uh here on this committee uh can uh be congratulated and

1:02:14

um thanked for the the leadership role that they played and look when we're lawmaking and when we're legislating and we're doing big things you saw this with usmca uh as as another example every once in a while there's a need for a

1:02:33

clarification and that's what HR 7686 uh seeks to do uh is to make a clarification around uh a sensitive and critical component to the chips and science act we know we need to manufacture in the United States of America and not just cuz it feels good

1:02:54

and it sounds good and you know it's it if you're an elected office of course you want to say Make It in America it is National Security it is economic security it is harnessing our Innovation capabilities what happened with the

1:03:10

chips we innovated them and then they started incentivizing the production overseas then decades later a pandemic hits the tide rolls out everyone's going every which way on Supply side chain orders Michigan had cars trucks all of

1:03:31

this sitting in Lots waiting for the chips it's outrageous chips are our way of life now when we produce when we do the product design when we ship The Soup To Nuts Gina Rondo Secretary of Commerce just made a big chips announcement we can't

1:03:52

have this open- Source week link all right and there's a reality and it has been identified on a committee that is a a select committee that I am so privileged to serve on in addition to this work on the science committee this is the select committee on

1:04:10

competitiveness us strategic competitiveness with the Chinese Communist party it's a whole exercise that we've undertaken on this committee I really encourage folks to go and look at our hearings and look at our work products because it infects and impacts

1:04:28

the work that we're doing in this Congress every step of the way we've got to get our act together and we we want to make sure that what my Mr Garcia was identifying with the talent and these pools and the you know you want to

1:04:45

assume people are are not bad actors but they're doing cyber attacks they're exposing open- Source systems we see a trade deficit with China why is that how did that happen dumping illegal dumping currency manipulation all of a sudden

1:05:04

they're stopping to take our you know sell us graphite and geranium and gallium critical minerals so this is just one technical Improvement to a very important bill that has happened it we're we're just defining because folks we don't want to be

1:05:24

exposed while we're recreating our future here in the United States of America so I I took a hard look at this with uh Mr Garcia this is going to make a difference it's dovetailing from important work that we did in the 117th

1:05:41

Congress and I'll just say we know we've got more to do right it chips was a good start we're looking at minerals we're looking at critical materials we can't wait to pass some of the other bills that this committee uh has already pass

1:05:57

through committee as they move to the floor of the house in these critical areas and this my friends this T you know malign foreign Talent recruitment program definition is really a template for how we move forward because we need

1:06:11

our researchers to ex succeed we need our academics to succeed we need chips to continue to flourish and making these technical improvements is not an embarrassment it's really just building off of the success so thank you Mr chair

1:06:28

I yield back I hope everyone uh supports the bill G lady yields back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying Bill the ranking members recognize uh Mr chairman just briefly I think uh this is an important uh effort and um you know

1:06:46

as has been mentioned we made uh progress in the chips and science back it was bipartisan and it was sensible and it was necessary we all agree we want to protect uh the nation from our adversaries I think as has been mentioned defining this more granly is

1:07:04

important I thought you know not all the Committees have hearings and then legislate this committee does that and we learned something when we had the hearing that academic institutions want to comply they just need this additional

1:07:18

guidance so uh thank you Mr chairman for having the hearing and I would like to diverge from this bill for just a moment to note I've just learned that a new record has been cons confirmed at the national ignition facility an output of 5.2 megga uh of a

1:07:37

2.34 shot on February 19th this is a big gain over the last achievement at the nith we are making progress on Fusion I yield back progress is being made G lady yields back does any other member wish to speak on the underlying

1:07:53

Bill seeing no further discussion on the underlying bill will proceed with amendments in the order listed at the roster the First Amendment on the roster is an amendment in the nature of a substitute offered by me and noticed on

1:08:04

Monday the clerk shall report the amendment amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 7686 offered by Mr Lucas without objection the amendment is considered is read and I now recognize myself for five minutes to explain the

1:08:19

amendment providing a clear and actionable definition of a malign foreign Talent recruitment program is critical to implementing research security standards at universities and federal agencies this amendment in the nature of a substitute provides a

1:08:34

technical correction to clarify the location of the definition to be changed in the US code HR 7686 is the result of bipartisan negotiations to address the need to clarify this definition which was raised at this committee's recent

1:08:49

hearing on research security I'm looking forward to passing this bill and providing the necessary Clarity to hasten the implementation of outstanding research security requirements you back does any other member wish to be recognized to speak on the

1:09:10

amendment if there's no further discussion on the amendment since this is an amendment in the nature of a substitute we we shall now move to the next Amendment on the roster the next Amendment on the roster is offered by the gentlewoman from New York misss

1:09:26

Tenny the clerk will shall report Tenny amendment number 139 Amendment to the amendment in the nature of a substitute to HR 7686 offered by Miss Tenny of New York without objection the amendment is considered as read and the gentlewoman

1:09:41

from New York is recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chairman and uh thanking thank you to the ranking member for holding the meeting I also want to just thank my uh colleagues Representatives Garcia and representative Stevens for introducing

1:09:53

this very important bill and as part of the chips and science Act Congress prohibited any federal research agency Personnel or research and development Grant awardees from participating in malign foreign Talent recruitment

1:10:06

programs this legislation prevents foreign adversaries such as China from benefiting from the research and development being funded by taxpayer dollars the underlying Bill provides an important fix uh to this legislation by

1:10:19

specifying that the malign foreign Talent recruitment programs and programs run by foreign countries of concern not all foreign countries uh while promoting a Cooperative Global research and development environment is critical

1:10:32

we must also recognize that China Russia Iran and North Korea cannot and should not benefit from our research and development programs this provision however still con uh contains an Omission foreign entities of concern are

1:10:46

not included in the definition of malign foreign Talent recruitment programs this means that foreign terrorist terrorist organizations can still recruit US Federal researchers and awardees as long as they are not located in a foreign

1:10:59

country of concern nor associated with them entities like Boo Haram or Al-Qaeda are completely omitted from the malign foreign Talent recruitment program definition and Hamas and Hezbollah maybe as well depending on uh if the Biden

1:11:13

Administration recognizes the clear connection between these groups and Iran uh it's absolutely critical that we add foreign own entities just not foreign owned countries of concern to the Des definition of malign foreign Talent

1:11:27

recruitment program and the definition of it um I submitted this amendment uh uh because of this concern and I will will be withdrawing this amendment today due to the need for additional time to review the matter but I do want to say

1:11:39

thank you to Chairman Lucas and his commitment to work on me with this issue and hopefully uh getting an opportunity to include this uh Amendment to the bill before it gets passed on the floor for a full vote but I just want to say thank

1:11:50

you again to the sponsors to the chairman for uh giving us an opportunity to present this this uh omission and I uh subsequently will withdraw the amendment and yield back Mr chairman thank you so much gentle lady withdrawals I recognize myself I want to

1:12:03

thank Miss Tenny for her attention to this very important topic since this bill is needed to help clarify implementation issues for our universities we need to make sure that when we add further requirements we can execute them I thank her for leadership

1:12:19

and her willingness to allow us to do our due diligence and I will work with her as we move toward the floor consideration of this Bill thank you colleague with that I yield back does the gentleman from California uh chairman I just want to Echo your

1:12:34

gratitude towards the gentle lady from New York Who highlights an Omission that is very important um and I think does warn further discussion so miss tenia thank you for your uh your with offering the amendment but withdrawing it with uh

1:12:47

the intent to make this a cleaner Bill and a more comprehensive solution to protect us with that I yield back gentleman y back are there any further amendments to the uh substitute Amendment seeing none since there are no further

1:13:07

amendments pre-filed to the bill does any member offer an amendment this time hearing none we shall vote on the amendment in the nature of a substitute all those in favor say I I all those oppos say nay the eyes appear to have it

1:13:21

the eyes appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it the amendment is adopted pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 the vote on the reporting HR 7686 as amended will be postponed pursuant to notice I now call

1:13:39

up HR 773 the Next Generation pipeline R&D act the clerk will report the bill HR 773 to improve public private Partnerships and increase Federal research development and demonstration related to the evolution of Next Generation pipeline systems and for

1:13:57

other purposes without objection the bill is considered as readed and open for Amendment at any point I now recognize the gentleman from Texas Mr Weber to speak on the underlying Bill thank you chairman Lucas um there are

1:14:08

approximately 2.8 million miles of gas and liquid pipelines in the United States um quite frankly most of which are unseen and underappreciated I'm proud to say that over half a million miles of those pipelines are actually in my home state

1:14:23

of Texas and they do indeed contribute 374 billion with a B dollars in total economic output quite frankly that's because pipelines safely deliver oil and gas without incident listen to this statistic 99.999% of the time pipelines are safe they're

1:14:48

efficient and reliable but on that rare occasion 0.001% of the 24 hours a day 7 days a week 365 that they operate when failure does happen unfortunately it makes headline news and then the anti-pipeline fever pitch Soares ever Higher by

1:15:08

capitalizing on fear not facts with half of all United States pipelines being more than 60 years old we can expect defects and anomalies to happen more often we can also expect pipelines to be the go-to source of trans exportation

1:15:26

for new energy sources like hydrocarbon like carbon dioxide and methane all of which could be key sources for the next generation of American Energy Independence and I add dominance as well therefore we cannot let the feir

1:15:42

mongering associated with pipelines succeed in killing a piece of our domestic energy infrastructure as well as our national security infrastructure we've got to have energy to run the bill I introduced earlier this year and we are marking up today HR

1:15:59

773 the Next Generation pipeline research and development act gets in front of this by directing a new and modern emphasis on Pipeline research and development HR 7073 will improve existing Partnerships and encourage new public private projects related to

1:16:19

maintaining current pipeline infrastructure as well as developing next Next Generation systems through the technological innovation directed in this bill the domestic energy sector will see a reinvigorated focus on multifuel

1:16:35

Transportation material Behavior as well as Leak Detection capabilities to do this the Next Generation pipeline R&D act establishes a demonstration initiative within the department of energy to focus on projects at the lower

1:16:51

end of the technological Readiness level this demonstration initiative will be the stepping stone to commercialization for research activities performed by both the department and the pipeline hazardous material safety administration

1:17:06

or fza on the research side HR 773 also codif codifies in dates a joint research program conducted by the department of energy the Department of Transportation as well as the National Institute of Standards and Technology similar

1:17:23

activities between these agents these have been conducted since a memorandum of understanding mou was signed in 2004 let that sink in 2004 but it has not been updated since that time that's a long time folks and lastly this bill

1:17:40

directs doe to establish a national pipeline modernization Center which will allow industry stakeholders to collaborate with federal agencies in coordinating critical pipeline research needs I want to thank thank my colleague

1:17:55

the G lady from Colorado Miss Caro for continuing the bipartisan tradition of the science committee and working with me on this important legislation HR 773 is the kind of Common Sense good governance bill we can all agree on

1:18:12

actually it shows that Republicans and Democrats can put political differences aside so that we can advance meaningful bills that not only strengthen us leadership and energy research but also maximizes the return on investment for

1:18:27

the American taxpayer so I want to urge my colleagues to support this bill and Mr Mr chairman I yield back gentan yields back uh the chair recognizes the gentle lady from Colorado Miss carve co- lead sponsor on this for f thank you

1:18:42

chairman Lucas uh my constituents on the Front Range and in Northern Colorado are no stranger to pipelines according to the office of pipeline safety there are more than 45,000 miles of pipelines in Colorado alone my district is one of the

1:18:56

top energy producers in the state so many of our local pipelines are oil and hazardous liquid lines and natural gas transmission lines unfortunately because of how prevalent pipelines are in our district it also means that we have seen

1:19:09

our fair share of leaks and breaks that is why I am proud to co-lead the Next Generation pipeline research and development act with representative Weber which would support R&D and public private Partnerships to address some of

1:19:22

the major challenges of facing um the Aging pipeline infrastructure in my district like I mentioned before many of the pipelines in my district are used to transport natural gas but as these pipelines get older they become more

1:19:34

susceptible to leaks including methane leaks uh greenhouse gas many times more potent than carbon dioxide with estimates the pipelines are leaking millions of tons of methane each year it is imperative that we move fast to

1:19:47

modernize this critical infrastructure our bill would tackle this challenge by bringing together the pipeline safety and innovation capab ities of the Department of energy with the Department of transportation's Pipeline and

1:19:59

hazardous material safety administration this new federal collaboration would stand up a demonstration initiative that advances Research into advanced pipeline Leak Detection mitigation tools and many other technology areas that would reduce

1:20:13

the environmental impact of our vast network of pipelines this initiative will help move promising Technologies out of the lab and into commercial development as quickly as we can to be clear this bill goes well beyond solving

1:20:26

the challenges my district is facing with natural gas leaks the Front Range and Northern Colorado like many other parts of the West rely on pipelines for water delivery to our communities uh another very important resource

1:20:38

especially in the west this bill will support Innovations to address potential issues with these pipelines as well as alternative fuels like biofuels and hydrogen I'd like to again thank chairman Lucas for bringing this bill um

1:20:50

to consideration before the full committee as well as ranking member lren for for her support and very much appreciate um the work with my colleague from Texas Mr Weber um in order to continue bipartisan work on this important issue for all these reasons I

1:21:04

urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan legislation and I yield back gentle lady yields back the chair now recognized as the ranking member uh thank you Mr uh chairman a little over a decade ago in San Bruno California just

1:21:17

a short drive from my district in San Jose and actually the town where I spent the first three years of my life there was a terrible uh pipeline accident a natural gas pipeline exploded and the fires raged for hours the explosion was

1:21:34

so powerful that USGS registered it as a small earthquake the accident destroyed a neighborhood and tragically killed eight people and injured others now in the aftermath of that tragedy an investigation uh revealed that a series

1:21:50

of accidents and really horrendous errors uh that led to the over pressurization of the pipeline which caused the explosion was because pg& the pipeline operator was negligent in fact they were criminally prosecuted as a

1:22:06

result of the uh accident now the cause of the tragedy was the result of s severe mismanagement by pg& I wanted to highlight it because the bill before us today passed the doe with developing and demonstrating technologies that actually

1:22:24

could have alerted authorities uh about the dangerous situation that caused the San Bruno pipeline accident these Technologies could have prevented this accident from having I think that alone would make this a worthy investment now

1:22:39

uh we are well aware that there have been controversies about the building of various pipelines that's not this bill the bill addresses the environmental issues associated with our aging pipeline infrastructure our country has

1:22:53

various kinds of Pipelines transmitting oil and natural gas and we should be doing all we can to ensure those transmission systems are as clean and environmentally friendly as possible it doesn't do any of us any good to have

1:23:06

methane leaking out of pipelines and into the atmosphere and it's also worth noting that leaks from other types of pipelines including those carrying water hydrogen biofuels or carbon dioxide could harm our environment in a variety

1:23:21

of ways this bill has a heavy Focus on preventing detecting and mitigating these kinds of environmentally damaging leaks for all these reasons I'll strongly support this bill once again I want to thank Mr Weber and also Dr carav

1:23:37

you are such a star here on the committee we thank you for your work on this bill and it will make our country safer and our environment cleaner and Mr chairman I yield back gentle lady Ys back does any other member wish to speak

1:23:50

on the underlying Bill if there's no further discussion on the bill we'll proceed with a amendments in the order listed on the roster the First Amendment on the roster is an amendment offered by The Gentle woman from Pennsylvania Ms

1:24:00

Lee the clerk will report Lee amendment number 53 amendment to HR 7073 offered by m Lee of Pennsylvania without objection the amendment is considered as read and the Gent woman from Pennsylvania is recognized to explain the

1:24:15

amendment thank you Mr chairman um as a proud sponsor of the abandoned well remediation research and development act I'm continually inspired to find Opportunities to provide solutions for my district and others of course where

1:24:27

some of the worst air quality in the country is found the oil and gas industry has for too long allowed their infrastructure to pose significant risks to communities where they leak Benzene and other volatile organic compounds as

1:24:38

well as methane I support efforts to address and improve Technologies focused on leak detection minimizing leakage and protecting the environment and communities that have been ravaged by corporate polluters every Community

1:24:51

deserves access to clean air and clean water and clean soil I strongly believe in and fight for these for every Community especially the one I'm from and live in and for those that I represent back home in Western Pennsylvania I would be remiss to not

1:25:02

offer this amendment to make sure that the technological developments we seek to implement are people oriented to address the many challenges that industry and climate change pose to marginalize communities I urge my

1:25:13

colleagues to support my Amendment and I yeld back gentle lady yelds back I recognize myself for the time I might consume I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania for working with us to revise her Amendment we all want clean

1:25:25

air water soil and this amendment allows for that by using gra qualified data I support this amendment and the underlying bill and I yield back and now recognize the ranking member uh thank you Mr chairman I again uh want to thank

1:25:40

representative Lee for this amendment and for her diligent and patient work with staff on both sides of the aisle to perfect it uh the amendment inserts an additional prior prioritization provision uh directing the program uh to

1:25:55

prioritize assistance to projects that reduce the environmental impacts of pipelines and Associated infrastructure especially in underserved and Rural communities I appreciate uh Miss Lee for championing this issue with this

1:26:09

amendment and I strongly support it I yield back the balance of my time gentle yields back Is there further discussion on the amendment hearing none the question is on agreeing to Lee amendment number 53 all in favor say I all those

1:26:22

opposed say no the appear to have it the eyes appear to have it the amendment is agreed to the next Amendment on the roster is an amendment offered by the gentleman from Texas Mr Weber the clerk will report Weber amendment number

1:26:35

27 amendment to HR 7073 offered by Mr Weber of Texas without objection the amendment is considered is read and the gentleman from Texas recognized to explain the amendment thank you Mr chairman uh this manager's amendment

1:26:49

makes two very minor changes first it updates the authorized fiscal years of these activities uh when we originally wrote this bill last Congress we we were at the very early stages of discussing FY 2024 Appropriations when we reintroduced in

1:27:06

January of this year we were still discussing 2024 Appropriations quite frankly I don't know how much longer we're going to be discussing them that remains to be seen as we sit here today we're still not completely done with Fi

1:27:18

2024 appropriation such is the progress in the capital Jokes Aside This research and development is extremely important so I want to see it continue for many years to come therefore while we can we should make sure the authorization years

1:27:35

are as forward-looking as possible the second minor change is simply ensuring the testing and evaluation done by nist is in collaboration with the Department of Transportation which houses the pipeline and hazardous material safety

1:27:50

administration they are the regulatory experts on pipeline safety so we should be aware of any new testing and evaluation for materials coming down the pipeline pun intended I again I again want to thank my gated friend from Colorado for co-sponsoring this

1:28:09

legislation along with chairman Lucas and Mr obery I urge my colleagues to support this simple Amendment and Mr chairman I yield back gentleman yields back does any other member wish to be recognized speak on the amendment uh seeing no further uh

1:28:23

discussion is there any further uh discussion of the amendment hearing none the question is agreeing on Weber Amendment 27 all signify by saying I oppose nay the eyes appear to have it the eyes appear to have it they do

1:28:33

indeed have it the amendment is agreed to there were no further amendments pre-filed for this uh Bill does any member wish to offer an amendment at this time hearing none pursuant to committee rule 2f house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be

1:28:48

postponed pursuant to notice I now call up HR 7685 the impact Act the clerk will report the bill HR 7685 to strengthen and enhance the competitiveness competitiveness of American industry through the research and development of

1:29:05

Advanced Technologies to improve the efficiency of cement concrete and asphalt production and for other purposes without objection the bill is considered as read and open for Amendment at this point I now recognize the gentleman from Ohio Mr Miller to

1:29:17

speak on the underlying Bill thank you chairman Lucas the state of Ohio consumes around 3 million metric tons of cement and ually that places Ohio in the top five cement consuming States along with Texas California Florida and

1:29:29

Georgia which account for 41% of the country's total cement use in Ohio alone this amounts to over 18,000 related employees with a payroll of over $900 million needless to say this is crucial economydriving industry in my home state

1:29:44

yet I recognize that while crucial the processes behind the product are extremely difficult to decarbonize globally cement facilities account for 8% of human created carbon dioxide emissions but looking forward projected demand for cement is expected to

1:29:58

increase 12% by 2050 so it's easy to see the production of cement concrete and asphalt isn't going to taper off anytime soon and that it's in our best interest to ensure clean and efficient production that is why I introduced HR

1:30:13

7685 the Innovative mitigation Partnerships for asphalt and concrete Technologies or impact act through the impact act we can strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing by developing Advanced Technologies that will improve the

1:30:27

efficiency of cement concrete and asphalt production we all want to see cement concrete and asphalt production continue to rise and help grow our country that is critical to our economic well-being and we all want to see this

1:30:39

growth go hand inhand with clean environmental stewardship leaving our air and water just as pristine for the Next Generation my Bild does this by following a similar theme and structure that has proven successful in the past

1:30:52

in both the energy Act of 2020 in the chips and science act this committee led the effort of on legislation directing the department of energy to research develop and demonstrate Technologies and hard to decarbonize Industries like

1:31:06

steel the impact act Builds on those efforts by focusing specifically on cement concrete and asphalt and takes into account lessons learned from previous programs it enables industry and doe to work collaboratively on fundamental research that will enhance

1:31:21

existing production methods and unlock new innovative techniques this will ensure the world-class tools and Technologies At Doe are being used by the very taxpayers who funded them it also enables doe in consultation with other federal agencies to offer

1:31:35

technical assistance to entities seeking to promote the commercial application of low emission cement concrete and asphalt this ensures that industry can continue their Cutting Edge research unencumbered but if they do hit a roadblock there are

1:31:48

subject matter experts available to assist them cement concrete and asphalt production practice are critically important to the industrial sector and play a fundamental role in supporting us infrastructure National Defense and

1:32:01

economic security the impact act recognizes that role and will enable domestic production to wreak Peak efficiency for decades to come I want to thank my colleague from North Carolina Miss fuche for co-sponsoring this bill

1:32:14

and working in a bipartisan fashion to guide it through markup today I urge my colleagues to support this bill and yield the balance of my Time gentleman yields back the chair recogniz as the gentle lady from North Carolina miss

1:32:25

fushi the lead co-sponsor of the Bill thank you Mr chairman um the climate crisis is one of the most pressing issues of our lifetime and it is critical to take significant strides to reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions

1:32:40

within the manufacturing sector the US produces approximately 95 million metric tons of cement each year representing nearly 400 million cubic yards of concrete and 454 million metric tons of asphalt pavement materials are produced

1:33:00

each year the impact act which I was proud to co-sponsor with representative Miller is a Forward Thinking bill that will not only enhance the competitiveness of American manufacturing and R&D but will also achieve measurable ghg emissions

1:33:20

reductions and modernize the current manufacturing process cesses of building materials that are essential for our nation's infrastructure the impact act directs the Secretary of Energy to support R&D in Innovative Technologies

1:33:35

that could become commercially viable and are significant improvement over the processes used by these industries today we must continue to prioritize cleaner manufacturing and production systems that improve Public Health protect our

1:33:52

planet and bring visible and Lasting change for generations to come I am pleased to support this bill and I urge my colleagues to vote Yes and I yield back the balance of my time gentle lady yields back the balance of time does any other member wish to

1:34:09

speak on the underlying Bill if there's no further discussion on the bill we shall proceed with amendments in the order listed on the roster the First Amendment on the roster is an amendment offered by the gentleman from Ohio Mr

1:34:20

Miller the clerk will report Miller amendment number 32 amend mment to HR 7685 offered by Mr Miller of of Ohio without objection the amendment is considered as read and the general from Ohio is recognized to precisely and

1:34:33

briefly explain his Amendment thank you chairman Lucas I'll keep it brief uh this manager's amendment makes minor Technical and conforming changes brought To Us by stakeholders for example the amendment tweaks language to ensure a

1:34:44

focus on greenhouse gas emissions or related coplant emissions while I'm hopefully this program develops technologies that reduce both carbon dioxide and copulates like nitrogen oxide as of right now those Technologies are exceedingly hard to develop and

1:34:58

deploy so rather than pair the two together and make the development pathway strictly focused on a singular golden egg technology this language enables doe to conduct R&D on many different types of technologies that may be developed on different timelines

1:35:12

additionally I would like to ask unanimous consent to enter into the record letters of support from the national asphalt pavement Association the Portland cement Association and the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association the three associ ation

1:35:24

representing the most of the producers operating in the materials industry as well as the citizens for responsible Energy Solutions and the United States tire manufacturers Association seeing no objection ordered thank you I urge my colleagues to

1:35:37

support this amendment and I yield the balance of my yields back does any uh other member wish to be recognized to speak on the amendment Mr chairman I have an amendment at the desk no if there's no further discussion on the

1:35:51

amendment uh no not on that Amendment hearing none the question is agreeing to the Miller amendment number 32 all in favor signify by saying I all oppos the eyes appear to have it the eyes appear to have it they do indeed have it the amendment is agreed

1:36:05

to and the next Amendment on the roster is offered by the Gent from Illinois Mr Sorenson the clerk will report Sorenson number 39 amendment to HR 7685 offered by Mr senson of Illinois without objection the amendment is considered red and the

1:36:20

gentleman Illinois is recognized to explain his Amendment thank you chairman Lucas and my Amendment will build upon the work of my colleague Congressman Miller um and forgive me the uh only two places I've ever lived in my life

1:36:32

Illinois and Texas I'm not sure if it's cement or cement so uh forgive me on that the cement industry uh contributes 8% of our Global carbon dioxide emissions if the cement industry were a country it would be one of the largest

1:36:46

emitters of carbon dioxide in the entire world as a meteorologist I know the importance that we have with respect to the climate crisis to reduce our carbon footprint I firmly believe that decarbonizing the cement industry is a

1:36:59

worthwhile effort my Amendment will align Congressman Miller's bill with a more expansive Senate version of the impact act the Senate's bipartisan concrete and asphalt Innovation act will drive public or private sector investment in lowc carbon cement and

1:37:16

support job growth as broad support from traditional cement producers and lowc carbon cement producers as well as as support from environmental and energy groups my Amendment will add four additional sections briefly the first

1:37:31

addition will build upon American manufacturing to support the development and testing of low emission concrete and asphalt number two will provide low emissions Transportation materials grants through the Federal Highway

1:37:43

Administration encouraging the adoption of performance-based specifications and standards which provide flexibility for new technologies while focusing on quality ities like strength and durability the third authorizes the

1:37:57

Secretary of Transportation to support the lowc carbon concrete and asphalt sector through advanced purchase authority to provide certainty the government purchases 60% of cement used in the US this section adds the certainty for small companies as they

1:38:15

know they'll have a customer base the final section authorizes an inter agency task force with membership from agencies throughout the government to support Workforce Development assess progress made in deploying these low carbon

1:38:29

Technologies and Foster uh continued growth in the sector while I do believe that these additions in my Amendment are important I understand that including them would complicate the markup and complicate moving the impact act forward

1:38:43

and because of this I withdraw the amendment I plan to support the impact act when it comes to a vote in this community uh M Mr chairman I yeld back the gentleman uh withs his amend Amendment and is there any further uh are there any are there there were no

1:39:01

other amendments pre-filed for the bill does any amend member wish to offer an amendment at this time hearing hearing none pursuant to committee Rule 2f and house rule 11 further proceedings on this bill will be postponed as there are no further bills

1:39:19

for discussion we will reconvene in this room at 2:15 to conduct postpone votes please be on time as voting will be done by electronic device and will be moving fast and are not able to reopen votes I know my colleagues have obligations on

1:39:36

the floor to vote and other obligations so is promptly as possible let's reconvene this afternoon at 2:15 uh chair stands in the committee stands in recess e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e

2:30:18

e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e e

4:35:10

get e e e e e e e e e e e e the committee on science space and Technology will come to order the unfinished business is to consider the postpone votes on this morning session a recording po Quorum being present I move that the committee report HR 272 the

4:41:27

Astro act to the house with the recommendation that the bill do be approved the question is on favorably reporting HR 272 to the house all those in favor will signify by saying I I all those oos to Nay the eyes appear to have

4:41:42

it the eyes appear do to have it uh Bill a gentleman has requested a recorded vote the clerk will open the rooll on HR 272 are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk shall close the vote and Report the

4:42:54

results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 35 and the Z the N are zero Mr chairman I wonder if we might delay that report so that Mr Frost could also press yes it's closed it's closed it's too late then I would ask unanimous consent that

4:43:14

the record should reflect that Mr Frost was mouthing the words yes as he entered the room late seeing no objection so noted the eyes have it and HR 272 is favorably uh reported to the house I now move that the committee uh report HR 2 6219

4:43:41

the Ascend act as amended to the house with the recommendation the bill be approved the question is on favorably reporting HR 6219 as amended to the house all those in favor signify by saying I I oppose nay the eyes appear to have it the eyes

4:43:57

appear to have it does gentleman request a recorded vote Yes sir the clerk will please open the vote we just tried to appr you a race but you weren't here you should be on did it did it record are there any members seeking to vote or change their

4:44:43

vote seeing none the clerk shall close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 37 and the Nays are zero the eyes have it an HR 6219 as amended is ordered favorably reported to the house I move the committee report HR

4:45:04

7687 the NASA sprees act to the house with the recommendation the bill be approved the question is on favor reporting HR 7687 to the house all in favor signify by saying I I opposed signify by saying nay the eyes appear to have it the eyes

4:45:20

appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it and request a recorded V gentlemen is request a recorded vote clerk will open uh the vote sorry are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk will shall

4:45:53

close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 37 and the Nays are zero the eyes have it and HR 7687 is ordered favorably reported to the house I move the committee report HR 4152 the space resources Institute Act is amended to

4:46:14

the house with a recommendation the bill be approved the question is on favorably reporting HR 4152 as amended to the house all those in favor signify by saying I I all those opposed nay Mr chairman Dr Babin request a recorded

4:46:31

vote and so do I a recorded vote has been requested the clerk will please open the vote are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk shall close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 37

4:47:15

and the Nays are zero the eyes have it and HR 4152 is amended is ordered favorably reported to the house I move the house report HR 7630 the anchor act to the house with a recommendation the bill be approved the question is on

4:47:28

favorably reporting HR 7630 to the house all those in favor signify by saying I I all those opposed nay the eyes appear to have it the eyes appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it and record gentleman's requested recorded vote the clerk will open the

4:48:09

vote are there any members seeking to vote or change their votes seeing none the clerk will close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the the are 38 and the N are zero the eyes have it and HR 7630 is reported favorably ordered favorably

4:48:49

reported to the house I move that the committee approve HR 7686 a bill to clarify the definition of foreign country for purposes of malign foreign Talent recruitment as amended to the house with a recommendation the bill be

4:49:02

approved the question is on favorably reporting HR 7686 as amended to the house all those in favor signify by saying I I all those oos oos nay the eyes have it the or the eyes appear to have it the eyes do indeed have it and

4:49:14

the Gent request a recorded vote for a recorded vote the clerk will please open the vote are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk shall close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the

4:49:58

eyes are 38 and the Nays are zero the eyes have it and HR 7686 as amended is reordered favorably reported to the house I move the committee report HR 773 the Next Generation pipelines R&D act as amended to the house with a

4:50:14

recommendation the bill be approved the question is on favorably reporting HR 773 as amended to the house all those in favor signify by saying I I all those opposed nay the eyes appear to have it Mr chairman I request recorded vote the

4:50:30

a roll call has been requested the clerk will open the vote are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk shall close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 36 in the or zero the eyes have

4:51:12

it an HR 773 is amended is ordered favorably reported to the house I move the house report HR 7685 the impact act as amended to the house with a recommendation the bill be approved the questions unfavorably reporting HR 7685

4:51:28

is amended to the house all those in favor say I I all those opposed say nay the eyes appear to have it the gentle from Texas ask re vote the clerk Will O please open the vote are there any members seeking to vote or change their vote seeing none the clerk

4:52:00

shall close the vote and Report the results Mr chairman on this vote the eyes are 38 and the Nays are zero the guys have it an HR 7685 is amended is ordered favorably reported to the house without objection I ask the staff be

4:52:17

authorized to make any necessary Technical and conforming changes these bills seeing no objection so ordered the members have two calendar days sub submit submit supplemental minority or additional views on these measures and

4:52:29

with no further business the committee stands adjourned good job e e e e e e e e

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