H.R. 7073 — what changed

In general— Subject to the availability of appropriations, the Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and in coordination with the demonstration initiative established pursuant to section 40344 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58), as added by section 4, shall establish within the Department a joint research and development program (referred to in this Act as the “Joint Program”) to carry out research projects that—

develop cost-effective advanced materials and technologies for pipeline transportation systems at different scales;

enable the commercialization of innovative materials and technologies for pipeline transportation systems;

support the development of technical standards of innovative materials and technologies for pipeline transportation systems; and

are at a low technology readiness level and not pursued by the Pipeline Safety Research Program of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration of the Department of Transportation.

Memorandum of understanding— Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into or update an existing memorandum of understanding with the Secretary of Transportation and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to administer the Joint Program. Such memorandum shall require each participating agency to—

identify unique research capabilities to contribute while avoiding duplication of existing efforts; and

Infrastructure— In carrying out the Joint Program, the Secretary, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall—

use existing research infrastructure at—

Department of Energy facilities, including National Laboratories;

Department of Transportation initiatives, including any such initiatives carried out through the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration; and

the National Institute of Standards and Technology; and

develop new infrastructure for potential projects, if appropriate.

Goals and metrics— The Secretary, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall develop goals and metrics for each agency in meeting technological progress under the Joint Program, consistent with existing United States energy safety, resilience, and security policies.

Selection of projects— To the maximum extent practicable, the Secretary, the Secretary of Transportation, and the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology shall ensure the following with respect to the Joint Program:

Projects are carried out under conditions that represent a variety of geographies, physical conditions, and market constraints.

Projects represent an appropriate balance of the following:

Larger, higher-cost projects.

Smaller, lower-cost projects.

To the maximum extent practicable, projects are transferred between participating agencies based on the stage of research and capabilities of each agency.

Priority— In carrying out the Joint Program, the Secretary, the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Secretary of Transportation shall, through consultation with the demonstration initiative established pursuant to section 40344 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117–58), as added by section 4, to identify and advance areas of research most needed for demonstration projects under such demonstration initiative, give priority to research and demonstration projects that—

are likely to be of value to such demonstration initiative; and

are done in coordination with, or advance knowledge critical to, the National Pipeline Modernization Center established pursuant to section 6.

Sunset— This section shall terminate five years after the date of the enactment of this section.