H.R. 1534

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1534 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1534

_______________________________________________________________________

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

March 26, 2025

Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

AN ACT

To strengthen and enhance the competitiveness of American industry 
through the research and development of advanced technologies to 
improve the efficiency of cement, concrete, and asphalt production, and 
for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ``Innovative Mitigation Partnerships 
for Asphalt and Concrete Technologies Act'' or the ``IMPACT Act''.

SEC. 2. ADVANCED CEMENT, CONCRETE, AND ASPHALT PRODUCTION RESEARCH 
PROGRAM.

(a) Program.--Part I of subtitle C of title V of division D of the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) is amended 
by adding at the end the following new section:

``SEC. 40523. ADVANCED CEMENT, CONCRETE, AND ASPHALT PRODUCTION 
RESEARCH PROGRAM.

``(a) Definitions.--In this section:
``(1) Advanced production.--The term `advanced production' 
means production of cement, concrete, or asphalt with one or 
more of the following improvements with respect to the 
production of commercially available cement, concrete, or 
asphalt:
``(A) Improved cost-effectiveness.
``(B) Improved quality, durability, engineering 
performance, and resilience.
``(C) Improved efficiency of resource consumption 
and material demand.
``(2) Alternative fuels.--The term `alternative fuels' 
means any solid, liquid, or gaseous materials, or a combination 
thereof, used to replace or supplement any portion of fuels 
used in combustion or pyrolysis for low-emissions cement, 
concrete, or asphalt.
``(3) Commercially available.--The term `commercially 
available', with respect to cement, concrete, and asphalt, 
means that the cement, concrete, or asphalt is--
``(A) readily and widely available for purchase in 
the United States; and
``(B) produced using a production method of cement, 
concrete, or asphalt products, as applicable, that is 
widely in use.
``(4) Eligible entity.--The term `eligible entity' means 
any of the following:
``(A) An institution of higher education.
``(B) An appropriate State or Federal entity, 
including a federally funded research and development 
center of the Department.
``(C) A nonprofit research institution.
``(D) A private entity.
``(E) Any other relevant entity the Secretary 
determines appropriate.
``(F) A partnership or consortium of two or more 
entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (E).
``(5) Engineering performance-based standard.--The term 
`engineering performance-based standard' means an existing 
engineering standard with respect to which the requirements 
applicable to such standard are stated in terms of required 
results, with criteria for verifying compliance rather than 
specific composition, design, or procedure.
``(6) Institution of higher education.--The term 
`institution of higher education' has the meaning given such 
term in section 101 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 
U.S.C. 1001).
``(7) Low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt.--The 
term `low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt' means 
cement, concrete, asphalt binder, or asphalt mixture that 
reduces, to the maximum extent practicable, greenhouse gas or 
directly-related copollutant emissions to levels below 
commercially available cement, concrete, or asphalt.
``(8) Rural area.--The term `rural area' has the meaning 
given such term in section 343(a) of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1991(a)).
``(b) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the 
enactment of this section, the Secretary shall establish a program of 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of 
advanced tools, technologies, and methods for advanced production and 
use of low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt in order to 
accomplish the following:
``(1) Increase the technological and economic 
competitiveness of industry and production in the United 
States.
``(2) Expand and increase the stability of supply chains 
through enhanced domestic production, nearshoring, and 
cooperation with allies.
``(3) Achieve measurable greenhouse gas or directly related 
copollutant emissions reductions in the production processes 
for cement, concrete, and asphalt products.
``(4) Create quality domestic jobs.
``(c) Requirements.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(b), the Secretary shall carry out the following:
``(1) Coordinate with the programs and activities 
authorized under title VI of division Z of the Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (relating to industrial and 
manufacturing technologies) and the amendments made by such 
title.
``(2) Coordinate across all relevant program offices of the 
Department, including the Office of Science, the Advanced 
Research Projects Agency-Energy, the Office of Clean Energy 
Demonstrations, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy, the Office of Fossil Energy, the Office of Industrial 
Efficiency and Decarbonization, the Office of Manufacturing and 
Energy Supply Chains, and the Office of Nuclear Energy.
``(3) Leverage, to the extent practicable, the research 
infrastructure of the Department, including scientific 
computing user facilities, x-ray light sources, neutron 
scattering facilities, and nanoscale science research centers.
``(4) Conduct research, development, demonstration, and 
commercial application of the advanced production of low-
emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt that have the potential 
to increase domestic production and employment in both advanced 
and commercially available processes.
``(d) Strategic Plan.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the 
establishment of the program under subsection (b), the 
Secretary shall develop a 5-year strategic plan identifying 
research, development, demonstration, and commercial 
application goals for such program. The Secretary shall submit 
such plan to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of 
the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and 
Natural Resources of the Senate.
``(2) Contents.--The strategic plan under paragraph (1) 
shall--
``(A) identify programs at the Department related 
to the advanced production of low-emissions cement, 
concrete, and asphalt that support the research, 
development, demonstration, and commercial application 
activities described in this section, and the 
demonstration projects under subsection (f);
``(B) establish technological and programmatic 
goals to achieve the requirements specified in 
subsection (c); and
``(C) include timelines for the accomplishment of 
such goals developed under the plan.
``(3) Updates to plan.--Not less than once every two years, 
the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, 
and Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate an 
updated version of the strategic plan under paragraph (1).
``(e) Focus Areas.--In carrying out the program under subsection 
(b), the Secretary shall focus on the following:
``(1) Carbon capture technologies for low-emissions cement, 
concrete, and asphalt production processes, which may include 
the following:
``(A) Oxycombustion and chemical looping 
technologies.
``(B) Precombustion technologies.
``(C) Post combustion technologies.
``(D) Direct carbon dioxide separation 
technologies.
``(2) Materials, technologies, inputs, and processes that--
``(A) produce fewer greenhouse gas or directly 
related copollutant emissions during production, use, 
and end use of cement, concrete, and asphalt; or
``(B) provide quality, durability, resilience, 
engineering, or other performance metrics equal to or 
greater than commercially available products.
``(3) Medium- and high-temperature heat-generation 
technologies used for the advanced production of low-emissions 
cement, concrete, and asphalt, which may include the following:
``(A) Alternative fuels.
``(B) Renewable heat-generation and storage 
technology.
``(C) Electrification of heating processes.
``(D) Other clean heat-generation technologies and 
sources.
``(4) Technologies and practices that increase the 
efficiency of energy use, natural resource consumption, or 
material demand, which may include the following:
``(A) Designing products that encourage reuse, 
refurbishment, remanufacturing, and recycling.
``(B) Minimizing waste, including waste heat, from 
low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt production 
processes, including through the reuse of waste as a 
resource in other industrial processes for mutual 
benefit.
``(C) Increasing the overall energy efficiency of 
low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt production 
processes, including through life cycle assessments.
``(5) Technologies and approaches to reduce greenhouse gas 
or directly related copollutant emissions from the advanced 
production of cement, concrete, and asphalt.
``(6) High-performance computing to develop advanced 
materials and production processes that may contribute to the 
focus areas described in paragraphs (1) through (5), including 
the following:
``(A) Modeling, simulation, and optimization of the 
design of cost-effective and energy-efficient products 
and processes.
``(B) The use of digital prototyping and additive 
production to enhance product design.
``(7) Advanced sensor technologies and methods to monitor 
and quantify the performance of low-emissions cement, concrete, 
and asphalt materials at scale and under a variety of 
conditions.
``(8) Technologies that can be retrofitted at cement, 
concrete, and asphalt plants that represent the most common 
facility types in the United States and in other countries, 
with consideration for field validation of such retrofits.
``(9) Best practices for data standardization and data 
sharing tools and technologies, in coordination with relevant 
Federal agencies.
``(10) Fundamental research in chemistry and materials 
science to identify the following:
``(A) Novel materials and alternative domestic 
feedstocks and processing operations for the advanced 
production of low-emissions cement, concrete, and 
asphalt.
``(B) Improved understanding by eligible entities 
of the mechanisms that determine the performance and 
durability of low-emissions cement, concrete, and 
asphalt over time.
``(f) Demonstrations.--
``(1) Establishment.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary, in 
carrying out the program under subsection (b), and in 
collaboration with the Secretary of Transportation, the 
Administrator of General Services, industry partners, 
institutions of higher education, and National Laboratories, 
shall support demonstrations of advanced production of low-
emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt that uses either--
``(A) a single technology or practice; or
``(B) a combination of multiple technologies or 
practices.
``(2) Selection requirements.--In carrying out the 
demonstrations under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall select 
eligible entities to carry out demonstration projects and to 
the maximum extent practicable--
``(A) encourage regional diversity among eligible 
entities, including participation by entities located 
in rural areas;
``(B) encourage technological diversity among 
eligible entities; and
``(C) ensure that specific projects selected--
``(i) expand on the existing technology 
demonstration programs of the Department;
``(ii) are based on the extent of 
greenhouse gas emissions reductions achieved; 
and
``(iii) prioritize leveraging matching 
funds from non-Federal sources.
``(3) Reports.--The Secretary shall submit to the Committee 
on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources of the Senate--
``(A) not less frequently than once every two years 
for the duration of the demonstrations under paragraph 
(1), a report describing the performance of such 
demonstrations; and
``(B) if any such demonstration is terminated, an 
assessment of the success of, and education provided 
by, the measures carried out by such demonstration.
``(4) Termination.--The Secretary may terminate the 
demonstrations under paragraph (1) if the Secretary determines 
that sufficient low-emissions cement, concrete, and asphalt 
produced through advanced production are commercially available 
domestically at a price comparable to the price of cement, 
concrete, and asphalt produced through traditional methods of 
production.
``(g) Technical Assistance Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary, in consultation with the 
Secretary of Transportation, the Secretary of Commerce (acting 
through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology), the Administrator of General Services, the 
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and 
appropriate representatives of relevant standards development 
organizations, shall provide technical assistance to eligible 
entities to carry out an activity described in paragraph (2) to 
promote the commercial application of technologies for the 
production and use of low-emissions cement, concrete, and 
asphalt.
``(2) Activities described.--An activity referred to in 
paragraph (1) is any of the following:
``(A) Efforts related to collecting data that could 
be used in the updating of local codes, specifications, 
and standards to engineering performance-based 
standards.
``(B) A lifecycle assessment of the final product.
``(C) An environmental impact comparison between 
different cements, concretes, and asphalts.
``(D) A techno-economic assessment.
``(E) An environmental permitting or other 
regulatory process.
``(F) An evaluation or testing activity.
``(G) Any other activity that promotes the 
commercial application of technologies developed 
through the program under subsection (b).
``(3) Applications.--The Secretary shall seek applications 
for technical assistance under this subsection--
``(A) on a competitive basis; and
``(B) on a periodic basis, but not less frequently 
than once every 12 months.
``(4) Regional centers.--The Secretary may designate or 
establish one or more regional centers to provide technical 
assistance to eligible entities to carry out the activity 
described in paragraph (2)(A).
``(h) Additional Coordination.--
``(1) Manufacturing usa.--In carrying out this section the 
Secretary shall consider the following:
``(A) Leveraging the resources of relevant existing 
Manufacturing USA Institutes described in section 34(d) 
of the National Institute of Standards and Technology 
Act (15 U.S.C. 278s(d)).
``(B) Integrating program activities into a 
relevant existing Manufacturing USA Institute.
``(C) Awarding financial assistance, consistent 
with section 34(e) of the National Institute of 
Standards and Technology Act (15 U.S.C. 278s(e)), to a 
person or group of persons to assist the person or 
group of persons in planning, establishing, or 
supporting a Manufacturing U.S.A. Institute focused on 
advanced production of low-emissions cement, concrete, 
and asphalt.
``(2) Other federal agencies.--In carrying out this 
section, the Secretary shall coordinate with other Federal 
agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department 
of Transportation, and the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, that are carrying out research and development 
initiatives to increase industrial competitiveness and achieve 
measurable greenhouse gas or directly related copollutant 
emissions reductions through the advanced production of cement, 
concrete, and asphalt.
``(i) Sunset.--This section shall terminate seven years after the 
date of the enactment of this section.
``(j) Research Security.--The activities authorized under this 
section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of 
title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation 
Act (enacted as division B of Public Law 117-167 (42 U.S.C. 19231 et 
seq.)).
``(k) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section may be 
construed to amend, alter, or affect the authorities of the Secretary 
to define, establish, or enforce new environmental industry standards 
for, or related to, cement, concrete, or asphalt.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of contents in section 1(b) of 
the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is amended by inserting 
after the item relating to section 40522 the following new item:

``Sec. 40523. Advanced cement, concrete, and asphalt production 
research program.''.

Passed the House of Representatives March 25, 2025.

Attest:

KEVIN F. MCCUMBER,

Clerk.