Subtitle B—Biofuels Research and Development
SEC. 221. BIODIESEL. (a) Biodiesel Study— Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall submit to Congress a report on any research and development challenges inherent in increasing the proportion of diesel fuel sold in the United States that is biodiesel.
(b) Material for the Establishment of Standards—
The Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, in consultation with the Secretary, shall make publicly available the physical property data and characterization of biodiesel and other biofuels as appropriate.
SEC. 222. BIOGAS. Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall submit to Congress a report on any research and development challenges inherent in increasing the amount of transportation fuels sold in the United States that are fuel with biogas or a blend of biogas and natural gas.
SEC. 223. GRANTS FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN CERTAIN STATES. (a) In General— The Secretary shall provide grants to eligible entities for research, development, demonstration, and commercial application of biofuel production technologies in States with low rates of ethanol production, including low rates of production of cellulosic biomass ethanol, as determined by the Secretary.
(b) Eligibility—
To be eligible to receive a grant under this section, an entity shall—
(1)(A) be an institution of higher education (as defined in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801)), including tribally controlled colleges or universities, located in a State described in subsection (a); or (B) be a consortium including at least 1 such institution of higher education and industry, State agencies, Indian tribal agencies, National Laboratories, or local government agencies located in the State; and (2) have proven experience and capabilities with relevant technologies.
(c) Authorization of Appropriations—
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2008 through 2010.
SEC. 224. BIOREFINERY ENERGY EFFICIENCY. Section 932 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16232) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsections:
"(g) Biorefinery Energy Efficiency— The Secretary shall establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for increasing energy efficiency and reducing energy consumption in the operation of biorefinery facilities. "(h) Retrofit Technologies for the Development of Ethanol From Cellulosic Materials— The Secretary shall establish a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application on technologies and processes to enable biorefineries that exclusively use corn grain or corn starch as a feedstock to produce ethanol to be retrofitted to accept a range of biomass, including lignocellulosic feedstocks.'.
SEC. 225. STUDY OF OPTIMIZATION OF FLEXIBLE FUELED VEHICLES TO USE E-85 FUEL. (a) In General— The Secretary, in consultation with the Secretary of Transportation and the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall conduct a study of whether optimizing flexible fueled vehicles to operate using E-85 fuel would increase the fuel efficiency of flexible fueled vehicles.
(b) Report—
Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Science and Technology and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, the Committee on Environment and Public Works, and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report that describes the results of the study under this section, including any recommendations of the Secretary.
SEC. 226. STUDY OF ENGINE DURABILITY AND PERFORMANCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE USE OF BIODIESEL. (a) In General— Not later than 30 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, shall initiate a study on the effects of the use of biodiesel on the performance and durability of engines and engine systems.