PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
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People & committees
Rep. McClain Delaney, April [D-MD-6] · D–MD
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
Text links open the official source. We also preserved the text version used in the PlainBill explanation below.
No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Oct 16, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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PlainBill explanation
Based on the full Introduced in House · 2026-10-01 text. This explanation has not received human editorial review. This overview describes the proposal’s major provisions; it does not establish what its real-world effects would be.
The proposed DOE Bioenergy Program Reauthorization Act would direct the Department of Energy to support research, testing, and commercial use of fuels, chemicals, and materials made from renewable biological material and waste. It would support testing facilities for researchers, industry, and agriculture, fund emerging technologies through competitive awards, and demonstrate commercial production. It would also authorize future funding; authorization alone does not provide the money.
This Act may be cited as the DOE Bioenergy Program Reauthorization Act.
The Secretary shall conduct a program of research, development, demonstration, and commercial application for bioenergy and renewable chemicals and materials
the Secretary shall support at least four small-scale process development or scale-up facilities to assist researchers, industry, and the agricultural community in de-risking bioenergy technologies
the Secretary shall award grants and cooperative agreements on a competitive, technical merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities to support innovative technologies
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section the following:
Section 2 would replace section 932 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 with the bioenergy program language supplied in this bill.
Section 932 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16232) is amended to read as follows:
The proposed program would cover more than plant-based fuels. Biomass would mean biological material available on a renewable or recurring basis; covered products could also come from waste or biological production processes. Waste streams would include sewage, industrial waste gases, and carbon oxides, among other materials.
The term biomass means any material of biological origin that is available on a renewable or recurring basis.
The term biobased product means an intermediate chemical, material or end use product, such as bioplastic produced from biomass, waste streams, or biomanufacturing.
The term biofuels means solid, liquid, or gaseous fuel produced from biomass, waste streams, or through biomanufacturing.
The term biomanufacturing means the use of biological systems, including the use of biomass as a feedstock, to produce commercially important goods and services.
The term waste streams includes municipal solid waste, food waste, urban wood waste, construction and demolition wastes, animal manures, food processing and fermentation waste, sewage, biogas, industrial waste gases, carbon oxides, atmospheric oxides, and waste gases that are effluents or byproduct streams from various societal pursuits that are targeted toward disposal, discharge, or burning.
The Department would address technical challenges in obtaining renewable raw materials, converting them into useful fuels and products, and testing production at larger scales. It would also develop data and tools to examine valuable products and potential reductions in carbon emissions.
Identify and address technical challenges, as well as research and development opportunities, that support the availability of the following: (A) Renewable carbon resources, including biomass feedstocks, waste streams, and aquatic biomass, used as feedstocks for bioenergy, biobased products, or other purposes. (B) Technologies and processes, including fermentation, that break down or convert biomass or waste streams to useful biointermediates, biofuels, or biobased products. (C) Analyses, tests, and verifications for scale-up and deployment efforts, including how to integrate diverse components, unit operations, or subsystems to develop streamlined biomanufacturing processes. (D) Data, modeling, analysis, and tools to identify and examine high value products and the decarbonization potential for a circular bioeconomy.
The Department would work with industry to identify research and demonstration priorities, especially for commercializing sustainable aviation fuel, other strategic transportation fuels, bioenergy, and renewable chemicals and materials.
Work with industry partners to identify priority research, development, and demonstration needs, especially regarding the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel, other strategic transportation fuels, bioenergy, and renewable chemicals and materials.
The program would study environmental and economic effects of emerging technologies and the environmental, social, and economic effects of large-scale biomass use. It would identify ways to integrate biomass and bioenergy production into existing farming and forestry systems. These are research requirements, not findings that the technologies produce particular benefits.
Leverage data and modeling, including the development of tools and resources, to understand and quantify environmental and economic effects of emerging biofuel and biobased product technologies.
Support sustainability research, including the environmental, social, and economic effects of growing and using large quantities of biomass, and identify strategies to integrate biomass and bioenergy production into existing agricultural and forestry systems.
The program would support job training and new career pathways, including opportunities for populations described as untapped. Hiring, funding decisions, project plans, and community engagement would be developed to benefit all citizens regardless of background, income-related status, location, or other factors. The Department would also communicate with relevant outside stakeholders.
Support workforce development activities, including training at all levels that expands opportunities for untapped populations, develops new career pathways, and supports the full range of technology-driven jobs to meet domestic workforce demand.
Develop hiring and funding decisions, project plans, and community engagement to benefit all citizens regardless of background, socioeconomic status, location, or any other factor.
Conduct strategic communications with relevant external stakeholders.
Where practical and appropriate, the Secretary would coordinate with international and federal efforts on bioenergy, renewable chemicals and materials, and economic activity based on life sciences. Named coordination bodies include the Biomass Research and Development Board, the Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team, and the National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative.
The term bioeconomy means economic activity derived from the life sciences, particularly in the areas of biotechnology and biomanufacturing, and includes industries, products, services, and the workforce.
As part of the Program, the Secretary, as practicable and appropriate, shall coordinate and collaborate on the following: (1) International and interagency efforts involving bioenergy, renewable chemicals and materials, and the bioeconomy, including activities through the following: (A) The Biomass Research and Development Board established pursuant to section 9008 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (7 U.S.C. 8108). (B) The interagency entity relating to sustainable chemistry (popularly referred to as the Sustainable Chemistry Strategy Team) under subtitle E of title II of division A of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Public Law 116–283; 15 U.S.C. 9301 et seq.). (C) The National Engineering Biology Research and Development Initiative (section 10402 of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act; 42 U.S.C. 19132).
Where practical and appropriate, education and workforce collaboration would include federal agencies, businesses, national laboratories, colleges and universities, Tribal governments, rural communities, nonprofits, and international scientific bodies. The list expressly includes historically Black colleges and universities, minority-serving institutions, and Tribal colleges and universities.
As part of the Program, the Secretary, as practicable and appropriate, shall coordinate and collaborate on the following:
Education and workforce development activities with Federal agencies (including the National Science Foundation), private sector entities, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, including historically Black colleges and universities, Minority-serving institutions, and Tribal Colleges and Universities, Tribal governments, rural community stakeholders, nonprofit organizations, and international bodies with relevant scientific expertise.
Where practical and appropriate, the Department would identify research and commercial needs with the Departments of Agriculture, Transportation, and Defense, the National Science Foundation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It would also coordinate related activities with other relevant federal research agencies.
As part of the Program, the Secretary, as practicable and appropriate, shall coordinate and collaborate on the following:
Engagement with and identification of bioenergy and renewable chemicals and materials research, development, demonstration, and commercial needs of the following: (A) The Department of Agriculture. (B) The Department of Transportation. (C) The Department of Defense. (D) The National Science Foundation. (E) The National Institute of Standards and Technology. (4) Other research, development, demonstration, extension, and commercial activities relating to bioenergy and renewable chemicals and materials with other relevant Federal research agencies.
Within two years after enactment of the replacement section, the Secretary would have to support at least four small facilities for developing production processes or testing them at larger scales. They would help researchers, industry, and agriculture reduce technology risks and produce small quantities for testing, and would have to differ geographically and technically.
Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this section and as a part of the Program, the Secretary shall support at least four small-scale process development or scale-up facilities to assist researchers, industry, and the agricultural community in de-risking bioenergy technologies and in producing small quantities of advanced biofuels and biobased products for testing purposes. The Secretary shall ensure such facilities are geographically and technically diverse.
Within 90 days after enactment of the replacement section, the Secretary would have to request information about existing U.S. process-development facilities, including gas-fermentation facilities. The request would assess collaboration practices, data collection suitable for artificial intelligence, manufacturing innovation, and how facility data supports larger-scale production and computer modeling.
Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Secretary shall publish a request for information that shall be used by the Secretary to evaluate the following: (A) Existing process development facilities in the United States, including facilities dedicated to gas fermentation technologies. (B) Best practices, including artificial intelligence-ready data collection methods, for collaboration at such facilities. (C) Gaps and opportunities for incorporating innovation in manufacturing at such facilities. (D) How data derived at such facilities translates to the next scale-up of bioenergy technologies and how such data has enabled computational modeling.
Eligible researchers would receive access to the facilities referenced in subsection (d)(2) through competition and review of technical merit. Their activities would need to demonstrate advanced technologies with potential to reduce costs and improve environmental impacts, including improved sharing of data.
The Secretary shall ensure that access to the facilities described in paragraph (2) is provided to eligible researchers on a competitive, technical merit-reviewed basis for activities that demonstrate advanced bioenergy technologies with the potential to lower the cost and improve the environmental impact of advanced biofuels and products, including improving the release of data to broaden the dissemination of information.
The Secretary would award competitive grants and cooperative agreements, reviewed for technical merit, for innovative technologies not significantly represented in the Department's bioenergy research portfolio or technology roadmaps at enactment.
As a part of the Program, the Secretary shall award grants and cooperative agreements on a competitive, technical merit-reviewed basis to eligible entities to support innovative technologies that are not represented in a significant way in the following: (A) The portfolio of bioenergy research activities carried out by the Department of Energy as of the date of the enactment of this section. (B) Technology roadmaps used by the Department of Energy as of such date of enactment.
For these technology awards, the Secretary would coordinate across relevant Department offices as appropriate, including offices responsible for renewable energy, advanced research, science, technology transfer, clean energy demonstrations, and fossil energy and carbon management.
In carrying out this subsection, the Secretary, as appropriate, shall coordinate across all relevant Department program offices, including the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Advanced Research Projects Agency–Energy, the Office of Science, the Office of Technology Transfer, the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, and the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management.
The Secretary would run geographically distributed demonstrations of commercial biorefineries—facilities combining processes that turn biomass or waste into fuels and other products. Awards would encourage varied raw materials and uses, including transportation fuels, chemicals, intermediate products, petroleum substitutes, electricity, and useful heat.
The term biorefinery means a facility that integrates conversion processes and equipment to produce fuels or other byproduct streams, such as power and chemicals intermediates from biomass or waste streams.
The Secretary shall carry out a program to demonstrate the commercial application of integrated biorefineries. The Secretary shall ensure geographical distribution of biorefinery demonstrations under such program. In making awards under such program, the Secretary shall encourage the following: (A) The demonstration of a wide variety of lignocellulosic feedstock and other forms of feedstocks. (B) The commercial application of biomass technologies for a variety of uses, including the following: (i) Liquid transportation fuels. (ii) High-value biobased chemicals. (iii) Production of strategic or valuable biointermediates. (iv) Substitutes for petroleum-based feedstocks and products. (v) Energy in the form of electricity or useful heat.
Biorefinery awards would also encourage advanced manufacturing, such as automation, sensors, and digital modeling, and demonstrations of collecting and treating different biomass raw materials. The text describes potential improvements from these technologies, not guaranteed results.
In making awards under such program, the Secretary shall encourage the following:
(C) The incorporation of advanced manufacturing technologies such as integrated and continuous manufacturing, automated systems, advanced sensors, digital modeling, and other technologies that can improve the efficiency, productivity, and sustainability of biorefineries. (D) The demonstration of the collection and treatment of a variety of biomass feedstocks.
Within six months after enactment of the Act, the Secretary would solicit biorefinery demonstration proposals. Only proposals demonstrating that the project could operate profitably without direct federal subsidy after initial construction costs were funded could be selected. This is a selection condition, not proof of future profitability.
Not later than six months after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall solicit proposals for demonstrations of integrated biorefineries referred to in paragraph (1). The Secretary shall select only proposals that demonstrate that the project at issue will be able to operate profitably without direct Federal subsidy after initial construction costs are funded.
The Secretary would establish a demonstration program testing biodiesel use in diesel electricity generators at college- and university-owned generation facilities, using fuel ratings as high as B100. Tests would examine fuel-use efficiency, reliability of fuel blends, cold-weather performance, storage stability, and other criteria chosen by the Secretary.
The Secretary shall establish a demonstration program to determine the feasibility of the operation of diesel electric power generators, using biodiesel fuels with ratings as high as B100, at electric generation facilities owned by institutions of higher education. Such program shall examine the following: (1) Heat rates of diesel fuels with large quantities of cellulosic content. (2) The reliability of operation of various fuel blends. (3) Performance in cold or freezing weather. (4) Stability of fuel after extended storage. (5) Other criteria, as determined by the Secretary.
Within one year after enactment of the replacement section, the Secretary would develop an implementation plan and update it annually. It would address research challenges over periods of up to two, seven, and 15 years, including opportunities to make bioeconomy data easier to find, access, and use across systems responsibly.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary shall— (A) develop a strategic plan to implement the Program; and (B) annually update such plan.
The strategic plan required under paragraph (1) shall address near-term (up to two years), mid-term (up to seven years), and long-term (up to 15 years) research challenges to the advancement of biofuels and biobased products, including opportunities to work with other Federal departments and agencies and external stakeholders to establish a more findable, accessible, interoperable, and responsible data ecosystem for the United States bioeconomy.
Within one year after enactment of the replacement section, and at least every two years afterward, the Secretary would provide a report available to Congress and the public. It would cover research findings, program activities, the latest strategic plan, and progress implementing it.
Not later than one year after the date of the enactment of this section and at least once every two years thereafter, the Secretary shall provide, and make available to the public and Congress, a report on the findings of research conducted and activities carried out pursuant to this section, including the most current strategic plan under paragraph (1) and the progress made in implementing such plan.
The bill would authorize appropriations of $318,150,000 for fiscal year 2027; $334,057,500 for 2028; $350,760,375 for 2029; $368,299,000 for 2030; and $368,713,950 for 2031. These are amounts authorized for future funding legislation, not money appropriated by this provision.
There are authorized to be appropriated to the Secretary to carry out this section the following: (1) $318,150,000 for fiscal year 2027. (2) $334,057,500 for fiscal year 2028. (3) $350,760,375 for fiscal year 2029. (4) $368,299,000 for fiscal year 2030. (5) $368,713,950 for fiscal year 2031.
The supplied action snapshot, updated October 16, 2026, records introduction in the House and referral to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on October 1, 2026. It does not establish what happened after that snapshot.
Source snapshot updated 2026-10-16T17:41:10Z. 2026-10-01: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology. 2026-10-01: Introduced in House
A closer look
Reviewed version: Introduced in House · 2026-10-01. These findings describe provisions and who may benefit; they are not judgments of waste, corruption, or motive.
This review covers the supplied bill text. “None identified” does not rule out provisions in later versions or accompanying reports and disclosures.
Provisions outside the bill’s main subject, or policy changes attached to appropriations.
None identified in the reviewed text
No provision unrelated to the bioenergy program's main subject was identified in the complete supplied introduced-text version. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials, or establish any attachment history.
Spending directed to particular recipients or places outside ordinary competitive or formula-based allocation.
None identified in the reviewed text
No congressionally directed spending for a particular named recipient or place was identified in the complete supplied introduced-text version. This conclusion is limited to that text and does not establish formal earmark status in other versions or accompanying materials.
Narrow exceptions, exemptions, or preferential treatment that warrant a closer look.
None identified in the reviewed text
No materially narrow carve-out, special exemption, or preferential exception was identified beyond ordinary program scope and intended beneficiaries in the complete supplied introduced-text version. This conclusion does not establish absence in other versions or accompanying materials.
Full text preserved for this analysis. Legislative record snapshot: Oct 16, 2026. How PlainBill uses AI