[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 768 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. 768
To improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing
sector by directing the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the
National Academies and other appropriate Federal agencies, to develop a
national smart manufacturing plan and to provide assistance to small-
and medium-sized manufacturers in implementing smart manufacturing
programs, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
March 29, 2017
Mrs. Shaheen introduced the following bill; which was read twice and
referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To improve the productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing
sector by directing the Secretary of Energy, in coordination with the
National Academies and other appropriate Federal agencies, to develop a
national smart manufacturing plan and to provide assistance to small-
and medium-sized manufacturers in implementing smart manufacturing
programs, 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 ``Smart Manufacturing Leadership
Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds that--
(1) the industrial sector--
(A) represents approximately 20 percent of the
economy of the United States;
(B) provides approximately 13 percent of employment
in the United States; and
(C) accounts for more than 30,000,000,000,000,000
Btus of energy, a quantity that is equal to almost \1/
3\ of the energy consumption of the United States;
(2) smart manufacturing is set to transform the
manufacturing sector and the use by the manufacturing sector of
energy, water, raw materials, and labor over the 10 years
following the date of enactment of this Act;
(3) the transformation described in paragraph (2) will
result in savings in electricity, natural gas, transportation
fuels, chemical feedstocks, and many other fuels;
(4) the interconnection of the many components of
manufacturing within a manufacturing plant with other business
functions within a company and across companies within a supply
chain will enable new production efficiencies;
(5) the improvements in automation described in paragraph
(4) are estimated to produce between $5,000,000,000 and
$25,000,000,000 in energy savings per year across the
manufacturing sector for electricity alone by 2035;
(6) smart manufacturing technologies are estimated to add
between $10,000,000,000,000 and $15,000,000,000,000 to the
global gross domestic product over 20 years following the date
of enactment of this Act;
(7) market barriers exist to the widespread adoption of
smart manufacturing practices by all sizes of firms and to the
investment in smart manufacturing technologies, including lack
of--
(A) common communication protocols between smart
manufacturing devices, which prevents interoperability,
reduces system efficiencies, and stifles innovation;
(B) common standards for storing and sharing
information relating to energy consumption and energy
savings;
(C) an open-access smart manufacturing platform
that enables the networking of business and automation
systems of multiple vendors; and
(D) common cybersecurity protocols and standards;
(8) addressing the barriers described in paragraph (7) is
in the interest of the United States;
(9) in response to the barriers described in paragraph (7),
the Secretary of Energy is working with the private sector to
reduce the market barriers through the development of voluntary
protocols and standards;
(10) there exist many technologies of which many domestic
manufacturers are unaware that could--
(A) improve the competitiveness of the domestic
manufacturers; and
(B) reduce the environmental impacts of the
domestic manufacturers;
(11) Federal agency action can facilitate greater economic
growth through outreach and engagement in the smart
manufacturing technology area; and
(12) the United States would benefit from a concerted and
focused effort to advance the adoption of smart manufacturing
throughout the manufacturing sector of the United States.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Energy management system.--The term ``energy management
system'' means a business management process based on standards
of the American National Standards Institute that enables an
organization to follow a systematic approach in achieving
continual improvement of energy performance, including energy
efficiency, security, use, and consumption.
(2) Industrial assessment center.--The term ``industrial
assessment center'' means a center located at an institution of
higher education that--
(A) receives funding from the Department of Energy;
(B) provides an in-depth assessment of small- and
medium-size manufacturer plant sites to evaluate the
facilities, services, and manufacturing operations of
the plant site; and
(C) identifies opportunities for potential savings
for small- and medium-size manufacturer plant sites
from energy efficiency improvements, waste
minimization, pollution prevention, and productivity
improvement.
(3) Information and communication technology.--The term
``information and communication technology'' means any
electronic system or equipment (including the content contained
in the system or equipment) used to create, convert,
communicate, or duplicate data or information, including
computer hardware, firmware, software, communication protocols,
networks, and data interfaces.
(4) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning given the
term in section 101(a) of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20
U.S.C. 1001(a)).
(5) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(6) North american industry classification system.--The
term ``North American Industry Classification System'' means
the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in
classifying business establishments for the purpose of
collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data relating
to the business economy of the United States.
(7) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Energy.
(8) Small and medium manufacturers.--The term ``small and
medium manufacturers'' means manufacturing firms--
(A) classified in the North American Industry
Classification System as any of sectors 31 through 33;
(B) with gross annual sales of less than
$100,000,000;
(C) with fewer than 500 employees at the plant
site; and
(D) with annual energy bills totaling more than
$100,000 and less than $2,500,000.
(9) Smart manufacturing.--The term ``smart manufacturing''
means advanced technologies in information, automation,
monitoring, computation, sensing, modeling, and networking
that--
(A) digitally--
(i) simulate manufacturing production
lines;
(ii) operate computer-controlled
manufacturing equipment;
(iii) monitor and communicate production
line status; and
(iv) manage and optimize energy
productivity and cost throughout production;
(B) model, simulate, and optimize the energy
efficiency of a factory building;
(C) monitor and optimize building energy
performance;
(D) model, simulate, and optimize the design of
energy efficient and sustainable products, including
the use of digital prototyping and additive
manufacturing to enhance product design;
(E) connect manufactured products in networks to
monitor and optimize the performance of the networks,
including automated network operations; and
(F) digitally connect the supply chain network.
SEC. 4. DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL SMART MANUFACTURING PLAN.
(a) In General.--Not later than 3 years after the date of enactment
of this Act, the Secretary, in consultation with the National
Academies, shall develop and complete a national plan for smart
manufacturing technology development and deployment to improve the
productivity and energy efficiency of the manufacturing sector of the
United States.
(b) Content.--
(1) In general.--The plan developed under subsection (a)
shall identify areas in which agency actions by the Secretary
and other heads of relevant Federal agencies would--
(A) facilitate quicker development, deployment, and
adoption of smart manufacturing technologies and
processes;
(B) result in greater energy efficiency and lower
environmental impacts for all American manufacturers;
and
(C) enhance competitiveness and strengthen the
manufacturing sectors of the United States.
(2) Inclusions.--Agency actions identified under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) an assessment of previous and current actions
of the Department of Energy relating to smart
manufacturing;
(B) the establishment of voluntary interconnection
protocols and performance standards;
(C) deployment of existing research results; and
(D) the leveraging of existing high-performance
computing infrastructure.
(c) Biennial Revisions.--Not later than 2 years after the date on
which the Secretary completes the plan under subsection (a), and not
less frequently than once every 2 years thereafter, the Secretary shall
revise the plan to account for advancements in information and
communication technology and manufacturing needs.
(d) Report.--Annually until the completion of the plan under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the
progress made in developing the plan.
(e) Funding.--The Secretary shall use unobligated funds of the
Department of Energy to carry out this section.
SEC. 5. LEVERAGING EXISTING AGENCY PROGRAMS TO ASSIST SMALL AND MEDIUM
MANUFACTURERS.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds that--
(1) the Department of Energy has existing technical
assistance programs that facilitate greater economic growth
through outreach to and engagement with small and medium
manufacturers;
(2) those technical assistance programs represent an
important conduit for increasing the awareness of and providing
education to small and medium manufacturers regarding the
opportunities for implementing smart manufacturing; and
(3) those technical assistance programs help facilitate the
implementation of best practices.
(b) Expansion of Technical Assistance Programs.--The Secretary
shall expand the scope of technologies covered by the Industrial
Assessment Centers of the Department of Energy--
(1) to include smart manufacturing technologies and
practices; and
(2) to equip the directors of the Industrial Assessment
Centers with the training and tools necessary to provide
technical assistance in smart manufacturing technologies and
practices, including energy management systems, to
manufacturers.
(c) Funding.--The Secretary shall use unobligated funds of the
Department of Energy to carry out this section.
SEC. 6. LEVERAGING SMART MANUFACTURING INFRASTRUCTURE AT NATIONAL
LABORATORIES.
(a) Study.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall conduct a study on
how the Department of Energy can increase access to existing
high-performance computing resources in the National
Laboratories, particularly for small and medium manufacturers.
(2) Inclusions.--In identifying ways to increase access to
National Laboratories under paragraph (1), the Secretary
shall--
(A) focus on increasing access to the computing
facilities of the National Laboratories; and
(B) ensure that--
(i) the information from the manufacturer
is protected; and
(ii) the security of the National
Laboratory facility is maintained.
(3) Report.--Not later than 1 year after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a
report describing the results of the study.
(b) Actions for Increased Access.--The Secretary shall facilitate
access to the National Laboratories studied under subsection (a) for
small and medium manufacturers so that small and medium manufacturers
can fully use the high-performance computing resources of the National
Laboratories to enhance the manufacturing competitiveness of the United
States.
SEC. 7. STATE LEADERSHIP GRANTS.
(a) Finding.--Congress finds that the States--
(1) are committed to promoting domestic manufacturing and
supporting robust economic development activities; and
(2) are uniquely positioned to assist manufacturers,
particularly small and medium manufacturers, with deployment of
smart manufacturing through the provision of infrastructure,
including--
(A) access to shared supercomputing facilities;
(B) assistance in developing process simulations;
and
(C) conducting demonstrations of the benefits of
smart manufacturing.
(b) Grants Authorized.--The Secretary may make grants on a
competitive basis to States for establishing State programs to be used
as models for supporting the implementation of smart manufacturing
technologies.
(c) Application.--
(1) In general.--To be eligible to receive a grant under
this section, a State shall submit to the Secretary an
application at such time, in such manner, and containing such
information as the Secretary may require.
(2) Criteria.--The Secretary shall evaluate an application
for a grant under this section on the basis of merit using
criteria identified by the Secretary, including--
(A) the breadth of academic and private sector
partners;
(B) alternate sources of funding;
(C) plans for dissemination of results; and
(D) the permanence of the infrastructure to be put
in place by the project.
(d) Requirements.--
(1) Term.--The term of a grant under this section shall not
exceed 3 years.
(2) Maximum amount.--The amount of a grant under this
section shall be not more than $3,000,000.
(3) Matching requirement.--Each State that receives a grant
under this section shall contribute matching funds in an amount
equal to not less than 30 percent of the amount of the grant.
(e) Use of Funds.--
(1) In general.--A State shall use a grant provided under
this section--
(A) to provide access to shared supercomputing
facilities to small and medium manufacturers;
(B) to fund research and development of
transformational manufacturing processes and materials
technology that advance smart manufacturing; and
(C) to provide tools and training to small and
medium manufacturers on how to adopt energy management
systems and implement smart manufacturing technologies
in the facilities of the small and medium
manufacturers.
(f) Evaluation.--The Secretary shall conduct biannual evaluations
of each grant made under this section--
(1) to determine the impact and effectiveness of programs
funded with the grant; and
(2) to provide guidance to States on ways to better execute
the program of the State.
(g) Funding.--There is authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary to carry out this section $10,000,000 for each of fiscal
years 2018 through 2021.
SEC. 8. REPORT.
The Secretary annually shall submit to Congress and make publicly
available a report on the progress made in advancing smart
manufacturing in the United States.
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