Bioindustrial Scale-Up for Supply Chains and Energy Resiliency Act of 2026

Bill Number

H.R. 7936

Origin Chamber

House

Congress

119th Congress, Session 2

Policy Area

Energy

Status

Introduced

Latest Action

2026-03-16: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

Last Updated

2026-04-28T08:05:51Z

AI-Generated Summary

Purpose

The Bioindustrial Scale-Up for Supply Chains and Energy Resiliency Act of 2026 (H.R. 7936) amends the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to promote the development, demonstration, and commercial use of biotechnology products. Its goal is to boost U.S. energy resiliency by addressing barriers to scaling biotech innovations, such as limited biomanufacturing capacity (facilities that use biological processes to make products at large scale), and establishing specialized facilities to help technologies mature for market use.

Key Provisions

• Sense of Congress: Recognizes challenges like proving biotech scalability for investors, insufficient manufacturing infrastructure, and the need for flexible, advanced facilities to lead in bioindustrial innovation.
• New Definitions (added to Section 932(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005):
• Biobased product: Materials from plants or other renewable resources (cross-references farm law definition).
• Bioindustrial manufacturing: Using living organisms, cells, enzymes, or similar to produce non-medical materials.
• Biointermediate: Half-finished products from biomass (plant-based materials) or waste.
• Biomanufacturing: Scaling biological systems for commercial goods/services.
• Biotechnology: Tech based on life sciences.
• Open access: Resources free of licensing barriers, available fairly to public/private users.
• Phytobiome: Plant interactions with microbes and environment.
• Technology maturation: Testing and scaling tech from lab to market-ready (e.g., prototypes, pilots).
• Waste stream: Discarded materials like food waste, sewage, or industrial gases targeted for disposal.
• Bioindustrial Technology Maturation Facilities (new subsection 932(f)):
• Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary must establish at least 2 precommercial facilities by September 30, 2030, as "user facilities" open to government and private users.
• Activities: Pilot testing, scaling processes, developing tools/software, tackling input challenges (e.g., breaking down waste), workforce training, secure digital data systems, cybersecurity, economic analysis.
• Planning: Consider industry gaps, unique global capabilities, workforce needs, geographic diversity; issue RFI (request for information) in 90 days; submit strategic plan in 180 days covering facility types, locations, timelines, networking.
• Collaboration: Open access (especially rural areas), cost-sharing with private sector, partnerships with industry, DoD, USDA, DOT, Commerce, NSF, academia, states, nonprofits, international experts.
• Intellectual Property (IP): Federal employee inventions enter public domain; non-federal IP protected per contracts; promote secure data sharing.
• Reporting: Annual reports to Congress for 8 years on progress, facilities, activities.
• Funding: $225.5 million authorized for FY2026–2030.
• Technical Fix: Updates table of contents in Energy Policy Act.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands Section 932(a) with 8+ new definitions to support biotech focus.
• Adds entirely new subsection (f) mandating facilities, planning, and operations—previously, Section 932 focused on general innovation programs without biotech-specific scaling infrastructure.

Potential Impacts

• Government Agencies: DOE gains new responsibilities for facilities, coordination (e.g., with DoD, USDA), and reporting; promotes inter-agency efficiency and supply chain security.
• Citizens: Creates jobs and training in biomanufacturing, especially in rural/diverse areas; enhances energy security via domestic biotech for fuels, materials from waste.
• Industry/Business: Derisks scaling (reduces investment risks), provides open-access pilots to speed commercialization, builds flexible manufacturing network.
• International Relations: Strengthens U.S. leadership in bioindustrial tech, secures supply chains for chemicals/materials, potentially reducing reliance on foreign sources.

Main Stakeholders

• Federal Agencies: DOE (lead), DoD (BioMADE), USDA, DOT, Commerce, NSF.
• Private Sector: Biotech innovators, biomanufacturers, investors seeking scalable tech.
• Academia/Nonprofits: Universities, research institutions for collaboration/tools.
• Communities: Rural areas, workforce programs, state/local governments for jobs/access.
• Congress: Science, Space, and Technology Committee oversees.

Notable Legal, Constitutional, or Political Implications

• Legal: Establishes clear IP rules balancing public domain for federal work with private protections; mandates open data sharing, which could influence future biotech collaborations but requires cybersecurity safeguards.
• Constitutional: Relies on Congress's spending power (authorizations) and commerce clause authority over energy/supply chains; no apparent conflicts.
• Political: Bipartisan sponsors (e.g., Baird, Houlahan, Bice, Khanna); emphasizes national security (energy resiliency, supply chains) amid biotech competition; promotes equity via rural/open access without mandates on private IP retention.

This summary was generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies. Refer to the official source document for the authoritative text.

Sponsor

Rep. Baird, James R. [R-IN-4]

Cosponsors (6)

Rep. Houlahan, Chrissy [D-PA-6], Rep. Bice, Stephanie I. [R-OK-5], Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17], Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19], Rep. Sessions, Pete [R-TX-17], Rep. Davis, Donald G. [D-NC-1]

Recent Actions

• 2026-03-16: Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
• 2026-03-16: Introduced in House
• 2026-03-16: Introduced in House

Bill Versions

• Bioindustrial Scale-Up for Supply Chains and Energy Resiliency Act of 2026 — issued 2026-03-16 — PDF (16 pages)