To authorize the designation of National Environmental Research Parks by the Secretary of Energy, and for other purposes

Sponsor: Ben Luján (D-NM)

Requires the Department of Energy (DOE) to designate as protected outdoor research reserves for the purpose of conducting long-term environmental research on the impacts of human activities on the natural environment: (1) Savannah River National Environmental Research Park; (2) Idaho National Environmental Research Park; (3) Los Alamos National Environmental Research Park; (4) Fermi Lab National Environmental Research Park; (5) Oak Ridge National Environmental Research Park; and (6) Nevada National Environmental Research Park. Requires each site to support environmental research and monitoring activities to characterize and monitor site conditions and serve as control areas for comparison with environmental impacts of DOE land management, energy technology development, remediation, and other site activities outside the Park areas. Authorizes areas of research and monitoring on the sites to include: (1) ecology of the site and the region; (2) population biology and ecology; (3) radioecology; (4) effects of climate variability and change on ecosystems; (5) ecosystem science; (6) pollution fate and transport research; (7) surface and groundwater modeling; (8) student training; and (9) environmental impacts of development and use of energy generation technologies, including renewable energy technologies.

Science, Technology, Communications Topic assigned by the Congressional Research Service.