National biochar research network

Title IV of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 is amended by inserting before section 404 (7 U.S.C. 7624) the following: 403. National biochar research network (a) Establishment Subject to the availability of funds, the Secretary shall establish a national biochar research network (referred to in this section as the research network). (b) Scope (1) In general The research network shall encompass— (A) agriculture, horticulture, and other biochar uses; and (B) a broad range of feedstocks, production processes, and application treatments, including— (i) common biochar types with common characteristics tested across sites; and (ii) promising locally produced biochar. (2) Research The research conducted by the research network shall include— (A) cross-site and mechanistic experiments at not more than 20 research sites or facilities described in subsection (c) to test common biochar types with common characteristics, and promising locally produced biochars, across soil types, soil health and soil management conditions, application methods, and agronomic and climate regions— (i) to fill critical knowledge gaps and gain a more complete understanding of the impact of various types and characteristics of biochar in varying site conditions on soil properties, plant growth, soil emissions, and soil carbon in different soils, climates, and other natural and agronomic conditions; (ii) to generate data to develop, calibrate, and validate robust mechanistic models to predict the full life cycle of greenhouse gas, crop response, and related agronomic and environmental implications of particular applications of biochar; (iii) to generate data to help guide the design of new, more efficient biochar and bioenergy production reactors and biorefineries that produce biochar with the needed characteristics to serve specific soil and crop improvement objectives; and (iv) to generate data to develop, calibrate, validate, and standardize testing methodologies for biochar to identify potential contaminants or other factors that may cause unintended consequences; and (B) site-specific farm and forestry systems assessments and pilot-scale biochar production and application systems— (i) to refine the most promising soil-based uses, sources, and methods of producing and applying biochar in particular regions— (I) to enhance productivity; (II) to increase profitability, scalability, and portability; (III) to increase soil carbon; (IV) to improve ecosystem and soil health; (V) to strengthen resilience to extreme weather events; and (VI) to explore soil, crop, climate, management, and biochar interactions; (ii) to develop new knowledge to support decisions on sustainable production and use of biochar; (iii) to collect relevant data needed for full life cycle greenhouse gas and economic analyses and complete those analyses; (iv) to predict plant response, soil health, soil carbon sequestration, ecosystem health, water quality, and economic outcomes for specific implementations of biochar technology; (v) to provide insights on thermochemical conversion processes in biochar production and the coproduction of biochar and bioenergy, including interactions of feedstock properties with reactor conditions and processes on the relative proportions and properties of biochar, biofuels, and value-added coproducts, as well as process efficiency; (vi) to provide data to evaluate local biomass feedstocks, support selection of sustainable biochar production methods, and address biochar production issues; (vii) to develop new knowledge on integration of biochar in soil health management systems; and (viii) to share research results to inform farmers, horticulturalists, ranchers, foresters, urban biochar users, extension agents and specialists, and technical assistance providers on the most advantageous ways to use biochar to increase profitability, raise productivity, lower costs, improve soil and plant health, build soil carbon, and enhance resilience to extreme weather events. (c) Eligibility An entity shall be eligible to be selected to conduct research as part of the research network if the entity is— (1) a State agricultural experiment station or a State forestry experiment station; (2) a research facility of the Agricultural Research Service, the Forest Service, or any other agency of the Department that the Secretary determines to be appropriate; or (3) a research facility of the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, or the Department of the Interior. (d) Administration The research network shall be administered by the Administrator of the Agricultural Research Service..