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�Green chemistry is the ultimate proof that environmental and economic
benefits in chemistry can be optimized simultaneously. The
technologies that spin out of this novel research are the seeds that
can sustain small business ventures and green corporate practices,�
said Catherine T. Hunt, Ph.D., ACS President. �From reducing and
improving pharmaceutical processes, reinventing the home and
construction business, to over-coming our climate and energy
challenges, green chemistry is proving that economics and environment
are not mutually exclusive.�
The bill dedicates resources at a number of federal agencies towards
green chemistry R&D and improves interagency coordination. �By
concentrating on sustainable economic practices in the chemical
industry, we can move towards a more sustainable vision of the
future,� Hunt said. In a letter to lead sponsor Gingrey, Hunt praised
the interagency program set up by the legislation because it would
�strengthen the government�s role as a true partner in promoting
greener technologies.�
Under the bill, the National Science Foundation, the Environmental
Protection Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology,
and the Department of Energy would work together to fund and
coordinate green chemistry R&D. The interagency program would support
merit-reviewed grants to individual researchers, university-industry
partnership, R&D and technology transfer at federal laboratories, and
the education and training of undergraduate and graduate students in
green chemistry science and engineering.
ACS, through its Green Chemistry Institute, supports improving the
environment through chemistry. ACS works closely with policymakers to
encourage environmental decisions that promote sustainable resource
usage and waste prevention in an economically viable chemical
enterprise.
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