12 2 STA T . 1 3 2 0PUBLIC LA W 110 – 23 4—M A Y 22 , 200 8‘ ‘ (vi ii )an in d ivid u a lw i thexp e r ti s e in ener gy and envir o n m ental analysis
‘‘(ix) an individual with expertise in the e c onomics o fb iofuels and biobased products; ‘‘(x) an individual with expertise in agricultural economics; ‘‘(xi) an individual with expertise in plant biology and biomass feedstoc k development; ‘‘(xii) an individual with expertise in agronomy , crop science, or soil science; and ‘‘(xiii) at the option of the points of contact, other members . ‘‘( B ) AP P OINTME NT. —T he members of the Advisory C ommittee shall be appointed by the points of contact. ‘‘( 3 ) DU TIE S .—The Advisory Committee shall— ‘‘(A) advise the points of contact with respect to the I nitiative; and ‘‘(B) evaluate and make recommendations in writing to the Board regarding whether— ‘‘(i) funds authori z ed for the Initiative are distrib - uted and used in a manner that is consistent with the ob j ectives, purposes, and considerations of the Ini- tiative; ‘‘(ii) solicitations are open and competitive with awards made annually; ‘‘(iii) objectives and evaluation criteria of the solici- tations are clearly stated and minimally prescriptive, with no areas of special interest; ‘‘(iv) the points of contact are funding proposals under this title that are selected on the basis of merit, as determined by an independent panel of scientific and technical peers predominantly from outside the Departments of Agriculture and E nergy; and ‘‘(v) activities under this title are carried out in accordance with this title. ‘‘( 4 ) COO RD IN A TION.—To avoid duplication of effort, the Advisory Committee shall coordinate its activities with those of other F ederal advisory committees working in related areas. ‘‘( 5 ) M EETIN G S.—The Advisory Committee shall meet at least q uarterly. ‘‘( 6 ) TERMS.—Members of the Advisory Committee shall be appointed for a term of 3 years. ‘‘(e) BIOMASS R ESEAR CH AND DE V E L OPMENT INITIATIVE.— ‘‘( 1 ) IN GENERAL.—The S ecretary of Agriculture and the Secretary of Energy, acting through their respective points of contact and in consultation with the Board, shall establish and carry out a Biomass Research and Development Initiative under which competitively awarded grants, contracts, and financial assistance are provided to, or entered into with, eligible entities to carry out research on and development and demonstration of— ‘‘(A) biofuels and biobased products; and ‘‘(B) the methods, practices, and technologies, for the production of biofuels and biobased products. ‘‘( 2 ) OBJ ECTIVES.—The objectives of the Initiative are to develop— Establi s hmen t .
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