Homestake AI Act of 2026

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 4991 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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119th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                S. 4991

 To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish an extremophile whole
         genome sequencing initiative, and for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 15, 2026

  Mr. Rounds (for himself and Mr. Heinrich) introduced the following
bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and
                           Natural Resources

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL

 To direct the Secretary of Energy to establish an extremophile whole
         genome sequencing initiative, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Homestake AI Act of 2026''.

SEC. 2. EXTREMOPHILE WHOLE GENOME SEQUENCING INITIATIVE.

    (a) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) Covered facility.--The term ``covered facility'' means
        the long-term storage facility planned for under subsection
        (c)(1)(E).
            (2) Initiative.--The term ``initiative'' means the
        extremophile whole genome sequencing initiative established
        under subsection (b).
            (3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
        of Energy, acting through the Undersecretary of Science.
    (b) Establishment.--Not later than 90 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish an initiative, to
be known as the ``extremophile whole genome sequencing initiative'',
that shall--
            (1) be consistent with the goals of the Genesis Mission
        announced in Executive Order 14363 (90 Fed. Reg. 55035;
        relating to launching the Genesis Mission); and
            (2) facilitate the collection of new genomic data that will
        contribute to advances in scientific discovery and may support
        the development of new healthcare treatments.
    (c) Initiative.--
            (1) In general.--Under the initiative, the Secretary
        shall--
                    (A) collect, catalogue, and sequence the whole
                genomes and metabolites of samples from animals,
                plants, fungi, and microbes found in locations selected
                under paragraph (3);
                    (B) establish a database for the data collected
                under subparagraph (A), or use an existing database,
                such as the database of the National Center for
                Biotechnology Information, including sequence data,
                genome assemblies, peptides, metabolite data,
                annotations, and associated metadata, including genome
                and transcriptome data, metabolome data, and proteome
                data;
                    (C) collaborate with industry, academia, and other
                government agencies to collate existing relevant data
                for inclusion in the database established or used under
                subparagraph (B);
                    (D) make that database accessible to persons in the
                United States, subject to the condition that the
                Secretary shall, to the maximum extent practicable,
                prevent the sharing of such information with adversary
                nations or foreign persons; and
                    (E) not later than 1 year after the date of
                enactment of this Act, develop a plan for the
                construction of a new long-term storage facility--
                            (i) for, at a minimum, the samples
                        collected under subparagraph (A); and
                            (ii) in such a manner that the facility may
                        continue to operate in the case of a
                        catastrophic incident (as defined in section
                        602 of the Post-Katrina Emergency Management
                        Reform Act of 2006 (6 U.S.C. 701)).
            (2) Third party collection.--The Secretary may enter into
        contracts with third party entities, including institutions of
        higher education or private sector entities, to collect samples
        under paragraph (1)(A).
            (3) Locations for collection.--
                    (A) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
                date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
                select not fewer than 5 locations from which to collect
                samples under paragraph (1)(A), at least 1 of which
                shall be a mine or former mine that--
                            (i) is deeper than 4,500 feet; and
                            (ii) houses an underground science
                        facility.
                    (B) Considerations.--
                            (i) In general.--The Secretary shall select
                        locations under subparagraph (A)--
                                    (I) that are unique or are exposed
                                to unique properties, such as extreme
                                heat or pressure;
                                    (II) that are under risk of
                                destruction before 2050 from natural or
                                unnatural forces;
                                    (III) based on the potential for
                                finding useful organisms that will
                                contribute to advances in scientific
                                research and discovery; and
                                    (IV) that may support the
                                development of new healthcare
                                treatments relating to cancer,
                                including cancers affecting children
                                and individuals with high mortality
                                rates, diabetes, and dementia,
                                including Alzheimer's disease.
                            (ii) Preference.--In selecting locations
                        under subparagraph (A), the Secretary may give
                        preference to a location on land owned or
                        controlled by the Department of Energy
                        (including National Laboratories).
                            (iii) Range of extreme conditions.--In
                        selecting locations under subparagraph (A), the
                        Secretary shall ensure that the locations
                        reflect a broad range of extreme conditions.
            (4) Long-term storage facility.--In selecting a location
        for the covered facility under the plan developed under
        paragraph (1)(E), the Secretary shall consider, among other
        factors determined relevant by the Secretary--
                    (A) colocation in a Department of Energy facility
                or a facility that receives significant funding from
                the Department of Energy;
                    (B) the benefits of storing the applicable
                materials underground in a remote area; and
                    (C) the ability of the location to withstand
                natural disasters, such as earthquakes, wildfires, or
                meteor strikes.
            (5) Data standards.--In carrying out the initiative, the
        Secretary shall--
                    (A) leverage existing and emerging data standards
                to ensure--
                            (i) high-quality data are obtained under
                        the initiative; and
                            (ii) data collected under the initiative
                        are considered usable and interoperable, with
                        appropriate metadata to be included;
                    (B) ensure that data outputs under the initiative--
                            (i)(I) meet applicable Federal data
                        standards for biological data; or
                            (II) if there are no applicable Federal
                        data standards described in subclause (I), meet
                        data standards for the initiative established
                        by the Secretary, in consultation with the
                        National Institute of Standards and Technology
                        and other relevant agencies, based on
                        findability, accessibility, interoperability,
                        and reusability data principles and using
                        industry best practices; and
                            (ii) are updated to comply with any
                        applicable United States Geological Survey
                        standards for biological data; and
                    (C) ensure that appropriate cybersecurity and
                access safeguards are implemented to protect the data
                generated or stored under the initiative, including by
                ensuring that data outputs under the initiative are
                updated as necessary to meet applicable Federal
                cybersecurity standards for genomic data, including
                controls consistent with the National Institute of
                Standards and Technology special publications 800-53
                (relating to Security and Privacy Controls for
                Information Systems and Organizations) and 800-111
                (relating to Guide to Storage Encryption Technologies
                for End User Devices) or any successor framework.
            (6) Long-term storage requirements.--The Secretary may
        consult with the Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of
        the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian
        Institution with respect to storage capabilities for the
        management and long-term storage of samples collected under the
        initiative, subject to the following:
                    (A) Access to samples collected under the
                initiative may be managed by the respective
                institutional collection managers, with--
                            (i) the natural history collections managed
                        by the Director of the National Museum of
                        Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution;
                        and
                            (ii) the germplasm repository and the
                        covered facility managed by the Secretary of
                        Agriculture.
                    (B) Before any samples are stored at the covered
                facility, the Secretary shall--
                            (i) evaluate the species to be sampled to
                        identify which species need to be collected for
                        long-term storage; and
                            (ii) from among the species identified
                        under clause (i), identify which species should
                        be considered to be high-priority species.
                    (C) Any samples identified for long-term storage
                under subparagraph (B)(i)--
                            (i) shall be collected and stored at the
                        covered facility after the covered facility is
                        operational; and
                            (ii) may be stored in an alternative
                        location until that date.
                    (D) Any high-priority species identified under
                subparagraph (B)(ii) shall be collected for storage in
                each of--
                            (i) the natural history collections to be
                        managed by the Director of the National Museum
                        of Natural History of the Smithsonian
                        Institution;
                            (ii) the germplasm repository to be managed
                        by the Secretary of Agriculture; and
                            (iii) the covered facility.
                    (E) Any physical samples collected under the
                initiative shall not be transferred, exported, or
                loaned outside the United States.
                    (F) Any physical storage, curation, and laboratory
                processing of samples collected under the initiative
                shall occur within facilities located in the United
                States.
                    (G) The Secretary may accept donated samples for
                storage from third parties or other countries.
            (7) Sequencing and data processing.--In carrying out the
        initiative, the Secretary shall--
                    (A) collaborate with the Secretary of Agriculture,
                the Director of the National Museum of Natural History
                of the Smithsonian Institution, and the heads of other
                applicable Federal agencies to sequence genomic
                information from samples collected under the
                initiative;
                    (B) develop and use standardized sequencing
                protocols to ensure consistency and comparability of
                data; and
                    (C) incorporate automated data processing and
                quality checks to ensure the reliability of the data.
            (8) Termination of collection.--No collection of samples
        under paragraph (1)(A) may occur by the Secretary or a third
        party pursuant to a contract entered into under paragraph (2)
        after the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of
        this Act.
    (d) Coordination With Other Entities.--
            (1) In general.--In carrying out the initiative, the
        Secretary may coordinate with--
                    (A) other offices within the Department of Energy;
                    (B) the Department of Agriculture;
                    (C) any other relevant agency that may benefit from
                utilizing the covered facility;
                    (D) the Smithsonian Institution, including the
                National Museum of Natural History;
                    (E) the Department of Health and Human Services,
                including the Centers for Disease Control and
                Prevention and the National Institutes of Health,
                including the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative;
                    (F) academia;
                    (G) nonprofit organizations, including
                organizations focused on the collection of data for the
                discovery of treatments for cancer, diabetes, and
                dementia, including Alzheimer's disease;
                    (H) nonprofit organizations that support
                biodiversity conservation, including nonprofit
                organizations in allied countries described in
                subsection (e)(2); and
                    (I) private sector entities, including entities in
                the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and artificial
                intelligence industries.
            (2) Private sector contributions.--There shall be
        established a foundation, which shall be an organization
        described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of
        1986 and exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that
        Code, to receive in-kind contributions from biotechnology and
        other private sector companies to assist in carrying out the
        initiative and supporting the operation of the covered
        facility.
            (3) Other agency resources.--The Secretary may use the
        services, personnel, and facilities of another agency if agreed
        to by that agency.
    (e) Working Group.--
            (1) In general.--The Secretary shall establish a working
        group to coordinate with private and public sector initiatives
        in the United States and allied countries described in
        paragraph (2) collecting relevant genomic data to create
        alignment between scientific groups--
                    (A) to maximize beneficial research output; and
                    (B) to minimize duplicative spending of the
                initiative.
            (2) Allied countries described.--The allied countries
        referred to in paragraph (1) are--
                    (A) Australia;
                    (B) member countries of the European Union;
                    (C) Japan;
                    (D) South Korea;
                    (E) New Zealand; and
                    (F) the United Kingdom.
    (f) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary such sums as are necessary to carry out
this section.
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