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The House Science and Technology Committee this week introduced the National Nanotechnology Initiative Amendments Act of 2009 (H.R. 554). The bill (identical to H.R. 5940, which passed the 110th Congress by 407 to 6), seeks to "strengthen and provide transparency to the federal research effort to understand the potential environmental, health, and safety risks of nanotechnology," according to a committee press release.

"The range of potential applications of nanotechnology is broad - from solar cells to sunscreen, from electronics to energy transformation and storage, to medicine and health," says committee chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN). "It is important that potential downsides of the technology be addressed from the beginning in a straightforward and open way, both to protect the public health and to allay any concerns about the validity of the results. A thorough, transparent process that ensures the safety of new products will allow both the business community and the public to benefit from the development of these new technologies."

"We know that when materials are developed at the nanoscale that they pose potential risks that do not appear at the macroscale," says David Rejeski, director of the Project on Emerging Nanotechnologies (PEN). "This new bill shows that lawmakers recognize both nanotechnology's enormous promise and possible problems. The legislation reflects mounting Congressional interest in understanding potential risks in order to protect the public and to encourage safe commercial development and investment."

More here from DailyTech ... the press release is here ... and PEN's press release is here.