Environmental Research at the Department of Energy

Opening Statement By Chairman Brian Baird

This morning we will explore some of the environmental research programs and activities conducted by the Department of Energy and the facilities the Department offers for scientists who do this work. DOE’s seven National Environmental Research Parks are extraordinary outdoor laboratories that provide opportunities for environmental studies on protected lands around DOE facilities in a variety of geographic and ecological regions. I am pleased that my colleague Mr. Luján has introduced H.R. 2729, a bill that would authorize these parks in law, formally and provide the guidance and support they need to support critical work in research, education and public outreach.

At this time, I recognize Mr. Lujan for a brief statement on his legislation.

We will also examine some of the broader research programs underway at the DOE Office of Science’s Climate and Environmental Sciences Division. This division works to achieve a comprehensive understanding of climate change, ocean acidification, and remediation of environmental contaminants on land and in water.

Two of the programs are conducted as part of the U.S. contribution to international climate research activities. DOE with other federal agencies including NSF, NOAA, and NASA seek to resolve two remaining areas of uncertainty in our understanding of climate change: the role of clouds and the effects of aerosol emissions on the atmospheric radiation balance between the Sun and the Earth.

DOE’s Environmental System Science program supports research on carbon cycling in terrestrial ecosystems and its implications for climate change. This program also examines the crucial role of subsurface biochemical processes on the transport and fate of DOE-relevant contaminants, including radionuclides relevant to the cleanup of the Department’s former weapons development sites. The persistent contamination problems on these sites require on-going attention. Development of methods to contain and remediate these substances is very important to the people in my state.

We have an excellent panel of witnesses with us today. I appreciate each of them taking the time to come and share their expertise with the Subcommittee. With that I yield to our distinguished Ranking Member, Mr. Inglis.
 

Opening Statement By Rep. Ben Ray Luján

Thank you, Chairman Baird for holding this hearing on the National Research Parks at the Department of Energy’s facilities.

As you have stated, these Parks have been providing environmental scientists with unique, undisturbed environments for conducting research since they were first established in the early 1970’s.

The ecosystems contained within these Parks contain intact, undisturbed native vegetation and wildlife that represent some of the major ecosystems of the United States. The long-term data sets that have been collected from these sites are extremely valuable for understanding natural ecosystem development and variability. In a number of cases, these data sets represent the world’s longest, continuous records.

For example, the scientists at Los Alamos have the world’s longest running data sets on soil moisture and plant water stress. The 2002 drought that killed off large areas of piñon pine in New Mexico could be understood because of these long-range data sets. This is the type of information we need to anticipate the impacts of severe weather and climate on natural systems and to develop strategies to manage these systems in the face of climate change.

H.R. 2729 will provide core funding and an organizational structure to support the important work of these Parks. Again, I thank the Chairman for holding this hearing and I look forward to the testimony of our witnesses today.
 

Witnesses

Panel

0 - Dr. J. Whitfield Gibbons
Professor of Ecology University of Georgia Senior Research Ecologist University of Georgia Senior Research Ecologist
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0 - Dr. Dave Bader
Director Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison Program for Climate Model Diagnosis and Intercomparison
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0 - Dr. Paul Hanson
Group Leader Ecosystem and Plant Sciences Environmental Sciences Division Ecosystem and Plant Sciences Environmental Sciences Division
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0 - Dr. Nate McDowell
Earth and Environmental Sciences Division Atmospheric, Climatic, and Environmental Dynamics Group Los Alamos National Laboratory Atmospheric, Climatic, and Envi
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