Committee Leaders to Introduce Bipartisan Department of Energy Science for the Future Act
(Washington, DC) – Tomorrow, House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK), Subcommittee on Energy Chairman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), and Subcommittee on Energy Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX) will introduce the bipartisan Department of Energy Science for the Future Act. The bill provides comprehensive policy guidance and funding authorization for the major research programs stewarded by the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science. These programs include research on materials and chemical science, bioscience, climate science, fusion energy, scientific computing, and high energy and nuclear physics. The Department of Energy Science for the Future Act also offers guidance for the Office of Science’s Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists program to broaden participation of underrepresented groups in STEM programs supported by DOE.
“I am very pleased to introduce the Department of Energy Science for the Future Act with my House colleagues Ranking Member Lucas, Chairman Bowman, and Ranking Member Weber,” said Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). “This bill is the result of over a year of bipartisan engagement with our national laboratories, academic institutions, industry, scientific associations, and other relevant stakeholders. DOE’s Office of Science is the largest supporter of research in the physical sciences in the country, and it operates 29 national scientific user facilities whose applications include the development of advanced energy storage technologies, next generation biofuels, and innovative fusion energy systems, just to name a few examples. But they also go well beyond energy innovation. Our nation’s top researchers also use these facilities to examine everything from new materials that will better meet our military’s needs, to new pharmaceuticals that will better treat disease, to even examining the fundamental building blocks of the universe. The Office also leads the Department’s significant contributions to climate science and to emerging technology areas like artificial intelligence and quantum information science. And Office of Science facilities and researchers played a critical role in the early response to the COVID-19 pandemic. For all of these reasons and more, I believe that it is long past time that Congress provide DOE’s Office of Science with comprehensive authorizing legislation so that we can finally provide this critical agency with the direction, stability, and resources that it deserves.”
“America’s research enterprise has always driven our technological development, which is the foundation of our economic success,” said Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK). “We need to reinvest in our research, not only to power our growth, but also to keep us competitive with China, who would like to overtake us in the job-creating industries of the future like artificial intelligence, quantum sciences, and advanced manufacturing. Together with the NSF for the Future Act, the DOE Science for the Future Act is a comprehensive strategy for American progress that sustainably and comprehensively scales up our research enterprise. Rather than throwing one-time money at NSF and DOE or pitting them against each other for funding, we’re investing in the programs that work and creating new ones where needed. This is the best approach to strengthening American competitiveness, and I appreciate Chairwoman Johnson’s work with me to move forward on this important legislation.”
“It’s absolutely essential that our federal agencies are supported for long-term success in working to solve humanity’s most pressing problems,” said Energy Subcommittee Chairman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY). “This bill provides comprehensive policy guidance and funding authorization for the major research programs stewarded by the DOE Office of Science, including critical work in climate science, advanced scientific computing, materials, and fundamental physics. I am also proud and particularly excited that this bill provides guidance for the Office’s Workforce Development for Teachers and Scientists program in the interest of greater diversity, equity and inclusion across programs supported by the Department of Energy.”
“For generations, America has been the most technologically advanced country in the world, largely thanks to the work done at the Department of Energy and its National Laboratory system,” said Ranking Member Randy Weber (R-TX). “But now the Chinese Communist Party is hot on our heels and would love to overtake us as the global leader in science and technology. Funding the research and development done through our Labs and the Department of Energy’s Office of Science is the most efficient way to kickstart our technological growth and support American jobs. The DOE Science for the Future Act is a smart investment in our R&D enterprise that gives the Department of Energy the resources and funds it needs to continue developing cutting-edge technologies that drive innovation and make our energy cleaner and more affordable.”
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