Ranking Member Lofgren Reflects on Visit to Two Fusion Companies in Everett, Washington
(WASHINGTON, DC) - Last week, Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) visited Zap and Helion in Everett, Washington. Zap is one of the initial awardees of the Department of Energy’s new milestone-based public-private partnership program, which was advanced and authorized by the Committee as part of the Energy Act of 2020. Helion is one of the largest private fusion companies in the world.
“Fusion energy holds great promise in addressing the climate crisis and decarbonizing the planet to sustain humanity,” said Ranking Member Lofgren. “We are seeing rapid growth in the private sector for fusion innovation. And I was delighted to visit both Zap and Helion in Washington state last week where we saw this growth firsthand. The private sector has an important role to play in reaching major technical achievements in fusion science and engineering. But it is also clear that we can’t expect them to build a viable commercial fusion industry on their own.
The Ranking Member continued, “This is why improving support for our entire U.S. fusion research enterprise is one of my greatest priorities as Ranking Member of the Science Committee. I am excited about the real breakthroughs we’ve seen in fusion over the last two years, particularly in the U.S. We cannot afford to lose out on this unique opportunity to lead the world in developing a critical part of our clean energy future. This effort is bipartisan and bicameral, and I am committed to continuing to work with the Administration and my colleagues to ensure we can take full advantage of this transformational, emission-free energy resource.”
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