
Image credit – Department of Energy
DOE
Image credit – Department of Energy
DOE
Today, the House Science Committee introduced the DOE Science for the Future Act
The new bill follows up on the committee’s DOE Research and Innovation Act
The bill has been in the works for more than a year and incorporates recommendations from various stakeholders. It is also intended to complement the NSF for the Future Act
Ahead of introducing the bill, the committee discussed its vision for the Office of Science with Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm at a hearing
“Given the major construction activities currently being carried out by the Office of Science to build and upgrade its various world-class facilities, this level of support may well result in a cut to major research accounts, or it could lead to inadequate funding to keep the office’s construction activities on schedule and minimize their costs,” Johnson said.
Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) emphasized the role that Office of Science facilities play in the U.S. innovation ecosystem, saying they enable researchers to “conduct big science that can’t be done in individual labs and requires massive equipment that industry cannot provide.”
Lucas also stressed the “deliberative” process the committee followed in developing its DOE and NSF bills, saying,
Rather than throwing money at these agencies or pitting them against each other for funding, we’re investing in the programs that work and creating new ones where needed. We’re giving the agencies the resources to sustainably scale up their work. The last thing we need is a massive, one-time injection of money that will dry up when attention turns away from America’s research needs.
The DOE Science for the Future Act recommends significant budget increases for each of the Office of Science’s six main programs, proposing that each receive a base 7% annual increase to their existing core activities. On top of this baseline budget growth, it proposes additional funding for construction projects and new programs. These funding profiles are in part designed to alleviate pressure
The bill’s funding targets for individual facility projects were developed in consultation with DOE. In some cases, the proposed funding profiles include additional money needed due to project delays stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the bill does not propose pandemic relief for researchers, which committee leaders have pressed for through separate research recovery legislation
All major facilities projects currently in the Office of Science’s construction pipeline are supported by the bill, including various light and neutron source user facility upgrades, the flagship LBNF/DUNE neutrino experiment and associated PIP-II accelerator upgrade, and the Electron-Ion Collider that will replace Brookhaven National Lab’s Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider.
In addition, the bill endorses the Materials in Extreme Conditions end station upgrade at SLAC National Accelerator Lab and the Material Plasma Exposure eXperiment project at Oak Ridge National Lab, which were top priorities identified by the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee’s recent long-range plan
Advanced computing and QIS. The bill would expand DOE’s efforts in quantum information science and high-performance computing. Building on the 2018 National Quantum Initiative Act, the bill incorporates provisions from the Quantum User Expansion for Science and Technology (QUEST) Act
High-intensity laser research. The bill directs DOE to establish a laser R&D initiative consistent with the recommendations of the 2017 National Academies report on high-intensity ultrafast lasers
Helium conservation. The bill directs DOE to establish a department-wide program “to reduce the consumption of helium for department grant recipients and facilities and encourage helium recycling and reuse.” The program would provide grants for purchase and repair of helium recycling equipment as well as for R&D on helium alternatives. The American Physical Society has advocated
Diversity and inclusion. The bill would instruct the Office of Science to expand its efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the STEM workforce, including by increasing support for NSF’s INCLUDES Network. It also directs the office to develop a ten-year plan for expanding its educational programs for underrepresented students and its outreach efforts to Minority Serving Institutions.