[House Report 115-787]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session 115-787
======================================================================
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY SCIENCE AND INNOVATION ACT OF 2018
_______
June 27, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the
State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 5905]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 5905) to authorize basic research
programs in the Department of Energy Office of Science for
fiscal years 2018 and 2019, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill
as amended do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Committee Statement and Views.................................... 15
Section-by-Section............................................... 28
Explanation of Amendments........................................ 30
Committee Consideration.......................................... 30
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 30
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 30
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 31
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 31
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 31
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 31
Unfunded Mandate Statement....................................... 31
Earmark Identification........................................... 31
Committee Estimate............................................... 31
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate... 32
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill as Reported............. 34
The amendment is as follows:
Strike all after the enacting clause and insert the
following:
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Department
of Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
Sec. 2. Definitions.
Sec. 3. Mission.
Sec. 4. Basic energy sciences.
Sec. 5. Advanced scientific computing research.
Sec. 6. High energy physics.
Sec. 7. Biological and environmental research.
Sec. 8. Fusion energy.
Sec. 9. Nuclear physics.
Sec. 10. Science laboratories infrastructure program.
Sec. 11. Authorization of appropriations.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the Department
of Energy.
(2) Director.--The term means the Director of the
Office of Science of the Department.
(3) National laboratory.--The term ``National Laboratory''
has the meaning given that term in section 2 of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).
(4) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of
Energy.
SEC. 3. MISSION.
Section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C.
7139) is amended by adding at the end the following:
``(c) Mission.--The mission of the Office of Science shall be the
delivery of scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major scientific
tools to transform the understanding of nature and to advance the
energy, economic, and national security of the United States.''.
SEC. 4. BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a program in basic energy
sciences, including materials sciences and engineering, chemical
sciences, physical biosciences, and geosciences, for the purpose of
providing the scientific foundations for new energy technologies.
(b) Mission.--The mission of the program described in subsection (a)
shall be to support fundamental research to understand, predict, and
ultimately control matter and energy at the electronic, atomic, and
molecular levels in order to provide the foundations for new energy
technologies and to support Department missions in energy, environment,
and national security.
(c) Basic Energy Sciences User Facilities.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a program for
the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of
national user facilities.
(2) Requirements.--To the maximum extent practicable, the
national user facilities developed, constructed, operated, or
maintained under paragraph (1) shall serve the needs of the
Department, industry, the academic community, and other
relevant entities to create and examine materials and chemical
processes for the purpose of improving the competitiveness of
the United States.
(3) Included facilities.--The national user facilities
developed, constructed, operated, or maintained under paragraph
(1) shall include--
(A) x-ray light sources;
(B) neutron sources;
(C) nanoscale science research centers; and
(D) such other facilities as the Director considers
appropriate, consistent with section 209 of the
Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7139).
(d) Basic Energy Sciences Research Infrastructure.--
(1) Advanced photon source upgrade.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for the
upgrade to the Advanced Photon Source described in the
publication approved by the Basic Energy Sciences
Advisory Committee on June 9, 2016, titled ``Report on
Facility Upgrades'', including the development of a
multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a high flux of
coherent x-rays within the hard x-ray energy region and
a suite of beamlines optimized for this source.
(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
(i) Flux.--The term ``flux'' means the rate
of flow of photons.
(ii) Hard x-ray.--The term ``hard x-ray''
means a photon with energy greater than 20
kiloelectron volts.
(C) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of
full operations of the upgrade under this paragraph
occurs before December 31, 2025.
(D) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 for Basic Energy
Sciences, there shall be made available to the
Secretary to carry out the upgrade under this
paragraph--
(i) $93,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(ii) $130,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(2) Spallation neutron source proton power upgrade.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a
proton power upgrade to the Spallation Neutron Source.
(B) Definition of proton power upgrade.--For the
purposes of this paragraph, the term ``proton power
upgrade'' means the Spallation Neutron Source power
upgrade described in--
(i) the publication of the Office of Science
of the Department of Energy titled ``Facilities
for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year
Outlook'', published December 2003;
(ii) the publication of the Office of Science
of the Department of Energy titled ``Four Years
Later: An Interim Report on Facilities for the
Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook'',
published August 2007; and
(iii) the publication approved by the Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on June 9,
2016, titled ``Report on Facility Upgrades''.
(C) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of
full operations of the upgrade under this paragraph
occurs before December 31, 2025.
(D) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 for Basic Energy
Sciences, there shall be made available to the
Secretary to carry out the upgrade under this
paragraph--
(i) $36,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(ii) $60,800,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(3) Spallation neutron source second target station.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a
second target station for the Spallation Neutron
Source.
(B) Definition of second target station.--For the
purposes of this paragraph, the term ``second target
station'' means the Spallation Neutron Source second
target station described in--
(i) the publication of the Office of Science
of the Department of Energy titled ``Facilities
for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year
Outlook'', published December 2003;
(ii) the publication of the Office of Science
of the Department of Energy titled ``Four Years
Later: An Interim Report on Facilities for the
Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook'',
published August 2007; and
(iii) the publication approved by the Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on June 9,
2016, titled ``Report on Facility Upgrades''.
(C) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of
full operations of the second target station under this
paragraph occurs before December 31, 2030, with the
option for early operation in 2028.
(D) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 for Basic Energy
Sciences, there shall be made available to the
Secretary to carry out activities, including
construction, under this paragraph--
(i) $5,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(ii) $10,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(4) Advanced light source upgrade.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for the
upgrade to the Advanced Light Source described in the
publication approved by the Basic Energy Sciences
Advisory Committee on June 9, 2016, titled ``Report on
Facility Upgrades'', including the development of a
multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a high flux of
coherent x-rays within the soft x-ray energy region.
(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
(i) Flux.--The term ``flux'' means the rate
of flow of photons.
(ii) Soft x-ray.--The term ``soft x-ray''
means a photon with energy in the range from 50
to 2,000 electron volts.
(C) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of
full operations of the upgrade under this paragraph
occurs before December 31, 2026.
(D) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 for Basic Energy
Sciences, there shall be made available to the
Secretary to carry out the upgrade under this
paragraph--
(i) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(ii) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(5) Linac coherent light source ii high energy upgrade.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for the
upgrade to the Linac Coherent Light Source II facility
described in the publication approved by the Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee on June 9, 2016,
titled ``Report on Facility Upgrades'', including the
development of experimental capabilities for high
energy x-rays to reveal fundamental scientific
discoveries. The Secretary shall ensure the upgrade
under this paragraph enables the production and use of
high energy, ultra-short pulse x-rays delivered at a
high repetition rate.
(B) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
(i) High energy x-ray.--The term a ``high
energy x-ray'' means a photon with an energy at
or exceeding 12 kiloelectron volts.
(ii) High repetition rate.--The term ``high
repetition rate'' means the delivery of x-ray
pulses up to one million pulses per second.
(iii) Ultra-short pulse x-rays.--The term
``ultra-short pulse x-rays'' means x-ray bursts
capable of durations of less than one hundred
femtoseconds.
(C) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the
maximum extent practicable, ensure that the start of
full operations of the upgrade under this paragraph
occurs before December 31, 2025.
(D) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 for Basic Energy
Sciences, there shall be made available to the
Secretary to carry out the upgrade under this
paragraph--
(i) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(ii) $55,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(e) Accelerator Research and Development.--The Director shall carry
out research and development on advanced accelerator and storage ring
technologies relevant to the development of Basic Energy Sciences user
facilities, in consultation with the Office of Science's High Energy
Physics and Nuclear Physics programs.
(f) Solar Fuels Research Initiative.--
(1) In general.--Section 973 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 16313) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 973. SOLAR FUELS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
``(a) Initiative.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a research
initiative, to be known as the `Solar Fuels Research
Initiative' (referred to in this section as the `Initiative')
to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge of
photochemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, and materials
science useful for the practical development of experimental
systems to convert solar energy to chemical energy.
``(2) Leveraging.--In carrying out programs and activities
under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise
and resources from--
``(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program and the
Biological and Environmental Research Program of the
Office of Science; and
``(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
``(3) Teams.--
``(A) In general.--In carrying out the Initiative,
the Secretary shall organize activities among
multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum
extent practicable, expertise from the National
Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the
private sector.
``(B) Goals.--The multidisciplinary teams described
in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-
driven, basic research goals.
``(C) Resources.--The Secretary shall provide
sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams
described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals
described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to
be determined by the Secretary.
``(4) Additional activities.--The Secretary may organize
additional activities under this subsection through Energy
Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other
organizational structures.
``(b) Artificial Photosynthesis.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under the
Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge
scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to,
artificial photosynthetic systems.
``(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
``(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy
Sciences shall support basic research to pursue
distinct lines of scientific inquiry, including--
``(i) photoinduced production of hydrogen and
oxygen from water; and
``(ii) the sustainable photoinduced reduction
of carbon dioxide to fuel products including
hydrocarbons, alcohols, carbon monoxide, and
natural gas; and
``(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy shall support translational
research, development, and validation of physical
concepts developed under the program.
``(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in paragraph
(1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
``(4) Funding.--
``(A) In general.--From within funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 of the Department of
Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Basic
Energy Sciences, the Secretary shall make available for
carrying out activities under this subsection
$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program
described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended
for commercial application of energy technology.
``(c) Biochemistry, Replication of Natural Photosynthesis, and
Related Processes.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under the
Initiative a program to support research needed to replicate
natural photosynthetic processes by use of artificial
photosynthetic components and materials.
``(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
``(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy
Sciences shall support basic research to expand
fundamental knowledge to replicate natural synthesis
processes, including--
``(i) the photoinduced reduction of
dinitrogen to ammonia;
``(ii) the absorption of carbon dioxide from
ambient air;
``(iii) molecular-based charge separation and
storage;
``(iv) photoinitiated electron transfer; and
``(v) catalysis in biological or biomimetic
systems;
``(B) the Associate Director of Biological and
Environmental Research shall support systems biology
and genomics approaches to understand genetic and
physiological pathways connected to photosynthetic
mechanisms; and
``(C) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy shall support translational
research, development, and validation of physical
concepts developed under the program.
``(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in paragraph
(1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
``(4) Funding.--
``(A) In general.--From within funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 of the Department of
Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Basic
Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental
Research, the Secretary shall make available for
carrying out activities under this subsection
$50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program
described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended
for commercial application of energy technology.''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--The table of contents for the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by striking the item
relating to section 973 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 973. Solar fuels research initiative.''.
(g) Electricity Storage Research Initiative.--
(1) In general.--Section 975 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 16315) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 975. ELECTRICITY STORAGE RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
``(a) Initiative.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a research
initiative, to be known as the `Electricity Storage Research
Initiative' (referred to in this section as the `Initiative')--
``(A) to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge
to control, store, and convert--
``(i) electrical energy to chemical energy;
and
``(ii) chemical energy to electrical energy;
and
``(B) to support scientific inquiry into the
practical understanding of chemical and physical
processes that occur within systems involving
crystalline and amorphous solids, polymers, and organic
and aqueous liquids.
``(2) Leveraging.--In carrying out programs and activities
under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise
and resources from--
``(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program, the Advanced
Scientific Computing Research Program, and the
Biological and Environmental Research Program of the
Office of Science; and
``(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy.
``(3) Teams.--
``(A) In general.--In carrying out the Initiative,
the Secretary shall organize activities among
multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum
extent practicable, expertise from the National
Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the
private sector.
``(B) Goals.--The multidisciplinary teams described
in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-
driven, basic research goals.
``(C) Resources.--The Secretary shall provide
sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams
described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals
described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to
be determined by the Secretary.
``(4) Additional activities.--The Secretary may organize
additional activities under this subsection through Energy
Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other
organizational structures.
``(b) Multivalent Systems.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under the
Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge
scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to,
multivalent ion materials in electric energy storage systems.
``(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
``(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy
Sciences shall investigate electrochemical properties
and the dynamics of materials, including charge
transfer phenomena and mass transport in materials; and
``(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy shall support translational
research, development, and validation of physical
concepts developed under the program.
``(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in paragraph
(1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
``(4) Funding.--
``(A) In general.--From within funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 of the Department of
Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Basic
Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental
Research, the Secretary shall make available for
carrying out activities under this subsection
$50,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 through
2019.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program
described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended
for commercial application of energy technology.
``(c) Electrochemistry Modeling and Simulation.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under the
Initiative a program to support research to model and simulate
organic electrolytes, including the static and dynamic
electrochemical behavior and phenomena of organic electrolytes
at the molecular and atomic level in monovalent and multivalent
systems.
``(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
``(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy
Sciences, in coordination with the Associate Director
of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, shall
support the development of high performance
computational tools through a joint development process
to maximize the effectiveness of current and projected
high performance computing systems; and
``(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy shall support translational
research, development, and validation of physical
concepts developed under the program.
``(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in paragraph
(1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
``(4) Funding.--
``(A) In general.--From within funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 of the Department of
Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Basic
Energy Sciences and Advanced Scientific Computing
Research, the Secretary shall make available for
carrying out activities under this subsection
$30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 2018 through
2019.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program
described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended
for commercial application of energy technology.
``(d) Mesoscale Electrochemistry.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under the
Initiative a program to support research needed to reveal
electrochemistry in confined mesoscale spaces, including
scientific discoveries relevant to--
``(A) bio-electrochemistry and electrochemical energy
conversion and storage in confined spaces; and
``(B) the dynamics of the phenomena described in
subparagraph (A).
``(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
``(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy
Sciences and the Associate Director of Biological and
Environmental Research shall investigate phenomena of
mesoscale electrochemical confinement for the purpose
of replicating and controlling new electrochemical
behavior; and
``(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy shall support translational
research, development, and validation of physical
concepts developed under the program.
``(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in paragraph
(1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
``(4) Funding.--
``(A) In general.--From within funds authorized to be
appropriated under section 11 of the Department of
Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Basic
Energy Sciences and Biological and Environmental
Research, the Secretary shall make available for
carrying out activities under this subsection
$20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the program
described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended
for commercial application of energy technology.''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--The table of contents for the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by striking the item
relating to section 975 and inserting the following:
``Sec. 975. Electricity storage research initiative.''.
(h) Energy Frontier Research Centers.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall carry out a program to
provide awards, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to
multi-institutional collaborations or other appropriate
entities to conduct fundamental and use-inspired energy
research to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.
(2) Collaborations.--A collaboration receiving an award under
this subsection may include multiple types of institutions and
private sector entities.
(3) Selection and duration.--
(A) In general.--A collaboration under this
subsection shall be selected for a period of 4 years.
(B) Existing centers.--An Energy Frontier Research
Center in existence and supported by the Director on
the date of enactment of this Act may continue to
receive support for a period of 4 years beginning on
the date of establishment of that center.
(C) Reapplication.--After the end of the period
described in subparagraph (A) or (B), as applicable, a
recipient of an award may reapply for selection on a
competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
(D) Termination.--Consistent with the existing
authorities of the Department, the Director may
terminate an underperforming center for cause during
the performance period.
(i) Materials Research Database.--
(1) In general.--As part of the program in materials sciences
and engineering, the Director shall support the development of
a web-based platform to provide access to a database of
computed information on known and predicted materials
properties and computational tools to accelerate breakthroughs
in materials discovery and design.
(2) In carrying out this section, the Director shall--
(A) conduct cooperative research with industry,
academia, and other research institutions to facilitate
the design of novel materials;
(B) leverage existing high performance computing
systems to conduct high-throughput calculations, and
develop computational and data mining algorithms for
the prediction of material properties;
(C) advance understanding, prediction, and
manipulation of materials;
(D) strengthen the foundation for new technologies
and advanced manufacturing; and
(E) drive the development of advanced materials for
applications that span the Department's missions in
energy, environment, and national security.
(3) In carrying out this section, the Director shall leverage
programs and activities across the Department.
SEC. 5. ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING RESEARCH.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a research, development,
and demonstration program to advance computational and networking
capabilities to analyze, model, simulate, and predict complex phenomena
relevant to the development of new energy technologies and the
competitiveness of the United States.
(b) American Super Computing Leadership.--
(1) Renaming of act.--
(A) In general.--Section 1 of the Department of
Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004
(15 U.S.C. 5501 note; Public Law 108-423) is amended by
striking ``Department of Energy High-End Computing
Revitalization Act of 2004'' and inserting ``American
Super Computing Leadership Act''.
(B) Conforming amendment.--Section 976(a)(1) of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16316(1)) is
amended by striking ``Department of Energy High-End
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004'' and inserting
``American Super Computing Leadership Act''.
(2) Definitions.--Section 2 of the American Super Computing
Leadership Act (15 U.S.C. 5541), as renamed by paragraph (1),
is amended--
(A) by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as
paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively;
(B) by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the
following:
``(1) Department.--The term `Department' means the Department
of Energy.
``(2) Exascale computing.--The term `exascale computing'
means computing through the use of a computing machine that
performs near or above 10 to the 18th power operations per
second.''; and
(C) in paragraph (6) (as redesignated by subparagraph
(A)), by striking ``, acting through the Director of
the Office of Science of the Department of Energy''.
(3) Department of energy high-end computing research and
development program.--Section 3 of the American Super Computing
Leadership Act (15 U.S.C. 5542), as renamed by paragraph (1),
is amended--
(A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking ``program'' and
inserting ``coordinated program across the
Department'';
(B) in subsection (b)(2), by striking ``, which may''
and all that follows through ``multithreading
architectures''; and
(C) by striking subsection (d) and inserting the
following:
``(d) Exascale Computing Program.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a research
program (referred to in this subsection as the `Program') for
exascale computing, including the development of two or more
exascale computing machine architectures, to promote the
missions of the Department.
``(2) Execution.--
``(A) In general.--In carrying out the Program, the
Secretary shall--
``(i) establish a National Laboratory
partnership for industry partners and
institutions of higher education for codesign
of exascale hardware, technology, software, and
applications across all applicable
organizations of the Department;
``(ii) acquire multiple exascale computing
systems at the existing Departmental facilities
that represent at least two distinct technology
options developed under clause (i);
``(iii) develop such advancements in hardware
and software technology as are required to
fully realize the potential of an exascale
production system in addressing Department
target applications and solving scientific
problems involving predictive modeling and
simulation, large scale data analytics and
management, and artificial intelligence;
``(iv) explore the use of exascale computing
technologies to advance a broad range of
science and engineering; and
``(v) provide, as appropriate, on a
competitive, merit-reviewed basis, access for
researchers in industries in the United States,
institutions of higher education, National
Laboratories, and other Federal agencies to the
exascale computing systems developed pursuant
to clause (i).
``(B) Selection of partners.--The Secretary shall
select the partnerships with the computing facilities
of the Department under subparagraph (A) through a
competitive, peer-review process.
``(3) Codesign and application development.--
``(A) In general.--The Secretary shall--
``(i) carry out the Program through an
integration of applications, computer science,
applied mathematics, and computer hardware
architecture using the partnerships established
pursuant to paragraph (2) to ensure that, to
the maximum extent practicable, two or more
exascale computing machine architectures are
capable of solving Department target
applications and broader scientific problems,
including predictive modeling and simulation,
large scale data analytics and management, and
artificial intelligence; and
``(ii) conduct outreach programs to increase
the readiness for the use of such platforms by
domestic industries, including manufacturers.
``(B) Report.--(i) The Secretary shall submit to
Congress a report describing how the integration under
subparagraph (A) is furthering application science data
and computational workloads across application
interests, including national security, material
science, physical science, cybersecurity, biological
science, the Materials Genome and BRAIN Initiatives of
the President, advanced manufacturing, and the national
electric grid.
``(ii) The roles and responsibilities of National
Laboratories and industry, including the definition of
the roles and responsibilities within the Department to
ensure an integrated program across the Department.
``(4) Project review.--
``(A) In general.--The exascale architectures
developed pursuant to partnerships established pursuant
to paragraph (2) shall be reviewed through a project
review process.
``(B) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report on--
``(i) the results of the review conducted
under subparagraph (A); and
``(ii) the coordination and management of the
Program to ensure an integrated research
program across the Department.
``(5) Annual reports.--At the time of the budget submission
of the Department for each fiscal year, the Secretary, in
consultation with the members of the partnerships established
pursuant to paragraph (2), shall submit to Congress a report
that describes funding for the Program as a whole by functional
element of the Department and critical milestones.''.
(c) High-performance Computing and Networking Research.--The Director
shall support research in high-performance computing and networking
relevant to energy applications, including modeling, simulation,
machine learning, and advanced data analytics for basic and applied
energy research programs carried out by the Secretary.
(d) Applied Mathematics and Software Development for High-end
Computing Systems, Computational, and Computer Sciences Research.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall carry out activities to
develop, test, and support--
(A) mathematics, models, statistics, and algorithms
for complex systems and programming environments; and
(B) tools, languages, and operations for high-end
computing systems (as defined in section 2 of the
American Super Computing Leadership Act (15 U.S.C.
5541), as renamed by this section).
(2) Portfolio balance.--The Director shall maintain a
balanced portfolio within the advanced scientific computing
research and development program established under section 976
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16316) that
supports robust investment in applied mathematical,
computational, and computer sciences research while
accommodating necessary investments in high-performance
computing hardware and facilities.
(e) Workforce Development.--The Director of the Office of Advanced
Scientific Computing Research shall support the development of a
computational science workforce through a program that--
(1) facilitates collaboration between university students and
researchers at the National Laboratories; and
(2) endeavors to advance science in areas relevant to the
mission of the Department through the application of
computational science.
SEC. 6. HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a research program on the
fundamental constituents of matter and energy and the nature of space
and time.
(b) Mission.--The mission of the program described in subsection (a)
shall be to support theoretical and experimental research in both
elementary particle physics and fundamental accelerator science and
technology to understand fundamental properties of the universe.
(c) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of the Congress that--
(1) the Director should incorporate the findings and
recommendations of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization
Panel's report entitled ``Building for Discovery: Strategic
Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the Global Context'', into
the Department's planning process as part of the program
described in subsection (a);
(2) the Director should prioritize domestically hosted
research projects that will maintain the United States position
as a global leader in particle physics and attract the world's
most talented physicists and foreign investment for
international collaboration; and
(3) the nations that lead in particle physics by hosting
international teams dedicated to a common scientific goal
attract the world's best talent and inspire future generations
of physicists and technologists.
(d) Neutrino Research.--As part of the program described in
subsection (a), the Director shall carry out research activities on
rare decay processes and the nature of the neutrino, which may include
collaborations with the National Science Foundation or international
collaborations.
(e) Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility for Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a Long-
Baseline Neutrino Facility to facilitate the international Deep
Underground Neutrino Experiment to enable a program in neutrino
physics to measure the fundamental properties of neutrinos,
explore physics beyond the Standard Model, and better clarify
the nature of matter and antimatter.
(2) Facility capabilities.--The Secretary shall ensure that
the facility described in paragraph (1) will provide, at a
minimum, the following capabilities:
(A) A broad-band neutrino beam capable of 1.2
megawatts (MW) of beam power and upgradable to 2.4 MW
of beam power.
(B) Four caverns excavated for a forty kiloton
fiducial detector mass and supporting surface buildings
and utilities.
(C) Neutrino detector facilities at both the Far Site
in South Dakota and the Near Site in Illinois to
categorize and study neutrinos on their 800-mile
journey between the two sites.
(D) Cryogenic systems to support neutrino detectors.
(3) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the maximum
extent practicable, ensure that the start of full operations of
the facility under this subsection occurs before December 31,
2026.
(4) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be appropriated
under section 11 for High Energy Physics, there shall be made
available to the Secretary to carry out activities, including
construction of the facility, under this subsection--
(A) $95,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(B) $175,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
(5) Dark energy and dark matter research.--As part of the
program described in paragraph (1), the Director shall carry
out research activities on the nature of dark energy and dark
matter, which may include collaborations with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration or the National Science
Foundation, or international collaborations.
(6) International collaboration.--The Director, as
practicable and in coordination with other appropriate Federal
agencies as necessary, shall ensure the access of United States
researchers to the most advanced accelerator facilities and
research capabilities in the world, including the Large Hadron
Collider.
SEC. 7. BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a program of basic
research in the areas of biological systems science and environmental
science relevant to the development of new energy technologies and to
support Department missions in energy, environment, and national
security.
(b) Biological Systems.--The Director shall carry out research and
development activities in fundamental, structural, computational, and
systems biology to increase systems-level understanding of the complex
biological systems, which may include activities--
(1) to accelerate breakthroughs and new knowledge that would
enable the cost-effective, sustainable production of--
(A) biomass-based liquid transportation fuels;
(B) bioenergy; and
(C) biobased materials;
(2) to improve understanding of the global carbon cycle,
including processes for removing carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere, through photosynthesis and other biological
processes, for sequestration and storage; and
(3) to understand the biological mechanisms used to
transform, immobilize, or remove contaminants from subsurface
environments.
(c) Bioenergy Research Centers.--
(1) In general.--In carrying out activities under subsection
(a), the Director shall select and establish up to 4 bioenergy
research centers to conduct basic and fundamental research in
plant and microbial systems biology, bio imaging and analysis,
and genomics to inform the production of fuels, chemicals from
sustainable biomass resources, and to facilitate the
translation of basic research results to industry.
(2) Selection.--The Director shall select centers under
paragraph (1) on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis. The
Director shall consider applications from National
Laboratories, multi-institutional collaborations, and other
appropriate entities.
(3) Duration.--A center established under this subsection
shall receive support for a period of not more than 5 years,
subject to the availability of appropriations.
(4) Existing centers.--The Director may select a center for
participation under this subsection that is in existence, or
undergoing a renewal process, on the date of enactment of this
Act. Such center shall be eligible to receive support for the
duration the 5-year period beginning on the date of
establishment of such center.
(5) Renewal.--Upon the expiration of any period of support of
a center under this subsection, the Director may renew support
for the center, on a merit-reviewed basis, for a period of not
more than 5 years.
(6) Termination.--Consistent with the existing authorities of
the Department, the Director may terminate an underperforming
center for cause during the performance period.
(d) Low Dose Radiation Research Program.--
(1) In general.--Subtitle G of title IX of the Energy Policy
Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16311 et seq.) is amended by inserting
after section 977 the following new section:
``SEC. 977A. LOW-DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a basic research
program on low-dose radiation to--
``(1) enhance the scientific understanding of, and reduce
uncertainties associated with, the effects of exposure to low-
dose radiation; and
``(2) inform improved risk-assessment and risk-management
methods with respect to such radiation.
``(b) Program Components.--In carrying out the program required under
subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
``(1) formulate scientific goals for low-dose radiation basic
research in the United States;
``(2) identify ongoing scientific challenges for
understanding the long-term effects of ionizing radiation on
biological systems;
``(3) develop a long-term strategic and prioritized basic
research agenda to address such scientific challenges in
coordination with other research efforts;
``(4) leverage the collective body of knowledge from existing
low-dose radiation research; and
``(5) engage with other Federal agencies, research
communities, and potential users of information produced under
this section, including institutions concerning radiation
research, medical physics, radiology, health physics, and
emergency response.
``(c) Coordination.--In carrying out the program, the Secretary, in
coordination with the Physical Science Subcommittee of the National
Science and Technology Council, shall--
``(1) support the directives under section 106 of the
American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C. 6601
note);
``(2) ensure that the Office of Science of the Department of
Energy consults with the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration, the National Institutes of Health, the
Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Defense, the
Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Homeland
Security;
``(3) advise and assist the National Science and Technology
Council on policies and initiatives in radiation biology,
including enhancing scientific knowledge of the effects of low-
dose radiation on biological systems to improve radiation risk-
assessment and risk-management methods; and
``(4) identify opportunities to stimulate international
cooperation relating to low-dose radiation and leverage
research and knowledge from sources outside of the United
States.
``(d) Research Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the Committee on
Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate a 4-year
research plan that identifies and prioritizes basic research needs
relating to low-dose radiation. In developing such plan, the Secretary
shall incorporate the components described in subsection (b).
``(e) Definition of Low-dose Radiation.--In this section, the term
`low-dose radiation' means a radiation dose of less than 100
millisieverts.
``(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to subject any research carried out by the Secretary for the
program under this section to any limitations described in 977(e) of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16317(e)).
``(g) Funding.--From within funds authorized to be appropriated under
section 11 of the Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of
2018, for Biological and Environmental Research, the Secretary make
available to carry out this section--
``(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
``(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.''.
(2) Conforming amendment.--The table of contents for subtitle
G of title IX of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by
inserting after the item relating to section 977 the following:
``977A. Low-dose radiation research program.''.
(e) Modeling Research.--As part of the activities described in
subsection (a), the Director is authorized to carry out research to
develop multiscale computational models that incorporate and examine
interactions among human and earth systems.
(f) Limitation for Research Funds.--The Director shall not approve
new climate science-related initiatives without making a determination
that such work is well-coordinated with any relevant work carried out
by other Federal agencies.
SEC. 8. FUSION ENERGY.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a fusion energy sciences
research program to expand the understanding of plasmas and matter at
very high temperatures and densities and build the science and
engineering foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source.
(b) Inertial Fusion Energy Research and Development Program.--The
Secretary shall carry out a program of research and technology
development in inertial fusion for energy applications, including ion
beam, laser, and pulsed power fusion systems.
(c) Tokamak Research and Development.--
(1) In general.--The Director shall support research and
development activities and facility operations to optimize the
tokamak approach to fusion energy.
(2) International thermonuclear experimental reactor
construction.--Section 972 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42
U.S.C. 16312) is amended by adding at the end the following new
paragraph:
``(7) ITER construction.--
``(A) In general.--There is authorized United States
participation in the construction and operations of the
ITER project, as agreed to under the April 25, 2007
`Agreement on the Establishment of the ITER
International Fusion Energy Organization for the Joint
Implementation of the ITER Project.'.
``(B) Facility requirements.--The Secretary shall
ensure that the mission-oriented user facility will
enable the study of a burning plasma, and shall be
built to have the following characteristics in its full
configuration:
``(i) A tokamak device with a plasma radius
of 6.2 meters and a magnetic field of 5.3 T.
``(ii) Capable of creating and sustaining a
15-million-Ampere plasma current for greater
than 300 seconds.
``(C) Authorization of appropriations.--From within
funds authorized to be appropriated under section 11 of
the Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of
2018, for Fusion Energy Sciences, there is authorized
for in-kind contributions under this paragraph--
``(i) $122,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
``(ii) $163,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
``(D) Authorization of appropriations.--From within
funds authorized to be appropriated under section 11 of
the Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of
2018, for Fusion Energy Sciences, there is authorized
for cash contributions under this paragraph--
``(i) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
``(ii) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.''.
(d) Alternative and Enabling Concepts.--
(1) In general.--As part of the program described in
subsection (a), the Director shall support research and
development activities and facility operations at United States
universities, national laboratories, and private facilities for
a portfolio of alternative and enabling fusion energy concepts
that may provide solutions to significant challenges to the
establishment of a commercial magnetic fusion power plant,
prioritized based on the ability of the United States to play a
leadership role in the international fusion research community.
Fusion energy concepts and activities explored under this
paragraph may include--
(A) high magnetic field approaches facilitated by
high temperature superconductors;
(B) advanced stellarator concepts;
(C) non-tokamak confinement configurations operating
at low magnetic fields;
(D) magnetized target fusion energy concepts;
(E) liquid metals to address issues associated with
fusion plasma interactions with the inner wall of the
encasing device;
(F) immersion blankets for heat management and fuel
breeding;
(G) advanced scientific computing activities; and
(H) other promising fusion energy concepts identified
by the Director.
(2) Coordination with arpa-e.--The Under Secretary and the
Director shall coordinate with the Director of the Advanced
Research Projects Agency-Energy (in this paragraph referred to
as ``ARPA-E'') to--
(A) assess the potential for any fusion energy
project supported by ARPA-E to represent a promising
approach to a commercially viable fusion power plant;
(B) determine whether the results of any fusion
energy project supported by ARPA-E merit the support of
follow-on research activities carried out by the Office
of Science; and
(C) avoid unintentional duplication of activities.
(e) Fairness in Competition for Solicitations for International
Project Activities.--Section 33 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42
U.S.C. 2053) is amended by inserting before the first sentence the
following: ``In this section, with respect to international research
projects, the term `private facilities or laboratories' means
facilities or laboratories located in the United States.''.
(f) Identification of Priorities.--
(1) Report.--
(A) In general.--Not later than 2 years after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a report on the fusion energy
research and development activities that the Department
proposes to carry out over the 10-year period following
the date of the report under not fewer than 3 realistic
budget scenarios, including a scenario based on 3-
percent annual growth in the non-ITER portion of the
budget for fusion energy research and development
activities.
(B) Inclusions.--The report required under
subparagraph (A) shall--
(i) identify specific areas of fusion energy
research and enabling technology development,
including activities to advance inertial and
alternative fusion energy concepts, in which
the United States can and should establish or
solidify a lead in the global fusion energy
development effort;
(ii) identify priorities for initiation of
facility construction and facility
decommissioning under each of the three budget
scenarios described in subparagraph (A); and
(iii) assess the ability of the fusion
workforce of the United States to carry out the
activities identified under clauses (i) and
(ii), including the adequacy of programs at
institutions of higher education in the United
States to train the leaders and workers of the
next generation of fusion energy researchers.
(2) Process.--In order to develop the report required under
paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall leverage best practices
and lessons learned from the process used to develop the most
recent report of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization
Panel of the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel.
(3) Requirement.--No member of the Fusion Energy Sciences
Advisory Committee shall be excluded from participating in
developing or voting on final approval of the report required
under paragraph (1)(A).
SEC. 9. NUCLEAR PHYSICS.
(a) Program.--The Director shall carry out a program of experimental
and theoretical research, and support associated facilities, to
discover, explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter.
(b) Isotope Development and Production for Research Applications.--
The Director--
(1) may carry out a program for the production of isotopes,
including the development of techniques to produce isotopes,
that the Secretary determines are needed for research, medical,
industrial, or related purposes; and
(2) shall ensure that isotope production activities carried
out under the program under this paragraph do not compete with
private industry unless the Director determines that critical
national interests require the involvement of the Federal
Government.
(c) Renaming of the Rare Isotope Accelerator.--Section 981 of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16321) is amended--
(1) in the section heading, by striking ``rare isotope
accelerator'' and inserting ``facility for rare isotope
beams''; and
(2) by striking ``Rare Isotope Accelerator'' each place it
appears and inserting ``Facility for Rare Isotope Beams''.
(d) Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall provide for a Facility
for Rare Isotope Beams to advance the understanding of rare
nuclear isotopes and the evolution of the cosmos.
(2) Facility capability.--In carrying out paragraph (1), the
Secretary shall provide for, at a minimum, a rare isotope beam
facility capable of 400 kW of beam power.
(3) Start of operations.--The Secretary shall, to the maximum
extent practicable, ensure that the start of full operations of
the facility under this subsection occurs before June 30, 2022,
with early operation in 2018.
(4) Funding.--Out of funds authorized to be appropriated
under section 11 for Nuclear Physics, there shall be made
available to the Secretary to carry out activities, including
construction of the facility, under this subsection--
(A) $101,200,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(B) $86,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
SEC. 10. SCIENCE LABORATORIES INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Director shall carry out a program to improve
the safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of infrastructure at
Office of Science laboratories. The program shall include projects to--
(1) renovate or replace space that does not meet research
needs;
(2) replace facilities that are no longer cost effective to
renovate or operate;
(3) modernize utility systems to prevent failures and ensure
efficiency;
(4) remove excess facilities to allow safe and efficient
operations; and
(5) construct modern facilities to conduct advanced research
in controlled environmental conditions.
(b) Approach.--In carrying out this section, the Director shall
utilize all available approaches and mechanisms, including capital line
items, minor construction projects, energy savings performance
contracts, utility energy service contracts, alternative financing, and
expense funding, as appropriate.
SEC. 11. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
(a) Fiscal Year 2018.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary for the Office of Science for fiscal year 2018
$6,259,903,000, of which--
(1) $2,090,000,000 shall be for Basic Energy Science;
(2) $908,000,000 shall be for High Energy Physics;
(3) $673,000,000 shall be for Biological and Environmental
Research;
(4) $684,000,000 shall be for Nuclear Physics;
(5) $810,000,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific Computing
Research;
(6) $532,111,000 shall be for Fusion Energy Sciences;
(7) $257,292,000 shall be for Science Laboratories
Infrastructure;
(8) $183,000,000 shall be for Science Program Direction;
(9) $103,000,000 shall be for Safeguards and Security; and
(10) $19,500,000 shall be for Workforce Development for
Teachers and Scientists.
(b) Fiscal Year 2019.--There are authorized to be appropriated to the
Secretary for the Office of Science for fiscal year 2019
$6,600,000,000, of which--
(1) $2,129,233,000 shall be for Basic Energy Science;
(2) $1,004,510,000 shall be for High Energy Physics;
(3) $673,000,000 shall be for Biological and Environmental
Research;
(4) $690,000,000 shall be for Nuclear Physics;
(5) $899,010,000 shall be for Advanced Scientific Computing
Research;
(6) $640,000,000 shall be for Fusion Energy Sciences;
(7) $257,292,000 shall be for Science Laboratories
Infrastructure;
(8) $181,345,000 shall be for Science Program Direction;
(9) $106,110,000 shall be for Safeguards and Security; and
(10) $19,500,000 shall be for Workforce Development for
Teachers and Scientists.
Committee Statement and Views
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The purpose of H.R. 5905, the ``Department of Energy
Science and Innovation Act of 2018,'' is to provide for
technological innovation through the prioritization of Federal
investment in basic research and fundamental scientific
discovery, and to make reforms to Federal science policy at the
Department of Energy to ensure future United States economic
competitiveness and security.
This bill authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE)'s
Office of Science for fiscal years (FY) 2018 and 2019,
including fundamental research in basic energy sciences (BES),
advanced scientific computing research (ASCR), high energy
physics (HEP), biological and environmental research (BER),
fusion energy science (FES), and nuclear physics (NP). It also
specifically authorizes basic research programs in solar fuels,
electricity storage, exascale computing, bioenergy research,
materials research, and low dose radiation.
This legislation also authorizes upgrades to and
construction of seven major DOE user facilities and provides
funds to secure U.S. participation in a critical international
fusion research project.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
Federal policies that focus on scientific and technological
advancement have been a recurring subject of congressional
attention since the founding of the United States. Among the
major post-World War II legislation in this area are the Atomic
Energy Act of 1954 (P.L. 83-703), the Department of Energy
Organization Act of 1977 (P.L. 95-91), the Energy Policy Act of
1992 (P.L. 102-486), the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-
58), and the America Creating Opportunities to Meaningfully
Promote Excellence in Technology, Education, and Science
(COMPETES) Act (P.L. 110-69).
In 2010, Congress passed and the President signed into law,
the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 (P.L. 111-
358). This authorization included limited provisions directing
programs within the Department of Energy, including the DOE
Office of Science, and expired at the end of 2014.
H.R. 5905 authorizes all Office of Science basic research
programs, and if enacted, would be the first comprehensive DOE
basic research authorization in law. This legislation also
authorizes specific basic research in exascale computing,
chemistry and materials science relevant to advanced
electricity storage systems, chemistry and materials science
relevant to experimental solar fuels systems, and low dose
radiation research.
The Office of Science within the Department of Energy (DOE)
is the largest federal sponsor of basic research in the
physical sciences. It conducts research in high performance
computing, basic energy sciences, biological and environmental
research, high energy physics, fusion energy, and nuclear
physics.
DOE also operates world-class, open-access user facilities
around the country at the DOE national laboratories. These
facilities include the supercomputers, x-ray light sources,
photon sources, and neutron sources necessary to conduct
ground-breaking basic research, and host approximately 30,000
researchers annually from around the world.
The Committee recognizes that these best-in-the-world
science facilities uniquely enable research conducted through
the DOE Office of Science and other federal sponsors of basic
research, and facilitate revolutionary discoveries about the
atomic structure, properties, and dynamics of materials. Future
transformative breakthroughs in innovative energy technologies
will likely arise from a strong foundation in basic research,
particularly in the study of and development of unique
materials, for which the facilities authorized in this bill
provide critical capabilities. For this reason, this
legislation specifically authorizes funding to provide for
upgrades and construction for these critical science research
facilities.
Research infrastructure
This legislation relies on the assessments of the
Department and the scientific community, primarily through the
long-range planning function of the DOE Office of Science Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC), the Nuclear Science
Advisory Committee (NSAC), and the High Energy Physics Advisory
Panel (HEPAP). These advisory committees, chartered under the
Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and comprised of
representatives from universities, national laboratories, and
industries involved in relevant areas of research, provide
official technical advice to the Department and other federal
agencies on the national program priorities for basic energy
sciences, nuclear science research, and high-energy physics
research.
Based on the recommendations provided in the most recent
reports issued from each advisory committee, H.R. 5905
authorizes the completion of upgrades and construction of
scientific user facilities necessary to undertake the next
generation of transformative research in these areas. Under
this legislation, the Secretary of Energy is authorized to
provide for an upgrade to the Advanced Light Source (ALS) at
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) and a high energy
upgrade to the Linac Coherent Light Source II (LCLS-II) at
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center National Laboratory (SLAC),
an upgrade to the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne
National Laboratory in IL, as well as a Proton Power Upgrade
(PPU) and the construction of a Second Target Station (STS) for
the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL) under the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program
within the DOE Office of Science.
The Secretary is also authorized to complete the
construction of Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB), located
at Michigan State University, funded through the Office of
Nuclear Physics (NP), and to construct the Long-Baseline
Neutrino Facility (LBNF) underground sites at Fermi National
Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, IL, and the
Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD, in
order to complete the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment
(DUNE) funded by the High Energy Physics (HEP) program within
the DOE Office of Science.
The ALS is a specialized particle accelerator that
generates bright beams of x-ray light for scientific research.
Electron bunches travel at nearly the speed of light in a
circular path, emitting ultraviolet and x-ray light in the
process. The light is directed through about 40 beamlines to
numerous experimental end-stations, where scientists conduct
research in a wide variety of fields, including materials
science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental
sciences. The ALS-U will employ new technology to produce
highly focused beams of soft x-ray light that are up to 1000
times brighter than current capability. Soft x-rays, like those
produced at the ALS, are optimal for probing the electronic
structure of chemicals and materials.
LCLS-II is the world's first hard x-ray free-electron
laser. Scientists use its strobe-like pulses to take crisp
pictures of atomic motions, watch chemical reactions unfold,
probe the properties of materials and explore fundamental
processes in living things. The LCLS-II high energy upgrade
(LCLS-II-HE) will build on the success of LCLS-II to ensure
that the U.S. maintains a world-leading capability for advanced
research in chemistry, materials, biology and energy. LCLS-II-
HE will provide a major jump in capability--moving from 120
pulses per second to 1 million pulses per second, and will
enable researchers to perform experiments in a wide range of
fields that are now impossible.
The APS is one of the most advanced synchrotron radiation
research facilities in the world. The APS produces ultra-
bright, high-energy, storage ring-generated x-ray beams which
enable scientists to study the structure and behavior of
physical and biological materials. This research enables
innovation in many fields, including materials synthesis and
pharmaceutical development. The APS-U will increase the
brightness of the APS hard x-ray beams, which allows more x-
rays to be focused onto a smaller area and provides more
detailed data for researchers in less time. Hard x-rays, like
those produced at the APS, are optimal for determining the
atomic structure of materials and penetrating into condensed
phase media.
The SNS is a one-of-a-kind neutron scattering research
facility that provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in
the world for scientific research and industrial development.
This source of brighter and more intense neutrons enables
unprecedented research opportunities, allowing scientists to
make sensitive measurements in complex sample environments,
with higher resolution and speed than any existing neutron
facility.
The SNS-PPU will update the SNS accelerator complex,
doubling the power of its proton beam and greatly increasing
the flux (the neutron density (n) multiplied by neutron
velocity (v)) on SNS's existing First Target Station neutron
beamlines. This will correspondingly increase the capacity and
capability of these neutron beamlines to power important
experiments and analyses.
The SNS-PPU will also provide power for the SNS-STS. In
order to maintain its leadership in the field of neutron
science, the SNS requires a second target station to provide
opportunity to a growing research community. The STS will
double the number of beamlines at SNS, significantly expanding
the number of instrument stations and opportunities for
cutting-edge neutron scattering research at this facility.
Combined, the PPU and the STS will allow SNS to reach its full
potential and provide for world-leading neutron science here in
the U.S.
The Department's longstanding support and prioritization of
the ALS upgrade, the high energy upgrade to LCLS-II, the APS
upgrade, and the two upgrades to the SNS is documented in a
publication of the Office of Science titled, ``Facilities for
the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook,'' published
November 2003, and its publication of ``Four Years Later: An
Interim Report on Facilities for the Future of Science: A
Twenty-Year Outlook,'' published August 2007. In June 2016, the
BESAC released a report titled, ``Report on Facility
Upgrades,'' which identified the ALS-U, the LCLS-II-HE, the
APS-U, SNS-PPU, and SNS-STS as the five priority upgrade
projects within BES. In this report, the BESAC determined that
these facilities are absolutely central to U.S. contributions
to world leading science.
DOE nuclear physics research programs support the
experimental and theoretical research needed to discover,
explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter. Within the
area of low energy nuclear physics research, FRIB will advance
the understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of
the cosmos. FRIB, which is currently under construction, is a
one-of-a-kind, linear accelerator user facility that will use
fast, stopped, and reaccelerated rare isotope beams to allow
researchers to study a variety of rare isotopes and their
properties.
FRIB will expand the foundational understanding of nuclear
structure, the atomic interactions of nuclear species, and the
origin of elements, and will enable critical nuclear science
research across a wide breadth of fields, ranging from medicine
to astrophysics.
The Department's longstanding support of the construction
of a rare isotope accelerator is documented in a publication of
NSAC titled, ``Opportunities in Nuclear Science, A Long-Range
Plan for the Next Decade,'' published April 2002. In December
2007, NSAC recommended the construction of FRIB in its
publication of ``The Frontiers of Nuclear Science, A Long Range
Plan,'' and in October 2015, NSAC listed the completion of FRIB
construction as one of the committee's highest priorities in
its publication titled, ``Reaching for the Horizon: The 2015
Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science.''
The HEP program is tasked with conducting the theoretical
and experimental particle physics and accelerator science and
technology in order to discover the most elementary
constituents of matter and energy, the basic nature of space
and time, and interactions between the two. The LBNF project is
a critical component of these long-term research goals.
The LBNF is an internationally coordinated project,
designed to build the world's highest intensity neutrino beam
and a suite of cryogenic near detectors at Fermilab. This
facility will be used to run the Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment (DUNE), which will measure the neutrino beamline
generated at LBNF on cutting-edge, far detectors located 800
miles away at the SURF in South Dakota.
Longstanding support for construction of this world-leading
neutrino facility is documented in the HEPAP report titled,
``US Particle Physics: Scientific Opportunities, A Strategic
Plan for the Next Ten Years, Report of the Particle Physics
Project Prioritization Panel,'' published May 2008, and in its
publication titled, ``Major High Energy Physics Facilities
2014-2024, Input to the prioritization of proposed scientific
user facilities for the Office of Science,'' published March
2013. In May 2014, HEPAP named the execution of the LBNF at
Fermilab as ``the highest priority large project in its
timeframe,'' in its publication titled, ``Building for
Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the
Global Context, Report of the Particle Physics Prioritization
Panel.''
Basic research priorities
H.R. 5905 also identifies and authorizes critical basic
research initiatives throughout the Office of Science. This
includes programs in electricity storage, solar fuels,
materials science, high performance computing, low dose
radiation research, and fusion energy.
Within the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program, H.R. 5905
authorizes basic research in chemistry and materials science
relevant to advanced electricity storage systems and
experimental solar fuels systems. It directs DOE to organize
its efforts to advance scientific knowledge relevant to
advanced electricity storage concepts under the new Electricity
Storage Basic Research Initiative, and to advance artificial
photosynthesis, photosynthesis replication, and related
processes to produce chemical energy, under the new Solar Fuels
Basic Research Initiative.
Another key area of basic research authorized in this
legislation is high performance computing, authorized within
the Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program. High
performance computation maintains U.S. competitiveness in the
global market for scientific research and development. The next
generation of high performance computing facilities, also known
as exascale computing systems, will require new developments in
hardware and software. The capabilities provided by exascale
systems will be significantly more advanced than current
capabilities and serve as a mechanism to greatly enhance
scientific research and will also support DOE's nuclear weapons
stockpile stewardship mission.
Accordingly, this legislation provides the Department with
statutory authority to build and operate first-of-a-kind
exascale computing systems incorporating increased resiliency
features and optimized power requirements.
This legislation also authorizes a specific program in low
dose radiation research within the Biological and Environmental
Research (BER) program.
There is wide consensus among the radiobiology community
that more research is necessary for physicians and related
experts to make better informed decisions regarding the health
risks associated with low doses of ionizing radiation. This
consensus is referenced in the June 2005 publication of The
National Academies Press titled, ``Health Risks From Exposure
to Low Levels of Ionizing Radiation: BEIR VII Phase 2,'' and in
the 2012 publication of the National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurements titled, ``Report No. 171--
Uncertainties in the Estimation of Radiation Risks and
Probability of Disease Causation'', and in a September 2017
publication of the Government Accountability Office (GAO)
titled, ``Low Dose Radiation: Interagency Collaboration on
Planning Research Could Improve Information on Health
Effects,'' which recommends that DOE lead the development of a
mechanism for interagency collaboration on research of the
health effects linked to low dose radiation exposures. Based on
the recommendations provided in the GAO publication, as well as
consistent feedback provided to this Committee by researchers
and stakeholders in the radiation biology and medical
communities, H.R. 5905 reinstates the Department's historical
leadership in this field and authorizes DOE to re-start the
low-dose radiation basic research program.
Within the Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program, H.R. 5905
authorizes both tokamak fusion research and inertial fusion
research. Specifically, this legislation asserts Congressional
support for the International Thermonuclear Experimental
Reactor (ITER) Project. Considered the leading research
initiative in fusion science, the goal of ITER project is to
design, build, and operate the world's first net-energy
producing fusion device. The ITER project is a critical step on
the path to achieving commercial fusion energy, a
transformative clean energy technology for the next generation.
Appropriately, this legislation prioritizes the Department's
contribution to this critical field of basic research.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
During the 114th and 115th Congresses, the House Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology held 16 hearings relevant to
the activities authorized in this bill.
On January 7, 2015, H.R. 35, the Low-Dose Radiation
Research Act of 2015, passed the House under suspension of the
rules.
On January 28, 2015, the Subcommittee on Energy held a
hearing entitled, ``Super Computing and American Technology
Leadership.'' The purpose of this hearing was to assess the
Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR) program within
the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Science as a
mechanism to support technological advancement in the United
States. This hearing examined DOE high performance computing
(HPC) facilities' unique ability to accelerate innovation and
inform the Committee regarding the applications and benefits
from sustained investment in the ASCR program. Witnesses
included Mr. Norman Augustine, Board Member, Bipartisan Policy
Center; Dr. Roscoe Giles, Chairman, DOE Advanced Scientific
Computing Advisory Committee; Mr. David Turek, Vice President,
Technical Computing, IBM; and Dr. James Crowley, Executive
Director, Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics.
On February 25, 2015, the Full Committee held a hearing
entitled, ``An Overview of the Budget Proposal for the
Department of Energy for Fiscal Year 2016.'' The purpose of
this hearing was to examine the Department of Energy's science
and technology priorities and their impact on the allocation of
funding within the Department's research, development,
demonstration, and commercialization activities. The witness
was The Honorable Ernest Moniz, Secretary, U.S. Department of
Energy.
On April 15, 2015, H.R. 1806 was introduced by
Representative Lamar Smith, with Mr. Lucas, Mrs. Comstock, Mr.
Weber of Texas, Mr. Moolenaar, Mr. Palazzo, Mr. Hultgren, Mr.
Knight, Mr. Babin, and Mr. Loudermilk.
On May 1, 2015, the Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing
titled ``Innovations in Battery Storage for Renewable Energy,''
which explored the state of large-scale battery storage and key
technology breakthroughs achieved through research and
development at the national labs and the Department of Energy,
and how innovative energy storage companies use basic science
research to develop and move breakthrough battery storage
technology to the energy market.
On May 20, 2015, H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES
Reauthorization Act of 2015, passed the House.
On June 17, 2015, the Energy Subcommittee of the Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing titled
``Department of Energy Oversight: Energy Innovation Hubs,''
which scrutinized the effectiveness of the DOE's model for
energy innovation by leveraging expertise from the DOE
laboratories, universities, and the private sector.
On November 18, 2015, the Energy Subcommittee held a
hearing titled, ``Recommendations of the Commission to Review
the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories.''
Witnesses were: Mr. TJ Glauthier, Co-Chair, Commission to
Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories;
Dr. Jared L. Cohon, Co-Chair, Commission to Review the
Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories; Dr. Peter,
Littlewood, Director, Argonne National Laboratory.
On March 22, 2016, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``An Overview of the Budget Proposal for the Department of
Energy for Fiscal Year 2017.'' The witness was The Honorable
Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
On June 15, 2016, the Energy Subcommittee of the Committee
on Science, Space, and Technology held a hearing titled,
``Innovation in Solar Fuels, Electricity Storage, and Advanced
Materials,'' which explored opportunities in basic and early
stage research and development for experimental solar fuels
systems.
On September 21, 2016, the Oversight Subcommittee and the
Energy Subcommittee held a joint hearing titled, ``Examining
Misconduct and Intimidation of Scientists by Senior DOE
Officials.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Sharlene Weatherwax, Associate
Director, Biological and Environmental Research, U.S.
Department of Energy; Dr. Noelle Metting, Radiation Biologist,
U.S. Department of Energy.
On January 6, 2017, S. 3084, the American Innovation and
Competitiveness Act, which includes authority for DOE to
formulate scientific goals for future low-dose radiation
research and to ensure coordination between Federal agencies
for research in radiation biology, was signed into law (P.L.
114-329).
On January 24, 2017, H.R. 589, the Department of Energy
Research and Innovation Act, which includes policy directives
for the DOE Office of Science, passed the House without
amendment.
On June 28, 2017, the Energy Subcommittee and the Research
and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing titled, ``Material
Science: Building the Future.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Matthew
Tirrell, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Chief
Research Officer, Argonne National Laboratory; Dr. Laurie
Locascio, Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs and
Director, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute
of Standards and Technology; Dr. Adam Schwartz, Director, Ames
Laboratory; Dr. Fred Higgs, John and Ann Doerr Professor of
Mechanical Engineering, Rice University.
On July 19, 2017, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``Energy Innovation: Letting Technology Lead.'' Witnesses were:
Dr. Jacob DeWitte, President and CEO, Oklo; Dr. Gaurav N. Sant,
Associate Professor and Henry Samueli Fellow, Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los
Angeles; Dr. Venky Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Research
Professor of Technology and Public Policy, John A. Paulson
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University;
Mr. Kiran Kumaraswamy, Market Development Director, AES Energy
Storage.
On November 1, 2017, the Energy Subcommittee held a hearing
titled, ``The Future of Low Dose Radiation Research.''
Witnesses were: Mr. John Neumann, Director of Science and
Technology Issues, Government Accountability Office; Dr. Gayle
Woloschak, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Radiology,
Northwestern University; Dr. James Brink, Professor of
Radiology, Harvard Medical School, Radiologist-in-Chief,
Massachusetts General Hospital.
On November 13, 2017, Energy Subcommittee Vice Chair
Stephen Knight introduced H.R. 4376, the Department of Energy
Research Infrastructure Act of 2018, and Rep. Randy Hultgren
introduced H.R. 4377, the Accelerating American Innovation in
Science Act of 2018, which were referred solely to the
Committee.
On November 15, 2017, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology approved and ordered reported H.R. 4376 and H.R.
4377 by voice vote.
On December 3, 2017, Rep. Roger Marshall introduced H.R.
4675, the Low Dose Radiation Research Act of 2018 which was
referred solely to the Committee.
On January 30, 2018, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``Department of Energy: Management and Priorities.'' Witnesses
were the Honorable Paul Dabbar, Under Secretary for Science,
U.S. Department of Energy, and the Honorable Mark Menezes,
Under Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
On February 13, 2018, H.R. 4376, H.R. 4377, and H.R. 4675
passed the House under suspension of the rules.
On March 6, 2018, the Energy Subcommittee held a hearing
titled, ``The Future of U.S. Fusion Energy Research.''
Witnesses were Dr. Bernard Bigot, Director General of the ITER
Organization, Dr. James Van Dam, Acting Associate Director of
Fusion Energy Sciences, Department of Energy Office of Science,
Dr. Mickey Wade, the Director of Advanced Fusion Systems,
Magnetic Fusion Energy Division at General Atomics, and Dr.
Mark Herrmann, the Director of the National Ignition Facility
at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
On March 13, 2018, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``National Laboratories: World-Leading Innovation in Science.''
Witnesses were Dr. Mark Peters, the Director of Idaho National
Laboratory, Dr. Susan Seestrom, the Advanced Science and
Technology Associate Laboratory Director and Chief Research
Officer at Sandia National Laboratory, Dr. Mary E. Maxon, the
Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences at Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, Dr. Chi-Chang Kao, the Director
of Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, National Accelerator
Laboratory, and Dr. Paul Kearns, the Director of Argonne
National Laboratory.
On May 9, 2018, the Committee held a hearing titled, ``An
Overview of the Budget Proposal for the Department of Energy
for Fiscal Year 2019.'' The witness was The Honorable Rick
Perry, Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy.
COMMITTEE VIEWS
Basic Energy Sciences
The Committee recognizes the importance of the Basic Energy
Sciences (BES) mission to support basic research in materials
science, chemical science, and physical bioscience and
geoscience to provide the scientific foundations for future
energy technologies.
H.R. 5905 reauthorizes the Energy Frontier Research Centers
(EFRCs), which will continue to support Office of Science's
basic research mission by convening talented groups of
researchers to confront fundamental challenges for potentially
transformative energy technologies. The Committee acknowledges
the contributions of the following reports: the BESAC ``Grand
Challenges'' report, the BESAC ``From Quanta to the Continuum:
Opportunities for Mesoscale Science'' report, and the ``Basic
Energy Sciences Basic Research Needs'' workshop report.
The Committee finds that the Department should prioritize
key areas of basic research, including research in fundamental
science that could support the development of new technologies
in electricity storage and solar fuels. The Committee
encourages DOE to consider new mechanisms to efficiently make
accessible the milestone driven research that will result from
initiatives in these areas in order to most effectively engage
with the research community.
The Committee also recognizes the importance of the BES
contribution to the high performance computing research through
its Computational Materials Sciences activities. The Committee
encourages the DOE to coordinate research efforts between BES
and the Exascale Computing Initiative, in order to accelerate
the development of advanced computing architectures in the
United States. The Committee supports the integration of BES
materials science disciplines with advanced computing
initiatives, including research that incorporates machine
learning to expedite the processing and application of
experimental materials data.
The Committee urges the BES program to aggressively pursue
a strategy to maintain and expand upon its world-class, open-
access user facilities, including x-ray light sources, neutron
sources, and nanoscale science research centers. The Committee
recognizes that these facilities uniquely enable research to
provide useful information and revolutionary discovery about
the atomic structure and dynamics in materials.
H.R. 5905 prioritizes BES funding and supports the upgrade
to the ALS, the LCLS-II-HE, the APS upgrade, the SNS-PPU, and
the SNS-STS.
Advanced Light Source upgrade
H.R. 5905 authorizes the upgrade to the ALS described in
the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9, 2016, titled,
``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' This includes the development
of a multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a high flux of
coherent x-rays within the soft x-ray energy region and a suite
of beamlines optimized for this source. The Committee concurs
with the assessment of the Department and the most recent BESAC
report that the completion of this upgrade is essential to
maintaining world-leading science here in the United States.
The ALS upgrade authorized in this legislation will utilize
new advances in accelerator technologies to produce soft x-ray
beams that are several orders of magnitude brighter than the
current ALS beamlines. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-
budget construction of this project, the Committee includes
sufficient annual authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this
legislation and recommends future sufficient annual funding
requiring the Department to complete the ALS upgrade by the
close of 2026.
Linac Coherent Light Source High Energy upgrade
H.R. 5905 authorizes the LCLS-II-HE upgrade described in
the June 9, 2016, BESAC ``Report on Facility Upgrades,''
including the development of experimental capabilities for high
energy x-rays to reveal fundamental scientific discoveries. The
Committee concurs with the assessment of the Department and
this most recent BESAC report that the completion of this
upgrade is essential to maintaining world-leading science here
in the United States.
The LCLS-II-HE upgrade authorized in this legislation will
provide researchers with the imaging capability necessary to
advance discoveries in chemistry, materials science, biology,
and energy. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-budget
construction of this project, the Committee includes sufficient
annual authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this legislation
and recommends future sufficient annual funding requiring the
Department to complete the LCLS-II-HE upgrade by the close of
2025.
Advanced Photon Source upgrade
H.R. 5905 authorizes an upgrade to the APS as described in
the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9, 2016, titled,
``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' This includes the development
of a multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a high flux of
coherent x-rays within the hard x-ray energy region and a suite
of beamlines optimized for this source. The Committee concurs
with the assessment of the Department and the most recent BESAC
report that the completion of this upgrade is essential to
maintaining world-leading science here in the United States.
The APS upgrade authorized in this legislation will harness
new advances in storage ring technologies to increase the
brightness of the APS beamline. These improved capabilities
will yield a vast increase in imaging output, allowing
researchers to observe materials under real conditions at
extremely small scales. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-
budget construction of this project, the Committee includes
sufficient annual authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this
legislation and recommends future sufficient annual funding
requiring the Department to complete the APS upgrade by the
close of 2025.
Spallation Neutron Source Proton Power upgrade and Second Target
Station
H.R. 5905 authorizes two upgrades to the SNS as described
in the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9, 2016,
titled, ``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' The Committee concurs
with the assessment of the Department and the most recent BESAC
report that the completion of these upgrades are essential to
maintaining world-leading science here in the United States.
Currently, the SNS is the most powerful pulsed neutron user
facility in the world. However, the Committee finds that
without the upgrades authorized in this legislation, this
leading facility will be surpassed by the European Spallation
Source, which is currently under construction in Sweden and is
expected to provide approximately an order of magnitude higher
neutron flux than the SNS by 2024. Upon completion, the SNS-PPU
and SNS-STS will ensure that the SNS remains the leading site
for research in soft matter, biology, and polymer science that
is facilitated by neutron experiments.
The June 2016 BESAC report also concluded that ORNL must
resolve ``significant scientific/engineering challenges'' in
order to ensure that the planned upgrades would effectively
increase the repetition rate and average brightness at the SNS,
and that more engagement with the neutron science user
community was required to ensure the development of a
compelling and robust set of ``first experiments'' for the
upgraded SNS before initiating construction. However, following
discussions with Department officials and ORNL leadership, the
Committee finds that ORNL has provided the necessary responses
to the Department in order to proceed with the construction of
this project.
In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-budget construction
of these projects, the Committee includes sufficient annual
authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this legislation and
recommends future sufficient annual funding requiring the
Department to complete the SNS-PPU by the close of 2025 and the
SNS-STS by the close of 2030.
Advanced Scientific Computing Research
The Committee recognizes that high performance computing
(HPC) modeling supports nearly every area of technological
advancement and encourages the Department to develop next
generation computing facilities through its ASCR program within
the Office of Science. High performance computation keeps the
United States competitive in the global market for scientific
research and development and, therefore, is another priority
funding area in H.R. 5905.
H.R. 5905 authorizes Department of Energy programs to
operate first-of-a-kind computing systems incorporating
increased resiliency features and optimized power requirements.
H.R. 5905 specifically authorizes an Exascale Computing Program
that promotes the missions of the Department and requires the
delivery of two or more exascale computing systems. The
Committee finds that the Department should continue efforts in
computer science and supporting research fields, and
accordingly authorizes continued research in computer science,
applied mathematics, and computer hardware architecture, in
order to maintain a balanced portfolio that supports research
outside of exascale delivery and facilitates workforce
development.
High Energy Physics
The Committee supports the Particle Physics Projects
Prioritization Panel's report entitled ``Building for
Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the
Global Context.'' The Committee encourages the High Energy
Physics (HEP) program within the Office of Science to work
towards regaining the United States' global leadership position
in neutrino science and anticipates the completion of the Long
Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF). The Committee also
recognizes the importance of continued support for smaller-
scale projects, including the Dark Energy Spectroscopic
Instrument (DESI) and upgrades such as the Proton Improvement
Plan II (PIP-II).
Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility
H.R. 5905 authorizes the construction of the Long-Baseline
Neutrino Facility (LBNF) at Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory (Fermilab) to facilitate the international DUNE and
enable a program in neutrino physics to measure the fundamental
properties of neutrinos, explore physics beyond the Standard
Model, and better clarify the nature of matter and anti-matter.
The Committee concurs with the assessment of the Department and
the most recent HEPAP report that the completion of this
project is the highest priority large project within HEP and is
essential to maintaining world-leading science here in the
United States.
The construction of the LBNF and subsequent experiments
will increase the fundamental knowledge of neutrinos and their
properties--providing valuable insight into cosmic phenomena
and theoretical particle physics. With initial construction of
LBNF just beginning in 2017, the Committee includes sufficient
annual authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this legislation
and believes that an authorization of specific annual funding
for all remaining construction and necessary instrumentation is
required to ensure this vital project is completed on time and
on budget by the close of 2026.
Upon completion, LBNF will be the first internationally-
funded science facility hosted in the United States. The
Committee supports the Department's continuing efforts to
solicit international contributions for the construction of the
project, and recognizes the importance of funds already
committed to the project, including the September 2017
commitment of $88 million from the United Kingdom, and the
April 2018 LBNF collaboration agreement between the U.S. and
India.
Biological and Environmental Research
The Committee recognizes the importance of the BER
program's mission to support basic research and scientific user
facilities to increase the knowledge base for complex
biological and environmental systems. The Committee is
concerned, however, about the trend within BER towards
increased emphasis on climate modeling seemingly at the expense
of physical science programs, including genomic and
radiological sciences.
H.R. 5905 rebalances these priorities by requiring
increased accountability and transparency for BER's climate
modeling budget. It authorizes the existing Bioenergy Research
Centers (BRCs) to conduct basic research in microbial systems
biology and genomics to inform the production of fuels,
chemicals, and biomass resource, and authorizes a comprehensive
research program on the health effects of exposure to low dose
radiation.
Low-Dose Radiation Research Program
The Committee recognizes the Department's unique capability
to conduct research at the intersection of biological systems
and radiological sciences. H.R. 5905 authorizes a basic
research program on low dose radiation within BER. This
legislation directs the Secretary of Energy to identify ongoing
scientific challenges in low dose radiation research and to
develop a long-term basic research plan that addresses these
challenges.
Fusion Energy Sciences
The Committee supports the FES mission to expand the
fundamental understanding of the behavior of plasmas and matter
at very high temperatures. Additionally, the Committee
recognizes the monumental challenges and questions of physics
associated with controlling plasmas, generating and
manipulating very strong electromagnetic fields, and developing
materials that can withstand extreme conditions.
The Committee supports continuing the U.S. commitment to
the ITER project. In order to maintain U.S. energy independence
and its global standing as the leader in science, the Committee
recommends full funding for U.S. contributions to the ITER
project. H.R. 5905 authorizes critical investments to meet the
U.S. commitment to the ITER project, for both in-kind and cash
contributions, for FY 2018 and 2019.
Nuclear Physics
The Committee acknowledges the uniqueness of the Nuclear
Physics (NP) program's support for fundamental nuclear science,
including the Nuclear Theory subprogram which increases the
knowledge base that will ultimately identify new frontiers for
future experiments. H.R. 5905 supports the operation of user
facilities such as the Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System
(ATLAS), including the Californium Rare Ion Breeder Upgrade
(CARIBU) and the construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope
Beams (FRIB), a new user facility to support research on
aspects of the nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics.
The Committee encourages NP to continue its research
efforts to explore novel concepts and rare decay processes
relevant for the production of critical isotopes that support
medical applications among other things.
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
H.R. 5905 authorizes completion of the FRIB to advance the
understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of the
cosmos. This facility could also potentially be used to produce
medical isotopes for diagnostic and therapeutic needs. While
construction of the FRIB began in fiscal year 2014 and is
already over 70 percent complete, the Committee includes
sufficient annual authorizations for FY 2018 and 2019 in this
legislation and believes that an authorization of specific
annual funding for the remaining construction and necessary
instrumentation is required to ensure this vital project is
completed on time and on budget by June 2022.
The Committee also acknowledges the essential support for
fundamental nuclear science from DOE NP, including the Nuclear
Theory subprogram which increases the knowledge base that will
ultimately identify new frontiers for future experiments in
nuclear science. The Committee also encourages NP to continue
its research efforts to explore novel concepts and rare decay
processes relevant for the production of critical isotopes that
support medical applications.
Section-by-Section
Sec. 1. Short title; Table of contents
Section 1 provides a short title: ``Department of Energy
Science and Innovation Act.''
Sec. 2. Definitions
Section 2 provides relevant definitions.
Sec. 3. Mission
Section 3 amends the Mission of the Department of Energy
Office of Science.
Sec. 4. Basic energy sciences
Section 4 authorizes a program in basic energy sciences,
including materials sciences and engineering, chemical
sciences, physical biosciences, and geosciences in order to
understand, predict, and control matter and energy at the
electronic, atomic, and molecular levels. Within this program,
Section 4 authorizes upgrades and construction of basic energy
sciences infrastructure, including the Advanced Photon Source
upgrade, Spallation Neutron Source proton power upgrade,
Spallation Neutron Source second target station, Advanced Light
Source upgrade, and Linac Coherent Light Source II high energy
upgrade.
This section also specifically authorizes research programs
in Solar Fuels Research Initiative, Electricity Storage
Research Initiative, the Materials Research Database, and the
Energy Frontier Research Centers.
Sec. 5. Advanced scientific computing research
Section 5 authorizes a program to develop an exascale
computing capability through the support of one or more
National Laboratory-industry-university partnerships to conduct
integrated research, development, and engineering of multiple
exascale architectures. This section instructs the Director to
support research in high-performance computing and networking
relevant to energy applications, including modeling,
simulation, machine learning, and advanced data analytics for
basic and applied energy research programs carried out by the
Department. This section also authorizes research and
development activities in applied mathematics and high-end
computing software development, including mathematics, models,
and algorithms for complex systems as well as programming
environments, tools, languages, and operating systems for high-
end computing systems.
Sec. 6. High energy physics
Section 6 establishes a program to research the fundamental
constituents of matter, energy, and the nature of space and
time to support both elementary particle physics and
fundamental accelerator science and technology. It establishes
a sense of Congress that the Director incorporate the most
recent report of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization
Panel into the planning process of the Department.
Additionally, as part of this program, the Director is
instructed to ensure the access of U.S. researchers to the most
advanced accelerator facilities and research capabilities in
the world, including the Large Hadron Collider, and to support
research into the nature of the neutrino, dark energy, and dark
matter.
Within this program, Section 6 authorizes the construction
of the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility (LBNF) over nine years.
This facility will be used to run the Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment (DUNE), which will enable fundamental research of
neutrinos and their properties.
Sec. 7. Biological and environmental research
Section 7 authorizes biological systems science research
activities to increase understanding of complex biological
systems to accelerate breakthroughs in the sustainable
production of biomass-based liquid transportation fuels,
bioenergy, and biobased materials. This section authorizes the
selection and establishment of four Bioenergy Research Centers
to conduct basic and fundamental research in these areas.
This section specifically authorizes a basic research
program on low-dose radiation within the Office of Science at
the Department of Energy (DOE) over four years. It directs DOE
to develop a long term basic research plan for low dose
radiation research using existing scientific knowledge and
engagement with the international research community, ensuring
consultation between the DOE Office of Science and NASA, NIH,
EPA, DoD, NRC, and DHS.
Sec. 8. Fusion energy
Section 8 directs the Director to carry out a fusion energy
sciences research program to expand the fundamental
understanding of plasmas and matter at very high temperatures
and densities and to build the scientific foundation necessary
to enable fusion power. This section also authorizes the
research and development activities and facility operations to
optimize the tokamak approach to fusion energy, including
funding for U.S. cash and in-kind contributions to the ITER
project.
Sec. 9. Nuclear physics
Section 9 directs the Director to carry out a program to
discover, explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter,
including a program for the production of isotopes that the
Secretary determines are needed for research purposes.
This section specifically authorizes the construction of
the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) over five years, in
order to enable the study of a variety of rare isotopes and
their properties, in order to expand our understanding of
nuclear structure, the atomic interactions of nuclear species,
and the origin of elements.
Sec. 10. Science laboratories and infrastructure program
Section 10 requires the Director to carry out a program to
improve safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of
infrastructure at Office of Science laboratories.
Sec. 11. Authorization of appropriations
Section 11 authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 2018
and 2019 for the Office of Science, which includes Basic Energy
Sciences, Advanced Scientific Computing Research, High Energy
Physics, Biological and Environmental Research, Fusion Energy
Sciences, and Nuclear Physics.
Explanation of Amendments
A manager's amendment offered by Representative Randy Weber
was adopted by the Committee. The amendment made minor and
technical changes.
Committee Consideration
On May 23, 2018, the Committee met in open session and
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 5905, by voice vote,
a quorum being present.
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a
description of the application of this bill to the legislative
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
This bill authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of
Science for fiscal years (FY) 2018 and 2019. It provides policy
direction and authorizes funding for Office of Science basic
research programs and authorizes research infrastructure
upgrades and construction of major user facilities at the DOE
national labs. As such, this bill does not relate to employment
or access to public services and accommodations.
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
H.R. 5905 authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE)'s
Office of Science for fiscal years (FY) 2018 and 2019. It
provides policy direction and authorizes funding for Office of
Science basic research programs and authorizes research
infrastructure upgrades and construction of major user
facilities at the DOE national labs.
Duplication of Federal Programs
No provision of H.R. 5905 establishes or reauthorizes a
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 5905 does not
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).
Unfunded Mandate Statement
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to
whether the provisions of the reported include unfunded
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included
herein.
Earmark Identification
H.R. 5905 does not include any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 of rule XXI.
Committee Estimate
Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out
H.R. 5905. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following cost estimate for H.R. 5905 from the Director of
Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, June 25, 2018.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 5905, the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall,
Director.
Enclosure.
H.R. 5905--Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act of 2018
Summary: H.R. 5905 would authorize appropriations for the
Department of Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science and would
codify existing activities under that office. CBO estimates
that implementing the bill would cost $6.6 billion over the
2019-2023 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized
amounts.
Enacting H.R. 5905 could affect direct spending; therefore,
pay-as-you-go procedures apply. The bill would direct DOE to
use all available approaches and mechanisms including
``alternative financing'' to upgrade infrastructure at its
national laboratories. CBO considers the costs of alternative
financing (that is, financing provided by nonfederal entities
and not provided in annual appropriations acts) as direct
spending. However, in CBO's view the legislation does not
clearly expand DOE's existing alternative financing authority.
Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 5905 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2029.
H.R. 5905 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary effect of H.R. 5905 is shown in the following table.
The costs of the legislation fall within budget function 250
(general science, space, and technology).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2019-2023
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Authorization Level...................... 6,260 6,600 0 0 0 0 6,600
Estimated Outlays........................ 0 3,630 1,980 990 0 0 6,600
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
H.R. 5905 would authorize the appropriation of about $6.3 billion in 2018 for activities in the Department of
Energy's Office of Science. CBO does not estimate any outlays for that authorization because appropriations
for 2018 have already been provided.
Basis of estimate: For this estimate, CBO assumes that H.R.
5905 will be enacted near the end of 2018 and that the
authorized amounts will be appropriated.
H.R. 5905 would authorize the appropriation of $6.6 billion
in 2019 for DOE's Office of Science, which supports basic
research in the physical sciences and operates a system of
national science user facilities. In 2018, DOE received an
appropriation of $6.3 billion for those programs. Under current
law, no specific sums are authorized to be appropriated to DOE
for those purposes after 2018. Based on historical spending
patterns, CBO estimates that implementing H.R. 5905 would cost
$6.6 billion over the 2019-2023 period.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: Section 10 would direct DOE
to use all available approaches and mechanisms, including
alternative financing, to upgrade infrastructure at the
national laboratories. The bill does not define alternative
financing; however, CBO expects that such arrangements could
include use of funds provided through third-party financing
(funds raised by a nonfederal entity). DOE and other federal
agencies have existing authority to use certain types of third-
party financing mechanisms including energy savings performance
contracts, utility energy service contracts, and enhanced-use
leases. CBO treats the costs of such transactions as direct
spending and believes that the full cost of such long-term
commitments that obligate the government to make payments in
future years should be recorded in the budget upfront.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\For more information on the budgetary treatment of third-party
financing, see Congressional Budget Office, Third-Party Financing of
Federal Projects (June 2005), www.cbo.gov/publication/16554.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under a strict interpretation of the provision in section
10, DOE would continue to use existing authorities that it
considers to be alternative financing (which would result in no
additional direct spending). However, DOE could interpret
section 10 as providing new or expanded authority that would
allow the agency to expand its use of third-party financing
mechanisms to build and improve facilities at its national
laboratories. The 17 national laboratories comprise a large
portion of DOE's real property portfolio. In 2015, the agency
reported a backlog of $5.4 billion in maintenance and
improvements across its facilities.\2\ Using new alternative
financing mechanisms to finance a portion of that backlog of
projects would increase direct spending, however, in CBO's view
the legislation does not clearly expand DOE's existing
authorities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\U.S. Department of Energy, Annual Report on the State of the DOE
National Laboratories (January 2017), p.86, www.energy.gov/downloads/
annual-report-state-doe-national-laboratories.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Increase in long-term direct spending and deficits: CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 5905 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2029.
Mandates: H.R. 5905 contains no intergovernmental or
private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Janani Shankaran;
Mandates: Jon Sperl.
Estimate reviewed by: Kim P. Cawley, Chief, Natural and
Physical Resources Cost Estimates Unit; H. Samuel Papenfuss,
Deputy Assistant Director for Budget Analysis.
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported
In compliance with clause 3(e) of rule XIII of the Rules of
the House of Representatives, changes in existing law made by
the bill, as reported, are shown as follows (existing law
proposed to be omitted is enclosed in black brackets, new
matter is printed in italic, and existing law in which no
change is proposed is shown in roman):
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ORGANIZATION ACT
* * * * * * *
TITLE II--ESTABLISHMENT OF THE DEPARTMENT
* * * * * * *
office of science
Sec. 209. (a) There shall be within the Department an Office
of Science to be headed by a Director, who shall be appointed
by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate, and who shall be compensated at the rate provided for
level IV of the Executive Schedule under section 5315 of title
5, United States Code.
(b) It shall be the duty and responsibility of the Director--
(1) to advise the Secretary with respect to the
physical research program transferred to the Department
from the Energy Research and Development
Administration;
(2) to monitor the Department's energy research and
development programs in order to advise the Secretary
with respect to any undesirable duplication or gaps in
such programs;
(3) to advise the Secretary with respect to the well-
being and management of the multipurpose laboratories
under the jurisdiction of the Department, excluding
laboratories that constitute part of the nuclear
weapons complex;
(4) to advise the Secretary with respect to education
and training activities required for effective short-
and long-term basic and applied research activities of
the Department;
(5) to advise the Secretary with respect to grants
and other forms of financial assistance required for
effective short- and long-term basic and applied
research activities of the Department; and
(6) to carry out such additional duties assigned to
the Office by the Secretary.
(c) Mission.--The mission of the Office of Science shall be
the delivery of scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major
scientific tools to transform the understanding of nature and
to advance the energy, economic, and national security of the
United States.
* * * * * * *
----------
ENERGY POLICY ACT OF 2005
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS.
(a) Short Title.--This Act may be cited as the ``Energy
Policy Act of 2005''.
(b) Table of Contents.--The table of contents for this Act is
as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents.
* * * * * * *
TITLE IX--RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
* * * * * * *
Subtitle G--Science
Sec. 971. Science.
Sec. 972. Fusion energy sciences program.
[Sec. 973. Catalysis research program.]
Sec. 973. Solar fuels research initiative.
Sec. 974. Hydrogen.
[Sec. 975. Solid state lighting.]
Sec. 975. Electricity storage research initiative.
Sec. 976. Advanced scientific computing for energy missions.
Sec. 977. Systems biology program.
Sec. 977A. Low-dose radiation research program.
Sec. 978. Fission and fusion energy materials research program.
Sec. 979. Energy and water supplies.
Sec. 980. Spallation Neutron Source.
Sec. 981. Rare isotope accelerator.
Sec. 982. Office of Scientific and Technical Information.
Sec. 983. Science and engineering education pilot program.
Sec. 984. Energy research fellowships.
Sec. 984A. Science and technology scholarship program.
* * * * * * *
TITLE IX--RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
* * * * * * *
Subtitle G--Science
* * * * * * *
SEC. 972. FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES PROGRAM.
(a) Declaration of Policy.--It shall be the policy of the
United States to conduct research, development, demonstration,
and commercial applications to provide for the scientific,
engineering, and commercial infrastructure necessary to ensure
that the United States is competitive with other countries in
providing fusion energy for its own needs and the needs of
other countries, including by demonstrating electric power or
hydrogen production for the United States energy grid using
fusion energy at the earliest date.
(b) Planning.--
(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the
date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall
submit to Congress a plan (with proposed cost
estimates, budgets, and lists of potential
international partners) for the implementation of the
policy described in subsection (a) in a manner that
ensures that--
(A) existing fusion research facilities are
more fully used;
(B) fusion science, technology, theory,
advanced computation, modeling, and simulation
are strengthened;
(C) new magnetic and inertial fusion research
and development facilities are selected based
on scientific innovation and cost
effectiveness, and the potential of the
facilities to advance the goal of practical
fusion energy at the earliest date practicable;
(D) facilities that are selected are funded
at a cost-effective rate;
(E) communication of scientific results and
methods between the fusion energy science
community and the broader scientific and
technology communities is improved;
(F) inertial confinement fusion facilities
are used to the extent practicable for the
purpose of inertial fusion energy research and
development;
(G) attractive alternative inertial and
magnetic fusion energy approaches are more
fully explored; and
(H) to the extent practicable, the
recommendations of the Fusion Energy Sciences
Advisory Committee in the report on workforce
planning, dated March 2004, are carried out,
including periodic reassessment of program
needs.
(2) Costs and schedules.--The plan shall also address
the status of and, to the extent practicable, costs and
schedules for--
(A) the design and implementation of
international or national facilities for the
testing of fusion materials; and
(B) the design and implementation of
international or national facilities for the
testing and development of key fusion
technologies.
(c) United States Participation in ITER.--
(1) Definitions.--In this subsection:
(A) Construction.--
(i) In general.--The term
``construction'' means--
(I) the physical construction
of the ITER facility; and
(II) the physical
construction, purchase, or
manufacture of equipment or
components that are
specifically designed for the
ITER facility.
(ii) Exclusions.--The term
``construction'' does not include the
design of the facility, equipment, or
components.
(B) ITER.--The term ``ITER'' means the
international burning plasma fusion research
project in which the President announced United
States participation on January 30, 2003, or
any similar international project.
(2) Participation.--The United States may participate
in the ITER only in accordance with this subsection.
(3) Agreement.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary may negotiate
an agreement for United States participation in
the ITER.
(B) Contents.--Any agreement for United
States participation in the ITER shall, at a
minimum--
(i) clearly define the United States
financial contribution to construction
and operating costs, as well as any
other costs associated with a project;
(ii) ensure that the share of high-
technology components of the ITER
manufactured in the United States is at
least proportionate to the United
States financial contribution to the
ITER;
(iii) ensure that the United States
will not be financially responsible for
cost overruns in components
manufactured in other ITER
participating countries;
(iv) guarantee the United States full
access to all data generated by the
ITER;
(v) enable United States researchers
to propose and carry out an equitable
share of the experiments at the ITER;
(vi) provide the United States with a
role in all collective decisionmaking
related to the ITER; and
(vii) describe the process for
discontinuing or decommissioning the
ITER and any United States role in that
process.
(4) Plan.--
(A) Development.--The Secretary, in
consultation with the Fusion Energy Sciences
Advisory Committee, shall develop a plan for
the participation of United States scientists
in the ITER that shall include--
(i) the United States research agenda
for the ITER;
(ii) methods to evaluate whether the
ITER is promoting progress toward
making fusion a reliable and affordable
source of power; and
(iii) a description of how work at
the ITER will relate to other elements
of the United States fusion program.
(B) Review.--The Secretary shall request a
review of the plan by the National Academy of
Sciences.
(5) Limitation.--No Federal funds shall be expended
for the construction of the ITER until the Secretary
has submitted to Congress--
(A) the agreement negotiated in accordance
with paragraph (3) and 120 days have elapsed
since that submission;
(B) a report describing the management
structure of the ITER and providing a fixed
dollar estimate of the cost of United States
participation in the construction of the ITER,
and 120 days have elapsed since that
submission;
(C) a report describing how United States
participation in the ITER will be funded
without reducing funding for other programs in
the Office of Science (including other fusion
programs), and 60 days have elapsed since that
submission; and
(D) the plan required by paragraph (4) (but
not the National Academy of Sciences review of
that plan), and 60 days have elapsed since that
submission.
(6) Alternative to iter.--
(A) In general.--If at any time during the
negotiations on the ITER, the Secretary
determines that construction and operation of
the ITER is unlikely or infeasible, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress, along with
the budget request of the President submitted
to Congress for the following fiscal year, a
plan for implementing a domestic burning plasma
experiment such as the Fusion Ignition Research
Experiment, including costs and schedules for
the plan.
(B) Administration.--The Secretary shall--
(i) refine the plan in full
consultation with the Fusion Energy
Sciences Advisory Committee; and
(ii) transmit the plan to the
National Academy of Sciences for
review.
(7) ITER construction.--
(A) In general.--There is authorized United
States participation in the construction and
operations of the ITER project, as agreed to
under the April 25, 2007 ``Agreement on the
Establishment of the ITER International Fusion
Energy Organization for the Joint
Implementation of the ITER Project.''.
(B) Facility requirements.--The Secretary
shall ensure that the mission-oriented user
facility will enable the study of a burning
plasma, and shall be built to have the
following characteristics in its full
configuration:
(i) A tokamak device with a plasma
radius of 6.2 meters and a magnetic
field of 5.3 T.
(ii) Capable of creating and
sustaining a 15-million-Ampere plasma
current for greater than 300 seconds.
(C) Authorization of appropriations.--From
within funds authorized to be appropriated
under section 11 of the Department of Energy
Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Fusion
Energy Sciences, there is authorized for in-
kind contributions under this paragraph--
(i) $122,000,000 for fiscal year
2018; and
(ii) $163,000,000 for fiscal year
2019.
(D) Authorization of appropriations.--From
within funds authorized to be appropriated
under section 11 of the Department of Energy
Science and Innovation Act of 2018, for Fusion
Energy Sciences, there is authorized for cash
contributions under this paragraph--
(i) $50,000,000 for fiscal year 2018;
and
(ii) $50,000,000 for fiscal year
2019.
[SEC. 973. CATALYSIS RESEARCH PROGRAM.
[(a) Establishment.--The Secretary, acting through the Office
of Science, shall support a program of research and development
in catalysis science consistent with the statutory authorities
of the Department related to research and development.
[(b) Components.--The program shall include efforts to--
[(1) enable catalyst design using combinations of
experimental and mechanistic methodologies coupled with
computational modeling of catalytic reactions at the
molecular level;
[(2) develop techniques for high throughput
synthesis, assay, and characterization at nanometer and
subnanometer scales in-situ under actual operating
conditions;
[(3) synthesize catalysts with specific site
architectures;
[(4) conduct research on the use of precious metals
for catalysis; and
[(5) translate molecular understanding to the design
of catalytic compounds.
[(c) Duties of the Office of Science.--In carrying out the
program, the Director of the Office of Science shall--
[(1) support both individual investigators and
multidisciplinary teams of investigators to pioneer new
approaches in catalytic design;
[(2) develop, plan, construct, acquire, share, or
operate special equipment or facilities for the use of
investigators in collaboration with national user
facilities, such as nanoscience and engineering
centers;
[(3) support technology transfer activities to
benefit industry and other users of catalysis science
and engineering; and
[(4) coordinate research and development activities
with industry and other Federal agencies.
[(d) Assessment.--Not later than 3 years after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall enter into an
arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences to--
[(1) review the catalysis program to measure--
[(A) gains made in the fundamental science of
catalysis; and
[(B) progress towards developing new fuels
for energy production and material fabrication
processes; and
[(2) submit to Congress a report describing the
results of the review.]
SEC. 973. SOLAR FUELS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
(a) Initiative.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a
research initiative, to be known as the ``Solar Fuels
Research Initiative'' (referred to in this section as
the ``Initiative'') to expand theoretical and
fundamental knowledge of photochemistry,
electrochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science
useful for the practical development of experimental
systems to convert solar energy to chemical energy.
(2) Leveraging.--In carrying out programs and
activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall
leverage expertise and resources from--
(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program and the
Biological and Environmental Research Program
of the Office of Science; and
(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
(3) Teams.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out the
Initiative, the Secretary shall organize
activities among multidisciplinary teams to
leverage, to the maximum extent practicable,
expertise from the National Laboratories,
institutions of higher education, and the
private sector.
(B) Goals.--The multidisciplinary teams
described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue
aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research
goals.
(C) Resources.--The Secretary shall provide
sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary
teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve
the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a
period of time to be determined by the
Secretary.
(4) Additional activities.--The Secretary may
organize additional activities under this subsection
through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy
Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
(b) Artificial Photosynthesis.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under
the Initiative a program to support research needed to
bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge
relevant to, artificial photosynthetic systems.
(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences shall support basic research to
pursue distinct lines of scientific inquiry,
including--
(i) photoinduced production of
hydrogen and oxygen from water; and
(ii) the sustainable photoinduced
reduction of carbon dioxide to fuel
products including hydrocarbons,
alcohols, carbon monoxide, and natural
gas; and
(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under
the program.
(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in
paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical
milestones.
(4) Funding.--
(A) In general.--From within funds authorized
to be appropriated under section 11 of the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act
of 2018, for Basic Energy Sciences, the
Secretary shall make available for carrying out
activities under this subsection $50,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the
program described in paragraph (1) may be
obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
(c) Biochemistry, Replication of Natural Photosynthesis, and
Related Processes.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under
the Initiative a program to support research needed to
replicate natural photosynthetic processes by use of
artificial photosynthetic components and materials.
(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences shall support basic research to
expand fundamental knowledge to replicate
natural synthesis processes, including--
(i) the photoinduced reduction of
dinitrogen to ammonia;
(ii) the absorption of carbon dioxide
from ambient air;
(iii) molecular-based charge
separation and storage;
(iv) photoinitiated electron
transfer; and
(v) catalysis in biological or
biomimetic systems;
(B) the Associate Director of Biological and
Environmental Research shall support systems
biology and genomics approaches to understand
genetic and physiological pathways connected to
photosynthetic mechanisms; and
(C) the Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under
the program.
(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in
paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical
milestones.
(4) Funding.--
(A) In general.--From within funds authorized
to be appropriated under section 11 of the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act
of 2018, for Basic Energy Sciences and
Biological and Environmental Research, the
Secretary shall make available for carrying out
activities under this subsection $50,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the
program described in paragraph (1) may be
obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
* * * * * * *
[SEC. 975. SOLID STATE LIGHTING.
[The Secretary shall conduct a program of fundamental
research on solid state lighting in support of the Next
Generation Lighting Initiative carried out under section 912.]
SEC. 975. ELECTRICITY STORAGE RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
(a) Initiative.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a
research initiative, to be known as the ``Electricity
Storage Research Initiative'' (referred to in this
section as the ``Initiative'')--
(A) to expand theoretical and fundamental
knowledge to control, store, and convert--
(i) electrical energy to chemical
energy; and
(ii) chemical energy to electrical
energy; and
(B) to support scientific inquiry into the
practical understanding of chemical and
physical processes that occur within systems
involving crystalline and amorphous solids,
polymers, and organic and aqueous liquids.
(2) Leveraging.--In carrying out programs and
activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall
leverage expertise and resources from--
(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program, the
Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program,
and the Biological and Environmental Research
Program of the Office of Science; and
(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy.
(3) Teams.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out the
Initiative, the Secretary shall organize
activities among multidisciplinary teams to
leverage, to the maximum extent practicable,
expertise from the National Laboratories,
institutions of higher education, and the
private sector.
(B) Goals.--The multidisciplinary teams
described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue
aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research
goals.
(C) Resources.--The Secretary shall provide
sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary
teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve
the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a
period of time to be determined by the
Secretary.
(4) Additional activities.--The Secretary may
organize additional activities under this subsection
through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy
Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
(b) Multivalent Systems.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under
the Initiative a program to support research needed to
bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge
relevant to, multivalent ion materials in electric
energy storage systems.
(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences shall investigate
electrochemical properties and the dynamics of
materials, including charge transfer phenomena
and mass transport in materials; and
(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under
the program.
(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in
paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical
milestones.
(4) Funding.--
(A) In general.--From within funds authorized
to be appropriated under section 11 of the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act
of 2018, for Basic Energy Sciences and
Biological and Environmental Research, the
Secretary shall make available for carrying out
activities under this subsection $50,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the
program described in paragraph (1) may be
obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
(c) Electrochemistry Modeling and Simulation.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under
the Initiative a program to support research to model
and simulate organic electrolytes, including the static
and dynamic electrochemical behavior and phenomena of
organic electrolytes at the molecular and atomic level
in monovalent and multivalent systems.
(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences, in coordination with the
Associate Director of Advanced Scientific
Computing Research, shall support the
development of high performance computational
tools through a joint development process to
maximize the effectiveness of current and
projected high performance computing systems;
and
(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under
the program.
(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in
paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical
milestones.
(4) Funding.--
(A) In general.--From within funds authorized
to be appropriated under section 11 of the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act
of 2018, for Basic Energy Sciences and Advanced
Scientific Computing Research, the Secretary
shall make available for carrying out
activities under this subsection $30,000,000
for each of the fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the
program described in paragraph (1) may be
obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
(d) Mesoscale Electrochemistry.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out under
the Initiative a program to support research needed to
reveal electrochemistry in confined mesoscale spaces,
including scientific discoveries relevant to--
(A) bio-electrochemistry and electrochemical
energy conversion and storage in confined
spaces; and
(B) the dynamics of the phenomena described
in subparagraph (A).
(2) Activities.--As part of the program described in
paragraph (1)--
(A) the Director of the Office of Basic
Energy Sciences and the Associate Director of
Biological and Environmental Research shall
investigate phenomena of mesoscale
electrochemical confinement for the purpose of
replicating and controlling new electrochemical
behavior; and
(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy
Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under
the program.
(3) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review
activities carried out under the program described in
paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical
milestones.
(4) Funding.--
(A) In general.--From within funds authorized
to be appropriated under section 11 of the
Department of Energy Science and Innovation Act
of 2018, for Basic Energy Sciences and
Biological and Environmental Research, the
Secretary shall make available for carrying out
activities under this subsection $20,000,000
for each of fiscal years 2018 through 2019.
(B) Prohibition.--No funds allocated to the
program described in paragraph (1) may be
obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
SEC. 976. ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING FOR ENERGY MISSIONS.
(a) Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct an
advanced scientific computing research and development
program that includes activities related to applied
mathematics and activities authorized by the
[Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization
Act of 2004] American Super Computing Leadership Act
(15 U.S.C. 5541 et seq.).
(2) Goal.--The Secretary shall carry out the program
with the goal of supporting departmental missions, and
providing the high-performance computational,
networking, advanced visualization technologies, and
workforce resources, that are required for world
leadership in science.
(b) High-Performance Computing.--Section 203 of the High-
Performance Computing Act of 1991 (15 U.S.C. 5523) is amended
to read as follows:
* * * * * * *
SEC. 977A. LOW-DOSE RADIATION RESEARCH PROGRAM.
(a) In General.--The Secretary shall carry out a basic
research program on low-dose radiation to--
(1) enhance the scientific understanding of, and
reduce uncertainties associated with, the effects of
exposure to low-dose radiation; and
(2) inform improved risk-assessment and risk-
management methods with respect to such radiation.
(b) Program Components.--In carrying out the program required
under subsection (a), the Secretary shall--
(1) formulate scientific goals for low-dose radiation
basic research in the United States;
(2) identify ongoing scientific challenges for
understanding the long-term effects of ionizing
radiation on biological systems;
(3) develop a long-term strategic and prioritized
basic research agenda to address such scientific
challenges in coordination with other research efforts;
(4) leverage the collective body of knowledge from
existing low-dose radiation research; and
(5) engage with other Federal agencies, research
communities, and potential users of information
produced under this section, including institutions
concerning radiation research, medical physics,
radiology, health physics, and emergency response.
(c) Coordination.--In carrying out the program, the
Secretary, in coordination with the Physical Science
Subcommittee of the National Science and Technology Council,
shall--
(1) support the directives under section 106 of the
American Innovation and Competitiveness Act (42 U.S.C.
6601 note);
(2) ensure that the Office of Science of the
Department of Energy consults with the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National
Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection
Agency, the Department of Defense, the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, and the Department of Homeland
Security;
(3) advise and assist the National Science and
Technology Council on policies and initiatives in
radiation biology, including enhancing scientific
knowledge of the effects of low-dose radiation on
biological systems to improve radiation risk-assessment
and risk-management methods; and
(4) identify opportunities to stimulate international
cooperation relating to low-dose radiation and leverage
research and knowledge from sources outside of the
United States.
(d) Research Plan.--Not later than 180 days after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall transmit to the
Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of
Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural
Resources of the Senate a 4-year research plan that identifies
and prioritizes basic research needs relating to low-dose
radiation. In developing such plan, the Secretary shall
incorporate the components described in subsection (b).
(e) Definition of Low-dose Radiation.--In this section, the
term ``low-dose radiation'' means a radiation dose of less than
100 millisieverts.
(f) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall be
construed to subject any research carried out by the Secretary
for the program under this section to any limitations described
in 977(e) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C.
16317(e)).
(g) Funding.--From within funds authorized to be appropriated
under section 11 of the Department of Energy Science and
Innovation Act of 2018, for Biological and Environmental
Research, the Secretary make available to carry out this
section--
(1) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2018; and
(2) $20,000,000 for fiscal year 2019.
* * * * * * *
SEC. 981. [RARE ISOTOPE ACCELERATOR] FACILITY FOR RARE ISOTOPE BEAMS.
(a) Establishment.--The Secretary shall construct and operate
a [Rare Isotope Accelerator] Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
The Secretary shall commence construction no later than
September 30, 2008.
(b) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to
be appropriated to the Secretary such sums as may be necessary
to carry out this section. The Secretary shall not spend more
than $1,100,000,000 in Federal funds for all activities
associated with the [Rare Isotope Accelerator] Facility for
Rare Isotope Beams, prior to operation of the Accelerator.
* * * * * * *
----------
AMERICAN SUPER COMPUTING LEADERSHIP ACT
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``[Department of Energy High-End
Computing Revitalization Act of 2004] American Super Computing
Leadership Act''.
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
[(1) Center.--The term``Center'' means a High-End
Software Development Center established under section
5542(d) of this title.]
(1) Department.--The term ``Department'' means the
Department of Energy.
(2) Exascale computing.--The term ``exascale
computing'' means computing through the use of a
computing machine that performs near or above 10 to the
18th power operations per second.
[(2)] (3) High-end computing system.--The term
``high-end computing system'' means a computing system
with performance that substantially exceeds that of
systems that are commonly available for advanced
scientific and engineering applications
[(3)] (4) Leadership System.--The term ``Leadership
System'' means a high-end computing system that is
among the most advanced in the world in terms of
performance in solving scientific and engineering
problems.
[(4)] (5) Institution of higher education.--The term
``institution of higher education'' has the meaning
given the term in section 1001(a) of title 20.
[(5)] (6) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means
the Secretary of Energy[, acting through the Director
of the Office of Science of the Department of Energy].
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY HIGH-END COMPUTING RESEARCH AND
DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
(a) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(1) carry out a [program] coordinated program across
the Department of research and development (including
development of software and hardware) to advance high-
end computing systems; and
(2) develop and deploy high-end computing systems for
advanced scientific and engineering applications.
(b) Program.--The program shall--
(1) support both individual investigators and
multidisciplinary teams of investigators;
(2) conduct research in multiple architectures[,
which may include vector, reconfigurable logic,
streaming, processor-in-memory, and multithreading
architectures];
(3) conduct research on software for high-end
computing systems, including research on algorithms,
programming environments, tools, languages, and
operating systems for high-end computing systems, in
collaboration with architecture development efforts;
(4) provide for sustained access by the research
community in the United States to high-end computing
systems and to Leadership Systems, including provision
of technical support for users of such systems;
(5) support technology transfer to the private sector
and others in accordance with applicable law; and
(6) densure that the high-end computing activities of
the Department of Energy are coordinated with relevant
activities in industry and with other Federal agencies,
including the National Science Foundation, the Defense
Advanced Research Projects Agency, the National Nuclear
Security Administration, the National Security Agency,
the National Institutes of Health, the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the National
Institutes of Standards and Technology, and the
Environmental Protection Agency.
(c) Leadership Systems facilities.--
(1) In general.--carry out a program of research and
development (including development of software and
hardware) to advance high-end computing systems; and
(A) conduct advanced scientific and
engineering research and development using
Leadership Systems; and
(B) develop potential advancements in high-
end computing system hardware and software.
(2) Administration.--In carrying out this subsection,
the Secretary shall provide to Leadership Systems, on a
competitive, merit-reviewed basis, access to
researchers in United States industry, institutions of
higher education, national laboratories, and other
Federal agencies.
[(d) High-End Software Development Center.--
[(1) In general.--As part of the program carried out
under this subchapter, the Secretary shall establish at
least 1 High-End Software Development Center.
[(2) Duties.--A Center shall concentrate efforts to
develop, test, maintain, and support optimal
algorithms, programming environments, tools, languages,
and operating systems for high-end computing systems.
[(3) Proposals.--In soliciting proposals for the
Center, the Secretary shall encourage staffing
arrangements that include both permanent staff and a
rotating staff of researchers from other institutions
and industry to assist in coordination of research
efforts and promote technology transfer to the private
sector.
[(4) Use of expertise.--The Secretary shall use the
expertise of a Center to assess research and
development in high-end computing system architecture.
[(5) Selection.--The selection of a Center shall be
determined by a competitive proposal process
administered by the Secretary.]
(d) Exascale Computing Program.--
(1) In general.--The Secretary shall conduct a
research program (referred to in this subsection as the
``Program'') for exascale computing, including the
development of two or more exascale computing machine
architectures, to promote the missions of the
Department.
(2) Execution.--
(A) In general.--In carrying out the Program,
the Secretary shall--
(i) establish a National Laboratory
partnership for industry partners and
institutions of higher education for
codesign of exascale hardware,
technology, software, and applications
across all applicable organizations of
the Department;
(ii) acquire multiple exascale
computing systems at the existing
Departmental facilities that represent
at least two distinct technology
options developed under clause (i);
(iii) develop such advancements in
hardware and software technology as are
required to fully realize the potential
of an exascale production system in
addressing Department target
applications and solving scientific
problems involving predictive modeling
and simulation, large scale data
analytics and management, and
artificial intelligence;
(iv) explore the use of exascale
computing technologies to advance a
broad range of science and engineering;
and
(v) provide, as appropriate, on a
competitive, merit-reviewed basis,
access for researchers in industries in
the United States, institutions of
higher education, National
Laboratories, and other Federal
agencies to the exascale computing
systems developed pursuant to clause
(i).
(B) Selection of partners.--The Secretary
shall select the partnerships with the
computing facilities of the Department under
subparagraph (A) through a competitive, peer-
review process.
(3) Codesign and application development.--
(A) In general.--The Secretary shall--
(i) carry out the Program through an
integration of applications, computer
science, applied mathematics, and
computer hardware architecture using
the partnerships established pursuant
to paragraph (2) to ensure that, to the
maximum extent practicable, two or more
exascale computing machine
architectures are capable of solving
Department target applications and
broader scientific problems, including
predictive modeling and simulation,
large scale data analytics and
management, and artificial
intelligence; and
(ii) conduct outreach programs to
increase the readiness for the use of
such platforms by domestic industries,
including manufacturers.
(B) Report.--(i) The Secretary shall submit
to Congress a report describing how the
integration under subparagraph (A) is
furthering application science data and
computational workloads across application
interests, including national security,
material science, physical science,
cybersecurity, biological science, the
Materials Genome and BRAIN Initiatives of the
President, advanced manufacturing, and the
national electric grid.
(ii) The roles and responsibilities of
National Laboratories and industry, including
the definition of the roles and
responsibilities within the Department to
ensure an integrated program across the
Department.
(4) Project review.--
(A) In general.--The exascale architectures
developed pursuant to partnerships established
pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be reviewed
through a project review process.
(B) Report.--Not later than 90 days after the
date of enactment of this subsection, the
Secretary shall submit to Congress a report
on--
(i) the results of the review
conducted under subparagraph (A); and
(ii) the coordination and management
of the Program to ensure an integrated
research program across the Department.
(5) Annual reports.--At the time of the budget
submission of the Department for each fiscal year, the
Secretary, in consultation with the members of the
partnerships established pursuant to paragraph (2),
shall submit to Congress a report that describes
funding for the Program as a whole by functional
element of the Department and critical milestones.
----------
ATOMIC ENERGY ACT OF 1954
TITLE I--ATOMIC ENERGY
* * * * * * *
CHAPTER 4. RESEARCH
* * * * * * *
Sec. 33. Research for Others.--In this section, with respect
to international research projects, the term ``private
facilities or laboratories'' means facilities or laboratories
located in the United States. Where the Commission finds
private facilities or laboratories are inadequate to the
purpose, it is authorized to conduct for other persons, through
its own facilities, such of those activities and studies of the
types specified in section 31 as it deems appropriate to the
development of atomic energy. To the extent the Commission
determines that private facilities or laboratories are
inadequate to the purpose, and that the Commission's
facilities, or scientific or technical resources have the
potential of lending significant assistance to other persons in
the fields of protection of public health and safety, the
Commission may also assist other persons in these fields by
conducting for such persons, through the Commission's own
facilities, research and development or training activities and
studies. The Commission is authorized to determine and make
such charges as in its discretion may be desirable for the
conduct of the activities and studies referred to in this
section.
* * * * * * *
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