Hearing of the House Energy Subcommittee of the Science, Space and Technology Committee - Nuclear Energy Innovation and the National Labs

Hearing

Good morning and welcome to today's Energy Subcommittee hearing on nuclear
energy innovation. This hearing will focus on the Department of Energy's national laboratories' research
capabilities and working relationship with the private sector to advance nuclear energy technology --
both fission and fusion.

The Department of Energy owns seventeen national laboratories, sixteen of which are operated by
contractors as federally funded research and development centers. The government-owned, contractoroperated model allows the labs flexibility to think outside of the box when tackling fundamental
scientific challenges. The DOE labs grew out of the Manhattan project and today provide the critical
R&D infrastructure that will enable researchers in academia and the private sector to develop the
technologies of tomorrow.

It's pretty clear that challenges in nuclear science can be quite complicated and we'll hear more about
that from our expert witnesses. That said, I will do my best to simplify what we intend to discuss today.
We will get a better understanding of what the DOE labs do and how their unique research machines and
talented groups of researchers can enable companies to develop new products. This is especially
relevant for nuclear energy R&D, which requires large up-front costs, but may lead to revolutionary
technology with long-term rewards.

The United States has a national interest in maintaining our position at the forefront of nuclear
technology development. Nuclear energy is in a class of its own with the highest energy density of any
fuel, and yields zero emissions. It is also highly regulated, often a centerpiece of global politics, and
associated with the world's strongest economies.

In the United States, we invented this technology and cannot forgo the opportunity to export more
efficient and safer reactor systems that will mitigate proliferation concerns and increase global stability
by providing reliable energy.

Today, we will hear from the president of a charitable organization that has co-invested with a DOE lab
to advance a specific nuclear fuel treatment process to convert nuclear waste into usable fuel. We will
also hear from Argonne National Lab, which invented this fuel treatment process, as well as private
companies developing fusion and advanced fission reactors.

Needless to say, this is a unique panel of witnesses. I thank the witnesses for participating in today's
hearing and I look forward to their testimony.

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