Recognizing the 60th anniversary of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Recognizing the 60th anniversary of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

Whereas, on January 4, 1965, the Atomic Energy Commission, the predecessor agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), selected Battelle Memorial Institute, a not-for-profit research and development organization, to take over the Hanford Laboratories at the Hanford Site in southeastern Washington State;

Whereas, then known as Pacific Northwest Laboratory, the laboratory focused on plutonium production and nuclear waste cleanup at Hanford;

Whereas, over time, the laboratory expanded its mission to become one of DOE’s most diversified national laboratories, addressing some of the Nation’s most pressing challenges in science, energy, and national security;

Whereas, though a national laboratory since its 1965 inception, in 1995, DOE added “national”, formalizing the name as Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL);

Whereas PNNL has grown from just over 2,200 employees in 1965 to more than 6,400 today;

Whereas PNNL is the single-largest employer in central Washington;

Whereas PNNL conducted $1,640,000,000 in research and development in fiscal year 2024;

Whereas PNNL has leveraged its scientific capabilities to make significant contributions in areas such as supporting the cleanup of legacy nuclear waste, understanding Earth systems, modernizing the energy grid, advancing energy storage, enabling energy resilience, supporting salmon recovery, supporting nuclear nonproliferation, and protecting against cyberattacks, as well as building and applying artificial intelligence tools to accelerate scientific discovery in key areas related to national security and energy;

Whereas PNNL has over 200 joint appointments with over 60 academic institutions and is home to 7 joint institutes, combining the expertise and capabilities of universities and a national laboratory to accelerate science impact;

Whereas PNNL also collaborates with industry, including businesses large and small throughout the United States;

Whereas such collaborations result in PNNL successfully moving innovations developed at the lab into the marketplace, such as PNNL-developed millimeter wave technology used at airport security checkpoints to scan for concealed objects and increase security;

Whereas, in fiscal year 2024, PNNL had 319 invention disclosures, and PNNL researchers were named on 59 patents granted; and

Whereas PNNL is committed to training the next generation of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers, reaching more than 51,000 students and 900 educators through its STEM outreach programs in fiscal year 2024: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives—

(1) congratulates Pacific Northwest National Laboratory on six decades of scientific brilliance;

(2) recognizes the contributions of Pacific Northwest National Laboratory working on some of the United States most complex and urgent challenges; and

(3) looks forward to continued innovation and scientific discovery that will make the Nation and the world a better and safer place.