[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 111 (Monday, July 11, 2016)]
[House]
[Pages H4647-H4649]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
{time} 2000
ELECTRICITY STORAGE INNOVATION ACT
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass
the bill (H.R. 5640) to provide for the establishment at the Department
of Energy of an Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows:
H.R. 5640
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Electricity Storage
Innovation Act''.
SEC. 2. ELECTRICITY STORAGE BASIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
(a) Amendment.--Section 975 of the Energy Policy Act of
2005 (42 U.S.C. 16315) is amended to read as follows:
``SEC. 975. ELECTRICITY STORAGE BASIC RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
``(a) Initiative.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall carry out a research
initiative, to be known as the Electricity Storage Basic
Research Initiative, to expand theoretical and fundamental
knowledge to control, store, and convert electrical energy to
chemical energy and the inverse. This initiative shall
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.--The Secretary shall leverage expertise
and resources from the Basic Energy Sciences Program,
Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program, and
Biological and Environmental Research Program within the
Office of Science, and the Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy, as provided under subsections (b), (c), and
(d).
``(3) Teams.--The Secretary shall organize activities under
the Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative to include
multidisciplinary teams leveraging expertise from the
National Laboratories, universities, and the private sector
to the extent practicable. These multidisciplinary teams
shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven basic research
goals. The Secretary shall provide sufficient resources for
those teams to achieve those goals over a period of time to
be determined by the Secretary.
``(4) Additional activities.--The Secretary is authorized
to 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, as part of the
Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative, carry out a
program to support research needed to bridge scientific
barriers and discover knowledge relevant to multivalent ion
materials in electric energy storage systems. In carrying out
activities under this subsection, 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. The
Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy shall support translational research, development, and
validation of physical concepts developed under this
subsection.
``(2) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review the
program activities under this subsection to determine the
achievement of technical milestones.
``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) Authorization.--Subject to subsection (e), there are
authorized for carrying out activities under this subsection
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020--
``(i) $50,000,000 from funds within the Basic Energy
Sciences Program account; and
``(ii) $25,000,000 from funds within the Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy account.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds authorized under this
subsection may be obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
``(c) Electrochemistry Modeling and Simulation.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, as part of the
Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative, carry out a
program to support research to model and simulate organic
electrolytes, including their static and dynamic
electrochemical behavior and phenomena at the molecular and
atomic level in monovalent and multivalent systems. In
carrying out activities under this subsection, the Director
of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall, in coordination
with the Associate Director of Advanced Scientific Computing
Research, 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. The Assistant Secretary for
Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support
translational research, development, and validation of
physical concepts developed under this subsection.
``(2) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review the
program activities under this subsection to determine the
achievement of technical milestones.
``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) Authorization.--Subject to subsection (e), there are
authorized for carrying out activities under this subsection
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020--
``(i) $30,000,000 from funds within the Basic Energy
Sciences Program and Advanced Scientific Computing Research
Program accounts; and
``(ii) $15,000,000 from funds within the Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy account.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds authorized under this
subsection may be obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
``(d) Mesoscale Electrochemistry.--
``(1) In general.--The Secretary shall, as part of the
Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative, carry out a
program to support research needed to reveal electrochemistry
in confined mesoscale spaces, including scientific
discoveries relevant to bio-electrochemistry and
electrochemical energy conversion and storage in confined
spaces and the dynamics of these phenomena. In carrying out
activities under this subsection, 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. The Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy shall support translational research,
development, and validation of physical concepts developed
under this subsection.
``(2) Standard of review.--The Secretary shall review the
program activities under this subsection to determine the
achievement of technical milestones.
``(3) Authorization of appropriations.--
``(A) Authorization.--Subject to subsection (e), there are
authorized for carrying out activities under this subsection
for each of fiscal years 2017 through 2020--
``(i) $20,000,000 from funds within the Basic Energy
Sciences Program and the Biological and Environmental
Research Program accounts; and
``(ii) $10,000,000 from funds within the Energy Efficiency
and Renewable Energy account.
``(B) Prohibition.--No funds authorized under this
subsection may be obligated or expended for commercial
application of energy technology.
``(e) Funding.--No additional funds are authorized to be
appropriated under this section. This section shall be
carried out using funds otherwise authorized by law.''.
[[Page H4648]]
(b) Table of Contents Amendment.--The item relating to
section 975 in the table of contents of such Act is amended
to read as follows:
``Sec. 975. Electricity Storage Basic Research Initiative.''.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Texas (Mr. Smith) and the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Eddie Bernice
Johnson) each will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.
General Leave
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all
Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks
and include extraneous material on H.R. 5640, the bill now under
consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Texas?
There was no objection.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, H.R. 5640, the
Electricity Storage Innovation Act, which is part of the majority
leader's Innovation Initiative in this House. The legislation will
prioritize basic energy research and innovation and provides important
statutory authority and direction for the Department of Energy's
groundbreaking basic research in electricity storage.
Electricity storage is one of the next frontiers in our energy
future. Innovations leading to advanced, next generation batteries
could help bring affordable electricity and renewable energy to the
market without costly subsidies or mandates. By investing in the basic
scientific research that will lead to advanced battery technology, we
can enable utilities to store and deliver power produced elsewhere on
demand. This will allow us to take advantage of energy from all of our
diverse national resources across the country.
As the Nation's lead Federal agency for basic research in the
physical sciences, the Department of Energy's Office of Science is the
ideal leader for this fundamental scientific research. The DOE,
national labs, and our universities have the resources and capacity to
pursue the science necessary to understand and develop advanced
electricity storage systems.
H.R. 5640 authorizes the Secretary of Energy to carry out a basic
research initiative of advanced chemical and material science focusing
on multivalent systems, mesoscale electrochemistry, and high-
performance computational modeling and simulation.
This legislation also provides the necessary statutory direction and
accountability for translational research in electricity storage,
bridging the gap between fundamental science and private sector
innovation.
H.R. 5640 focuses the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable
Energy on early stage research that will not be undertaken by the
private sector. H.R. 5640 also outlines the Federal Government's role
in research and development by prohibiting the use of this program's
funds for the commercial application of energy technology.
The transformative breakthroughs in energy science achieved by
researchers at our national labs will empower the private sector to
develop innovative electricity storage technologies. The private sector
is best suited to bring new battery technology to the commercial energy
market.
By directing DOE to conduct this research using existing funds in the
Office of Science and the EERE, this legislation ensures responsible
use of limited tax dollars for basic research. In short, there is no
new or additional spending in this bill.
Scientific research, like the work authorized in this Electricity
Storage Innovation Act, requires a long-term commitment. While this
groundbreaking science will eventually support the development of new,
advanced energy technology by the private sector, Congress must ensure
limited Federal dollars are spent wisely and efficiently. Federal
research and development can build a foundation for the next major
scientific breakthrough. As we shape the future of the Department of
Energy, we must prioritize basic energy science and research that only
the Federal Government has the resources and mission to pursue.
I want to thank my colleagues on the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee for their bipartisan support of this important basic research
initiative. I encourage all of my House colleagues to support this
legislation tonight.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such
time as I may consume.
I welcome the opportunity to do everything we can to advance research
in electricity storage. Advanced battery technologies can improve the
stability of our electric grid and greatly enhance our ability to
efficiently use the wide range of clean energy resources that our
country is lucky enough to have at our disposal.
This area of research could go a long way to addressing one of the
most critical issues of our time: climate change. I appreciate the
chairman's enthusiasm for moving as quickly as possible to combat this
serious threat. However, I think we could have taken at least a little
more time to make sure that we are doing this the right way before
rushing this to the floor. Minority committee staff only saw early
draft language of this bill a few weeks ago, and last Tuesday, the
Department of Energy raised some significant concerns with the current
bill.
Of particular concern is the bill's attempt to limit the initiative
that it authorizes to basic research activities. As we heard from every
single witness at a hearing that the Science, Space, and Technology
Committee held on this topic just a month ago, as well as from DOE,
there is no clear boundary that divides basic and applied research. It
is not realistic, and certainly goes against our general understanding
of the scientific discovery and innovation, to try to confine the
activities of our top researchers in this way. Moreover, this cuts
against OMB's definition of the difference between basic and applied
research, which actually depends on what these researchers had in mind
when they were making their discoveries.
DOE noted that the activities ascribed in this bill would easily be
considered applied research. So language attempting to restrict the
initiative authorized in this bill to basic research activities could
create an inherent conflict in its implementation. Mr. Takano offered
an amendment in the committee to address the problem in our markup last
week, but, unfortunately, it fell on deaf ears in the majority and was
rejected. I do not believe that the issues the Department has raised
are insurmountable, but I still believe that there was little reason to
take this approach when there was ample opportunity to do this in a
more bipartisan way.
That said, I do not oppose passage of this bill today in the hope
that we can turn it into something we can all support in partnership
with our friends in the Senate.
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman
from Texas (Mr. Weber), who is the chairman of the Energy Subcommittee.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R.
5640, the Electricity Storage Innovation Act. This legislation directs
the Department of Energy to focus on basic research that provides the
foundation for technology breakthroughs in battery storage technology.
In the field of electricity storage research, there is a lot of
excitement about more efficient batteries that could operate for longer
durations under decreased charge times, but not enough people are
asking about how we could design a battery system that moves more
electrons at the atomic level--a key aspect to drastically increasing
the efficiency or power in a battery. This transformational approach,
known as multivalent ion intercalation, will use the foundational study
of electrochemistry to build a better battery from the ground up.
Mr. Speaker, in Congress, we must take the long-term view. We must be
patient. We must make smart investments in research that can lead to
the next big discovery. H.R. 5640 authorizes the fundamental chemistry
and materials research that can lead to advanced electricity storage
technology and allows us to gain new knowledge
[[Page H4649]]
that could provide benefits across the economy. Pardon the pun, but
that is our charge.
DOE must prioritize basic research over grants for technology that is
ready for commercial deployment. When the government steps in to push
today's technology in the energy market, it competes, Mr. Speaker,
against private investors and uses limited taxpayer resources to do so.
But when the government supports basic research and development,
everyone has the opportunity to access that fundamental knowledge that
can lead to the development of future energy technologies.
Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Chairman Smith for introducing this
important legislation to prioritize fundamental science research. I
urge my colleagues to support this innovative, fiscally responsible
legislation. You know I am right.
Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I have no further
requests for time.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
Mr. Speaker, H.R. 5640 authorizes innovative basic research that will
lead to the next generation of electricity storage technology. By
harnessing the expertise of our Nation's national labs and
universities, we can lay the fundamental scientific groundwork for the
private sector's development of new, transformative advanced batteries
in the future.
I especially want to thank my colleagues on the Science, Space, and
Technology Committee who have cosponsored H.R. 5640. They include Dan
Lipinski, Steve Knight, Randy Neugebauer, Bill Posey, Randy Hultgren,
Randy Weber, John Moolenaar, and Brian Babin.
I also want to thank the dozens of researchers and stakeholders who
provided feedback as we developed this legislation.
I want to reiterate that H.R. 5640 authorizes no new Federal
spending.
Mr. Speaker, I urge the adoption of this commonsense, bipartisan
legislation, which is part of Majority Leader McCarthy's Innovation
Initiative.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, tonight we are considering four Science, Space,
and Technology Committee bills, and I want to thank the staff members
involved. They include, Chris Wydler, Molly Fromm, John Horton, Cliff
Shannon, Sarah Jorgenson, Aaron Weston, Emily Domenech, and Ashley
Smith, whose birthday is today.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 5640,
the ``Electricity Storage Innovation Act,'' which is designed to expand
knowledge to control, store, and convert electrical energy into
chemical energy.
Energy is crucial to innovation and economic competitiveness in the
global economy.
As a former long-time member of the House Science Committee, I am
well-aware of the challenges posed by electricity generation and
storage.
At present, there is no ability to store electricity generated by our
nation's power grid.
H.R. 5640 requires that the Electricity Storage Basic Research
Initiative include research specific to multivalent ion materials in
electric energy storage systems and electrochemistry modeling.
My preference for research legislation is to allow the science to
lead and not place legislative mandates on what to research.
The legislation encourages multilateral and multidisciplinary
research efforts between National Laboratories, universities, and the
private sector to achieve milestones in advancing and modernizing
electricity storage innovation.
H.R. 5640 specifically designates two subsections for innovation: (1)
Electrochemistry Modeling and Simulation, and (2) Mesoscale
Electrochemistry.
I strongly support the $150 million in funding to expand theoretical
and fundamental knowledge to control, store, and convert electrical
energy into chemical energy.
Through this funding, innovation and scientific milestones can be
made to bring America to the cutting edge of technological advancement.
H.R. 5640 is an important step in developing the technology needed to
remain competitive in the global market of alternative energy.
I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting H.R. 5640.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Smith) that the House suspend the rules and
pass the bill, H.R. 5640, as amended.
The question was taken; and (two-thirds being in the affirmative) the
rules were suspended and the bill, as amended, was passed.
A motion to reconsider was laid on the table.
____________________