[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 98 (Wednesday, June 12, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S3415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 338. Mr. MERKLEY submitted an amendment intended to be proposed by 
him to the bill S. 1790, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 
2020 for military activities of the Department of Defense, for military 
construction, and for defense activities of the Department of Energy, 
to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for 
other purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

       At the end of subtitle C of title II, add the following:

     SEC. ___. STUDY ON COLLABORATION BETWEEN DEPARTMENT OF 
                   DEFENSE AND DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ON ENERGY 
                   RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER.

       (a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
       (1) The Department of Defense will invest $1,600,000,000 
     this year in research, development, testing, and evaluation 
     (RDT&E) that is directly related to energy.
       (2) Such investment in energy reflects the Armed Forces' 
     characteristic pursuit of advanced technology as a force 
     multiplier.
       (3) The Department played a major role in the development 
     of at least three of the most important energy innovations of 
     the last 75 years, namely the nuclear reactor, the gas 
     turbine or jet engine, and the solar photovoltaic (PV) cell.
       (4) The Department has been the driver for many major non-
     energy innovations as well, including radar, satellites, the 
     Global Positioning System (GPS), lasers, computers and 
     semiconductors, robotics, artificial intelligence, and the 
     Internet.
       (5) The energy needs of the Department are changing and 
     growing. Most significant, the dramatic increase in 
     electrical systems onboard military platforms is driving 
     electrification of the battlefield. That and the need to 
     reduce the logistics footprint are creating requirements for 
     distributed and portable power generation, smart energy 
     networks, improved energy storage, and wireless power 
     transmission.
       (6) The approach of the Department to innovation is well 
     suited to energy innovation, including vendors' need to both 
     demonstrate their complex technologies at scale, under 
     realistic conditions (Department bases and platforms, 
     combined with the Armed Forces' test-and-evaluation culture 
     are a unique resource), and compete on price with low-cost 
     incumbents (the Department values performance over price, and 
     the military market is large enough to yield economies of 
     scale and learning by doing).
       (b) Study and Report Required.--
       (1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date of 
     the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall--
       (A) complete a study on identifying impediments to, and 
     opportunities for, greater collaboration between the 
     Department of Defense and the Department of Energy on energy 
     research, development, and potential technology transfer, 
     particularly in the areas of solar photovoltaic, micorgrids, 
     energy storage, and wide bandgap semiconductors; and
       (B) submit to Congress the findings of the Secretary with 
     respect to the study completed under subparagraph (A).
       (2) Identification of authority gaps.--In carrying out the 
     study required by paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall 
     identify current areas where the executive branch does not 
     have adequate authority to foster the collaboration described 
     in such paragraph.
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