[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 116 (Wednesday, June 24, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3207-S3208]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. REED (for himself, Mr. Inhofe, Mr. Moran, Mr. Jones, and 
        Mrs. Hyde-Smith):
  S. 4053. A bill to amend the Energy Policy Act of 1992 to modernize 
the EPSCoR program of the Department of Energy, and for other purposes; 
to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, today I introduce, along with Senator 
Inhofe, Senator Jones, Senator Moran, and Senator Hyde-Smith, the DOE 
EPSCoR Modernization Act of 2020.
  As many of our colleagues are aware, the Department of Energy 
Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE EPSCoR) was 
established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (P.L. 102-486). This 
critical initiative seeks to improve the capacity of eligible states to 
conduct nationally competitive energy research and connect eligible 
states with the National Laboratory System.
  The purpose of the bill we are introducing is to broaden the scope of 
the

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research funded by the DOE EPSCoR program beyond basic science, to 
encompass the full range of research supported by DOE. This includes 
cutting-edge research in applied energy technologies, energy 
efficiency, energy storage, and environmental management, to name a few 
key areas. Yet, because of the program's narrow focus on basic science, 
EPSCoR States are only able to support a small fraction of DOE's 
research mission.
  Our bill would continue to support investments in research 
infrastructure and expand opportunities for EPSCoR institutions to 
partner with National Laboratories to conduct their research. Our bill 
would also increase support for graduate students and early career 
faculty.
  When the National Academy of Sciences evaluated EPSCoR programs, it 
concluded that EPSCoR programs are critical to the nation's scientific 
and technology leadership, because EPSCoR helps ensure that talented 
researchers and scientists from all 50 states are partners in science 
and technology research. This is even truer in the context of energy 
issues, where each state and region faces different energy 
opportunities and infrastructure challenges.
  By modernizing the program and bringing it into alignment with EPSCoR 
programs operated by other agencies, DOE EPSCoR will be better 
positioned to meet today's energy challenges and align with the 
interests and strengths of EPSCoR states. I am pleased to have the 
support of the Coalition of EPSCoR/IDeA States in this effort, and I 
urge our colleagues to join us in pressing for passage of this bill.
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