[House Report 115-556]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 115-556
======================================================================
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE ACT OF 2017
_______
February 13, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4376]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 4376) to direct the Secretary of
Energy to carry out certain upgrades to research equipment and
the construction of a research user facility, and for other
purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon
without amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Committee Statement and Views.................................... 2
Section-by-Section............................................... 6
Explanation of Amendments........................................ 6
Committee Consideration.......................................... 6
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 6
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 6
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 7
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 7
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 7
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 7
Unfunded Mandate Statement....................................... 7
Earmark Identification........................................... 7
Committee Estimate............................................... 7
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate... 8
Committee Statement and Views
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The purpose of H.R. 4376, the ``Department of Energy
Research Infrastructure Act of 2017,'' is to provide for
technological innovation through the prioritization of upgrades
of key user facilities at Department of Energy (DOE) national
labs from the existing Federal investment in basic research and
fundamental scientific discovery by the DOE Office of Science.
The bill authorizes an upgrade to the Advanced Light Source
(ALS-U) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Linac
Coherent Light Source II High Energy Upgrade (LCLS-II-HE) at
the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center National Laboratory, and
the construction of the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB)
at Michigan State University.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
DOE is the leading federal sponsor of research in the
physical sciences, and operates world-class, open-access user
facilities around the country at the DOE national laboratories.
These facilities include the supercomputers, x-ray light
sources, photon sources, and neutron sources necessary to
conduct ground-breaking basic research, and host approximately
30,000 researchers annually from around the world.
The Committee recognizes that these best-in-the-world
science facilities uniquely enable research conducted through
the DOE Office of Science and other federal sponsors of basic
research, and facilitate revolutionary discoveries about the
atomic structure, properties, and dynamics of materials. The
next transformative breakthroughs in innovative energy
technologies will likely arise from a strong foundation in
basic research, particularly in the study of and development of
unique materials, for which the facilities authorized in this
bill provide critical capabilities.
This legislation relies on the assessments of the
Department and the scientific community, primarily through the
long-range planning function of the DOE Office of Science Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) and the Nuclear
Science Advisory Committee (NSAC). Both advisory committees,
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and
comprised of representatives from universities, national
laboratories, and industries involved in relevant areas of
research, provide official technical advice to the Department
and other federal agencies on the national program priorities
for basic energy sciences and nuclear science research.
Based on the recommendations provided in the most recent
reports issued from each advisory committee, H.R. 4376
authorizes the completion of upgrades and construction of
scientific user facilities necessary to undertake the next
generation of transformative research in these areas. Under
this legislation, the Secretary of Energy is directed to
provide for an upgrade to the ALS at Lawrence Berkeley National
Laboratory (LBNL) and a high energy upgrade to the LCLS-II at
Stanford Linear Accelerator Center National Laboratory (SLAC)
under the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program within the DOE
Office of Science. The Secretary is also directed to complete
the construction of FRIB, located at Michigan State University,
under the Office of Nuclear Physics (NP) within the DOE Office
of Science.
The ALS is a specialized particle accelerator that
generates bright beams of x-ray light for scientific research.
Electron bunches travel at nearly the speed of light in a
circular path, emitting ultraviolet and x-ray light in the
process. The light is directed through about 40 beamlines to
numerous experimental end-stations, where scientists conduct
research in a wide variety of fields, including materials
science, biology, chemistry, physics, and the environmental
sciences. The ALS-U will employ new technology to produce
highly focused beams of soft x-ray light that are up to 1000
times brighter than current capability. Soft x-rays, like those
produced at the ALS, are optimal for probing the electronic
structure of chemicals and materials.
LCLS-II is the world's first hard x-ray free-electron
laser. Scientists use its strobe-like pulses to take crisp
pictures of atomic motions, watch chemical reactions unfold,
probe the properties of materials and explore fundamental
processes in living things. The LCLS-II-HE will build on the
success of LCLS-II to ensure that the U.S. maintains a world-
leading capability for advanced research in chemistry,
materials, biology and energy. LCLS-II-HE will provide a major
jump in capability--moving from 120 pulses per second to 1
million pulses per second, and will enable researchers to
perform experiments in a wide range of fields that are now
impossible.
The Department's longstanding support and prioritization of
both the ALS upgrade and the high energy upgrade to LCLS-II is
documented in a publication of the Office of Science titled,
``Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year
Outlook,'' published November 2003, and its publication of
``Four Years Later: An Interim Report on Facilities for the
Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook,'' published August
2007. In June 2016, the BESAC released a report titled,
``Report on Facility Upgrades,'' which identified the ALS-U and
the LCLS-II-HE as two of the five priority upgrade projects
within BES. In this report, the BESAC determined that the ALS-U
and the LCLS-II-HE are absolutely central to U.S. contributions
to world leading science and that both projects are ready to
proceed with construction.
DOE nuclear physics research programs support the
experimental and theoretical research needed to discover,
explore, and understand all forms of nuclear matter. Within the
area of low energy nuclear physics research, FRIB will advance
the understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the evolution of
the cosmos. FRIB, which is currently under construction, is a
one-of-a-kind, linear accelerator user facility that will use
fast, stopped, and reaccelerated rare isotope beams to allow
researchers to study a variety of rare isotopes and their
properties.
FRIB will expand the foundational understanding of nuclear
structure, the atomic interactions of nuclear species, and the
origin of elements, and will enable critical nuclear science
research across a wide breadth of fields, ranging from medicine
to astrophysics.
The Department's longstanding support of the construction
of a rare isotope accelerator is documented in a publication of
NSAC titled, ``Opportunities in Nuclear Science, A Long-Range
Plan for the Next Decade,'' published April 2002. In December
2007, NSAC recommended the construction of FRIB in its
publication of ``The Frontiers of Nuclear Science, A Long Range
Plan,'' and in October 2015, NSAC listed the completion of FRIB
construction as one of the committee's highest priorities in
its publication titled, ``Reaching for the Horizon: The 2015
Long Range Plan for Nuclear Science.''
Further, this legislation requires that, to the maximum
extent practicable, the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that
the start of full operations of the FRIB occurs before June 30,
2022, the start of full operations of the LCLS-II-HE occurs
before December 31, 2025, and the start of full operations of
ALS-U occurs before December 31, 2026.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On November 18, 2015, the Energy Subcommittee held a
hearing titled, ``Recommendations of the Commission to Review
the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories.''
Witnesses were: Mr. TJ Glauthier, Co-Chair, Commission to
Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories;
Dr. Jared L. Cohon, Co-Chair, Commission to Review the
Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories; Dr. Peter
Littlewood, Director, Argonne National Laboratory.
On March 22, 2016, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``An Overview of the Budget Proposal for the Department of
Energy for Fiscal Year 2017.'' The witness was The Honorable
Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
On June 15, 2016, the Energy Subcommittee held a hearing
titled, ``Innovation in Solar Fuels, Electricity Storage, and
Advanced Materials.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Nate Lewis,
Professor, California Institute of Technology; Dr. Daniel
Scherson, Professor, Case Western Reserve University; Dr.
Collin Broholm, Professor, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Daniel
Hallinan Jr., Assistant Professor, Florida A&M University--
Florida State University College of Engineering.
On June 28, 2017, the Energy Subcommittee and the Research
and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing titled, ``Material
Science: Building the Future.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Matthew
Tirrell, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Chief
Research Officer, Argonne National Laboratory; Dr. Laurie
Locascio, Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs and
Director, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute
of Standards and Technology; Dr. Adam Schwartz, Director, Ames
Laboratory; Dr. Fred Higgs, John and Ann Doerr Professor of
Mechanical Engineering, Rice University.
On July 19, 2017, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``Energy Innovation: Letting Technology Lead.'' Witnesses were:
Dr. Jacob DeWitte, President and CEO, Oklo; Dr. Gaurav N. Sant,
Associate Professor and Henry Samueli Fellow, Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los
Angeles; Dr. Venky Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Research
Professor of Technology and Public Policy, John A. Paulson
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University;
Mr. Kiran Kumaraswamy, Market Development Director, AES Energy
Storage.
On November 13, 2017, Energy Subcommittee Vice Chair
Stephen Knight introduced H.R. 4376, which was referred solely
to the Committee.
On November 15, 2017, the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology approved and ordered reported H.R. 4376 by voice
vote.
COMMITTEE VIEWS
Advanced Light Source upgrade
H.R. 4376 authorizes a seven-year upgrade to the ALS
described in the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9,
2016, titled, ``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' This includes
the development of a multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a
high flux of coherent x-rays within the soft x-ray energy
region and a suite of beamlines optimized for this source. The
Committee concurs with the assessment of the Department and the
most recent BESAC report that the completion of this upgrade is
essential to maintaining world-leading science here in the
United States.
The ALS upgrade authorized in this legislation will utilize
new advances in accelerator technologies to produce soft x-ray
beams that are several orders of magnitude brighter than the
current ALS beamlines. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-
budget construction of this project, the Committee included a
timeline and sufficient annual authorizations in this
legislation requiring the Department to complete the ALS
upgrade by the close of 2026.
Linac Coherent Light Source
H.R. 4376 also authorizes the LCLS-II-HE six-year upgrade
described in the June 9, 2016, BESAC ``Report on Facility
Upgrades,'' including the development of experimental
capabilities for high energy x-rays to reveal fundamental
scientific discoveries. The Committee concurs with the
assessment of the Department and this most recent BESAC report
that the completion of this upgrade is essential to maintaining
world-leading science here in the United States.
The LCLS-II-HE upgrade authorized in this legislation will
provide researchers with the imaging capability necessary to
advance discoveries in chemistry, materials science, biology,
and energy. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-budget
construction of this project, the Committee included a timeline
and sufficient annual authorizations in this legislation
requiring the Department to complete the LCLS-II-HE upgrade by
the close of 2025.
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
Finally, H.R. 4376 authorizes completion of the FRIB to
advance the understanding of rare nuclear isotopes and the
evolution of the cosmos. This facility could also potentially
be used to produce medical isotopes for diagnostic and
therapeutic needs. While construction of the FRIB began in
fiscal year 2014 and is already over 70 percent complete, the
Committee believes that an authorization of specific annual
funding for the remaining construction and necessary
instrumentation is required to ensure this vital project is
completed on time and on budget by June, 2022.
The Committee also acknowledges the essential support for
fundamental nuclear science from DOE NP, including the Nuclear
Theory subprogram which increases the knowledge base that will
ultimately identify new frontiers for future experiments in
nuclear science. The Committee also encourages NP to continue
its research efforts to explore novel concepts and rare decay
processes relevant for the production of critical isotopes that
support medical applications.
Section-by-Section
Sec. 1. Short title
Department of Energy Research Infrastructure Act of 2017.
Sec. 2. Advanced Light Source upgrade
This section authorizes the ALS-U over seven years. This
upgrade will ensure that DOE can maintain ALS's status as a
world class soft x-ray facility and allow scientists to study
the structure and behavior of materials at extremely small
scales.
Sec. 3. Linac Coherent Light Source II High Energy upgrade
This section authorizes the LCLS-II-HE over six years. This
upgrade will provide a major jump in imaging capability and
will enable researchers to perform experiments in chemistry,
materials, biology and energy that are now impossible.
Sec. 4. Facility for Rare Isotope Beams
This section authorizes the completion of construction of
FRIB over five years. This facility will enable the study of a
variety of rare isotopes and their properties, in order to
expand our understanding of nuclear structure, the atomic
interactions of nuclear species, and the origin of elements.
Explanation of Amendments
There were no amendments to this bill.
Committee Consideration
On November 15, 2017, the Committee met in open session and
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 4376, by voice vote,
a quorum being present.
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a
description of the application of this bill to the legislative
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
This bill authorizes an upgrade to the ALS-U at LBNL, the LCLS-
II-HE at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center National
Accelerator Laboratory, and the construction of the FRIB at
Michigan State University. As such, this bill does not relate
to employment or access to public services and accommodations.
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
H.R. 4367 would provide for technological innovation
through the prioritization of Federal investment in basic
research and fundamental scientific discovery through the
upgrade of key user facilities at DOE national labs.
Duplication of Federal Programs
No provision of H.R. 4376 establishes or reauthorizes a
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 4376 does not
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).
Unfunded Mandate Statement
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to
whether the provisions of the reported include unfunded
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included
herein.
Earmark Identification
H.R. 4376 does not include any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 of rule XXI.
Committee Estimate
Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out
H.R. 4376. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following cost estimate for H.R. 4376 from the Director of
Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4376, the
Department of Energy Research Infrastructure Act of 2017.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall,
Director.
Enclosure.
H.R. 4376--Department of Energy Research Infrastructure Act of 2017
Summary: H.R. 4376 would authorize the appropriation of
funds to support the upgrade and construction of research
equipment and facilities administered by the Department of
Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science. CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 4376 would cost $836 million over the 2018-
2022 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized amounts.
Enacting H.R 4376 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4376 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 4376 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary effect of H.R. 4376 is shown in the following table.
The cost of this legislation falls within budget function 250
(general science, space, and technology).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2018-2022
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Advanced Light Source Upgrade:
Authorization Level............................ 20 50 80 80 52 282
Estimated Outlays.............................. 11 34 62 76 65 247
Linac Coherent Light Source II Upgrade:a
Authorization Level............................ 0 55 80 80 54 269
Estimated Outlays.............................. 0 30 61 76 66 233
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams:b
Authorization Level............................ 2 103 104 105 106 420
Estimated Outlays.............................. 1 57 88 104 105 357
Total:
Authorization Level........................ 22 208 264 265 212 971
Estimated Outlays.......................... 12 121 211 256 236 836
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Numbers may not add up to totals because of rounding.
aH.R. 4376 would authorize the appropriation of $20 million in 2018 for upgrades to the Linac Coherent Light
Source II. On an annualized basis, Public Law 115-90 provided $188 million in 2018 for this project. As a
result, CBO estimates that H.R. 4376 would not authorize an increase in spending subject to appropriation in
2018.
bH.R. 4376 would authorize the appropriation of $101 million in 2018 for construction of the Facility for Rare
Isotope Beams. On an annualized basis, Public Law 115-90 provided $99 million in 2018 for this project. As a
result, CBO estimates that H.R. 4376 would authorize an increase in spending subject to appropriation in 2018
by $2 million, the difference between the authorized amount and annualized appropriated amount.
BASIS OF ESTIMATE
Spending subject to appropriation
Under current law, DOE's Office of Science supports basic
research in the physical sciences and operates a system of
national scientific user facilities. The office received an
appropriation of $5.4 billion in 2017 and the same amount on an
annualized basis for 2018; that amount includes funding for
construction and upgrades of equipment and research facilities.
Under current law, no specific sums are authorized to be
appropriated to DOE for those purposes after 2018.
H.R. 4376 would authorize appropriations totaling $971
million over the 2018-2022 period for the following specific
projects:
$282 million for upgrades to the Advanced
Light Source;
$269 million for upgrades to the Linac
Coherent Light Source II; and
$420 million for construction of the
Facility for Rare Isotope Beams.
The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $53
million in 2023 and $6 million in 2024 for those projects.
According to DOE, the upgrade of the Advanced Light Source
is in the design phase, and the upgrade of the Linac Coherent
Light Source II and construction of the Facility for Rare
Isotope Beams are nearing completion. In 2017, the agency spent
$300 million for those two projects.
Based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that
if the authorized amounts are appropriated, implementing H.R.
4376 would cost $836 million over the 2018-2022 period and $194
million after 2022.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: None.
Increase in long-term direct spending and deficits: CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 4376 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
Mandates: H.R. 4376 contains no intergovernmental or
private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Janani Shankaran;
Mandates: Jon Sperl.
Estimate approved by: H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.