Dick Durbin: “the Senate is currently considering a bipartisan energy bill that could lead America on a pathway to rebuilding our…”

“the Senate is currently considering a bipartisan energy bill that could lead America on a pathway to rebuilding our Nation's economy in this century. It has been 9 years since we passed an energy bill and a lot of things have changed. The bill we are considering contains important provisions to build domestic clean energy sources, strengthen energy efficiency measures, and modernize our electric grid. This bill also represents a commitment to basic science research at the Department of Energy. I believe it can and should do more than what the original bill proposes. We need more robust support for basic science research--the kind of research that costs too much and takes too long for any individual company to undertake. We need to invest in medical and basic science research. The investment will pay off for generations to come. I cochair the Senate National Lab Caucus, and I know that if we invest in research in the National Labs, it will lead to breakthroughs that will help keep America competitive and create good-paying jobs. At Fermi National Accelerator Lab in Illinois, the development of superconducting wire technology enabled the large-scale manufacture of the magnetic resonance imaging--or MRI--machines doctors use today. Sometimes it is hard for the scientists and engineers and leaders at these labs to explain in simple words what they are doing and why it is important. This is an example.…”