Randy Weber: “I thank Chairman Smith for yielding me time to speak on this important legislation that is on the floor today. Mr.…”

“I thank Chairman Smith for yielding me time to speak on this important legislation that is on the floor today. Mr. Chair, H.R. 1806, the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2015, authorizes the science and energy research programs at the Department of Energy, providing funding for research and development conducted in our universities and national labs across the country. DOE is the largest Federal supporter of basic research in the physical sciences and provides user facilities for over 31,000 scientific researchers each year. The America COMPETES Act prioritizes funding for the Office of Science, which conducts critical research in high energy physics, advanced scientific computing, biological and environmental research, nuclear physics, fusion energy sciences, and basic energy sciences. This basic R&D has broad applications for our economy and for our national security, providing tools and user facilities for researchers in all energy fields. The America COMPETES Act also reauthorizes the Department's applied energy programs in nuclear energy, fossil energy, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and electricity research and development. By prioritizing research and development in these programs, we can maximize Federal dollars and leave commercialization and deployment to the private sector, Mr. Chairman, which has the most incentive to bring new, cost-effective, and efficient technologies to market.…”