DOE AND NASA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH COORDINATION ACT

On 2025-03-24, Representative Haley M. Stevens (D-MI-11) delivered a floor speech titled "DOE AND NASA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH COORDINATION ACT" in the House. The speech addressed climate policy and also covered the environment, foreign policy. It referenced legislation: HR1368.

DOE AND NASA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH COORDINATION ACT

Congressional Record, Volume 171 Issue 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025) [Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 53 (Monday, March 24, 2025)] [House] [Pages H1207-H1209] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] DOE AND NASA INTERAGENCY RESEARCH COORDINATION ACT Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1368) to provide for Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration research and development coordination, and for other purposes. The Clerk read the title of the bill. The text of the bill is as follows: H. R. 1368 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the ``DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act''. SEC. 2. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY AND NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COORDINATION. (a) In General.--The Secretary of Energy (in this section referred to as the ``Secretary'') and the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (in this section referred to as the ``Administrator'') may carry out, as practicable, cross-cutting and collaborative research and development activities to support the advancement of Department of Energy and National Aeronautics and Space Administration mission requirements and priorities. The Secretary and Administrator, in accordance with subsection (e), may make competitive awards to carry out such activities. (b) Memoranda of Understanding.--The Secretary and the Administrator shall coordinate the activities under subsection (a) through memoranda of understanding, or other appropriate interagency agreements. (c) Coordination.--In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Secretary and the Administrator may carry out the following: (1) Conduct collaborative research and development activities in a variety of focus areas that may include the following: (A) Propulsion systems and components, including nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion, radioisotope power systems, thermoelectric generators, advanced nuclear fuels, and heater units. (B) Modeling and simulation, machine learning, data assimilation, large scale data analytics, and predictive analysis in order to optimize algorithms for mission-related purposes. (C) Fundamental high energy physics, astrophysics, and cosmology, including the nature of dark energy and dark matter, in accordance with section 305 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18643). (D) Fundamental earth and environmental sciences, in accordance with section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18644) and section 60501 of title 51, United States Code. (E) Quantum information sciences, including quantum computing and quantum network infrastructure, in accordance with sections 403 and 404 of the National Quantum Initiative Act (15 U.S.C. 8853 and 8854). (F) Radiation health effects, in accordance with section 306 of the Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act (42 U.S.C. 18644). (G) Ground- and space-based technology necessary for the transmission to the Earth's surface of solar energy collected in space. (H) Other areas of potential research and development collaboration the Secretary and the Administrator determine important to achieving agency missions and objectives. (2) Develop methods to accommodate large voluntary data sets on space and aeronautical information on high- performance computing systems with variable quality and scale. (3) Promote collaboration and data and information sharing between the Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Laboratories, and other appropriate entities by providing the necessary access and secure data and information transfer capabilities. (4) Support the Administration's access to the Department's research infrastructure and capabilities, as practicable. (d) Agreements.--In carrying out the activities under subsection (a), the Secretary and the Administrator are authorized to-- (1) carry out reimbursable and non-reimbursable agreements between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration; and [[Page H1208]] (2) collaborate with other Federal agencies, as appropriate. (e) Merit Review Process.--The Secretary and the Administrator shall ensure any competitive awards made to carry out the activities under section (a) shall follow all appropriate laws and agency policies, including the following: (1) Selection by merit-review-based processes. (2) Consideration of applications from Federal agencies, National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, non- profit institutions, and other appropriate entities. (f) Report.--Not later than two years after the date of the enactment of this section, the Secretary and the Administrator shall submit to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate, a report detailing the following: (1) Interagency research and development coordination activities between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration carried out under this section. (2) How such coordination activities expand the technical capabilities of the Department and the Administration. (3) Collaborative research and development achievements. (4) Areas of future mutually beneficial activities, including potential applications of clean energy technologies, such as marine energy. (5) Continuation of coordination activities between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. (g) Research Security.--The activities authorized under this section shall be applied in a manner consistent with subtitle D of title VI of the Research and Development, Competition, and Innovation Act (enacted as division B Public Law 117-167; 42 U.S.C. 19231 et seq.). The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin) and the gentlewoman from Michigan (Ms. Stevens) each will control 20 minutes. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas. General Leave Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H.R. 1368, the bill now under consideration. The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the gentleman from Texas? There was no objection. Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act. The Department of Energy and NASA have an extensive history of collaboration, which has enhanced both our understanding of the universe and our ability to explore well beyond our planet. The Voyager spacecrafts, which were launched more than 40 years ago and are now flying far beyond our own solar system in interstellar space, continue to operate with DOE's groundbreaking propulsion systems. This DOE-NASA partnership has driven and will continue to drive advancements in high-performance computing, keeping us at the forefront of research and development. Additionally, their collaborative work on nuclear energy is vital to establishing a long-term human presence on the Moon and next-generation in-space propulsion. However, these joint technological breakthroughs not only aid our space endeavors, but they also can be utilized here on Earth to increase global energy production from reliable energy resources. Furthermore, this partnership will help to propel satellite development, space situational awareness, and even planetary defense from near-Earth objects. In short, this bill enables two of our chief scientific agencies to do better work by tackling some of our most challenging scientific problems together. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague, Representative Begich, for introducing this legislation. I also thank Representative Whitesides for cosponsoring it. This bipartisan bill earned unanimous support in the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology and passed in the House last Congress. Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to once again support it on the floor today, and I reserve the balance of my time. Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act, H.R. 1368. The gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich) and the gentleman from California (Mr. Whitesides), the vice ranking member of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, introduced this bill. It is another great bipartisan bill. These Members of Congress from the Western part of this Nation fully understand and appreciate what it means to have coordinated interagency activities on behalf of our competitive abilities. Enhancing this type of collaboration between the Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will have a multiplier effect on the creative, innovative, and inspiring work of these two agencies. It is an important tool in furthering agency missions and the Nation's goals in science and exploration. The Department of Energy and NASA's partnership is already demonstrating impressive results. For example, earlier this year, NASA and the DOE collaborated on selecting an award for continued industry work on a space microreactor design that could provide a supply of power for use on the Moon and beyond. Just last week, scientists posted new data from the Department of Energy's ground-based Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument, providing insights on the mysterious dark energy of the universe that NASA's science satellites also study from space. {time} 1530 We are on the tipping point of major things. We are working on and seein

Referenced legislation: HR1368, HR1368