Bipartisan Bills Propel Innovation in Energy, Research, and Technology

In a significant move, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has passed four bipartisan bills aimed at advancing the energy, research, and technology sectors. The bills were praised by Chairman Frank Lucas (R-OK) as a crucial step towards fostering innovation in these critical fields.

The energy legislation will support America’s clean energy future by expanding geothermal energy research and driving the development and demonstration of domestic nuclear fuel projects. Additionally, two research and technology bills will strengthen interagency research partnerships to address challenges in the agricultural sector and promote collaborative research funding at NIST.

One of the bills passed by the Committee is H.R. 8613, the NSF and USDA Interagency Research Act, which authorizes collaborative research between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to enhance agricultural sustainability through technological solutions. Another bill, H.R. 8665, the Supercritical Geothermal Research and Development Act, directs activities at the Department of Energy to support supercritical geothermal and closed-loop geothermal systems in supercritical conditions.

The Expanding Partnerships for Innovation and Competitiveness Act (H.R. 8673) establishes the Foundation for Standards and Metrology at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), while H.R. 8674, Milestones for Advanced Nuclear Fuel Act, establishes milestone-based projects related to nuclear fuels at the Department of Energy (DOE).

Chairman Lucas expressed his gratitude to committee members for their hard work in crafting these bills and looked forward to advancing them on the House floor to champion their critical benefits to our nation.

Overall, these bipartisan measures represent a significant investment in our country’s future by promoting innovation in key areas such as energy production, agriculture sustainability, standards development, metrology establishment