January 24, 2017

On January 24 the House passed H.R. 589, the “Department of Energy Research and Innovation Act." Congressman Lamar Smith (R-TX-21) introduced this bill to promote U.S. technology transfer and commercialization and to establish and reform DOE science and energy research policies and development programs. If this bill becomes law, the Department of Energy (DOE) research policies may potentially be overhauled.

This bill aims to increase commercialization of new technologies, promote the development of advanced nuclear reactors, and create research initiatives on solar fuels and electricity storage. The proposed DOE restructuring will remove redundant research areas, ease departmental coordination and communication, and increase academia and private sector research contracts.

H.R. 589 prioritizes technology transfer by establishing more innovation hubs and authorizing funds for new projects.  It would also create an all-encompassing DOE database outlining grants, energy research contracts, and cooperative agreements.

Source: Congress.gov