Todd Jacobson
NS&D Monitor
9/19/2014
Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho) have formally established a bipartisan Senate National Laboratory Caucus aimed at rallying funding and policy support for the Department of Energy’s 17 institutions. The senators gathered with Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz and directors or representatives from each of the 17 laboratories Sept. 16 to showcase the latest innovations from the institutions and tout the collective impact the labs can have on the nation. “We view this as a system with tremendous capacity and that capacity is brought to bear first on the missions of the Department of Energy but also on other critical missions in the country,” Moniz said.
The lab caucus also includes Sens. Chris Coons (D-Del.), Tim Johnson (D-S.D.), Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), Michael Bennett (D-Colo.), Tom Udall (D-N.M.), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Mike Crapo (R-Idaho). “The national labs truly are a unique jewel that helps set the United States ahead in pursuit of new breakthrough scientific discoveries,” Durbin said. Risch said the goal of the caucus was to help communicate to other Senators the value of the labs. “In this time of tighter budgets it’s important the Department of Energy leverages the unique assets at each laboratory, fosters and creates new partnerships, and encourages the labs to work together to provide the taxpayer with the best return on investment,” he said.
