SEC. 301. Short Title.
This title may be cited as the “Department of Energy Office of Science Policy Act”.
Title III — Department of Energy Office of Science Policy
TITLE III Department of Energy Office of Science Policy
SEC. 302. Mission.
Section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7139) is amended by adding at the end the following:
“(c) Mission.—The mission of the Office of Science shall be the delivery of scientific discoveries, capabilities, and major scientific tools to transform the understanding of nature and to advance the energy, economic, and national security of the United States.”
SEC. 303. Basic Energy Sciences.
Energy Frontier Research Centers.—
In general.— The Director shall carry out a program to provide awards, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, to multi-institutional collaborations or other appropriate entities to conduct fundamental and use-inspired energy research to accelerate scientific breakthroughs.
Collaborations.— A collaboration receiving an award under this subsection may include multiple types of institutions and private sector entities.
Selection and duration.—
In general.— A collaboration under this subsection shall be selected for a period of 4 years.
Existing centers.— An Energy Frontier Research Center in existence and supported by the Director on the date of enactment of this Act may continue to receive support for a period of 4 years beginning on the date of establishment of that center.
Reapplication.— After the end of the period described in subparagraph (A) or (B), as applicable, a recipient of an award may reapply for selection on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis.
Termination.— Consistent with the existing authorities of the Department, the Director may terminate an underperforming center for cause during the performance period.
No funding for construction.— No funding provided pursuant to this subsection may be used for the construction of new buildings or facilities.
Basic Energy Sciences User Facilities.—
In general.— The Director shall carry out a program for the development, construction, operation, and maintenance of national user facilities.
Requirements.— To the maximum extent practicable, the national user facilities developed, constructed, operated, or maintained under paragraph (1) shall serve the needs of the Department, industry, the academic community, and other relevant entities to create and examine materials and chemical processes for the purpose of improving the competitiveness of the United States.
Included facilities.— The national user facilities developed, constructed, operated, or maintained under paragraph (1) shall include—
x-ray light sources;
neutron sources;
nanoscale science research centers; and
such other facilities as the Director considers appropriate, consistent with section 209 of the Department of Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7139).
Accelerator Research and Development.— The Director shall carry out research and development on advanced accelerator and storage ring technologies relevant to the development of basic energy sciences user facilities, in consultation with the High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics programs of the Office of Science.
Solar Fuels Research Initiative.—
In general.— Section 973 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16313) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 973. SOLAR FUELS RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
“(a) Initiative.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out a research initiative, to be known as the ‘Solar Fuels Research Initiative’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Initiative’) to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge of photochemistry, electrochemistry, biochemistry, and materials science useful for the practical development of experimental systems to convert solar energy to chemical energy.
“(2) Leveraging.—In carrying out programs and activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise and resources from—
“(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science; and
“(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
“(3) Teams.—
“(A) In general.—In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise from the National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the private sector.
“(B) Goals.—The multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research goals.
“(C) Resources.—The Secretary shall provide sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to be determined by the Secretary.
“(4) Additional activities.—The Secretary may organize additional activities under this subsection through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
“(b) Artificial Photosynthesis.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to, artificial photosynthetic systems.
“(2) Activities.—As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
“(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall support basic research to pursue distinct lines of scientific inquiry, including—
“(i) photoinduced production of hydrogen and oxygen from water; and
“(ii) the sustainable photoinduced reduction of carbon dioxide to fuel products including hydrocarbons, alcohols, carbon monoxide, and natural gas; and
“(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
“(3) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
“(4) Prohibition.—No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.
“(c) Biochemistry, Replication of Natural Photosynthesis, and Related Processes.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to replicate natural photosynthetic processes by use of artificial photosynthetic components and materials.
“(2) Activities.—As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
“(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall support basic research to expand fundamental knowledge to replicate natural synthesis processes, including—
“(i) the photoinduced reduction of dinitrogen to ammonia;
“(ii) the absorption of carbon dioxide from ambient air;
“(iii) molecular-based charge separation and storage;
“(iv) photoinitiated electron transfer; and
“(v) catalysis in biological or biomimetic systems;
“(B) the Associate Director of Biological and Environmental Research shall support systems biology and genomics approaches to understand genetic and physiological pathways connected to photosynthetic mechanisms; and
“(C) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
“(3) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
“(4) Prohibition.—No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.”
Conforming amendment.— The table of contents for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by striking the item relating to section 973 and inserting the following:
“Sec. 973. Solar fuels research initiative.”.
Electricity Storage Research Initiative.—
In general.— Section 975 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16315) is amended to read as follows:
“SEC. 975. ELECTRICITY STORAGE RESEARCH INITIATIVE.
“(a) Initiative.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out a research initiative, to be known as the ‘Electricity Storage Research Initiative’ (referred to in this section as the ‘Initiative’)—
“(A) to expand theoretical and fundamental knowledge to control, store, and convert—
“(i) electrical energy to chemical energy; and
“(ii) chemical energy to electrical energy; and
“(B) to support scientific inquiry into the practical understanding of chemical and physical processes that occur within systems involving crystalline and amorphous solids, polymers, and organic and aqueous liquids.
“(2) Leveraging.—In carrying out programs and activities under the Initiative, the Secretary shall leverage expertise and resources from—
“(A) the Basic Energy Sciences Program, the Advanced Scientific Computing Research Program, and the Biological and Environmental Research Program of the Office of Science; and
“(B) the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
“(3) Teams.—
“(A) In general.—In carrying out the Initiative, the Secretary shall organize activities among multidisciplinary teams to leverage, to the maximum extent practicable, expertise from the National Laboratories, institutions of higher education, and the private sector.
“(B) Goals.—The multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) shall pursue aggressive, milestone-driven, basic research goals.
“(C) Resources.—The Secretary shall provide sufficient resources to the multidisciplinary teams described in subparagraph (A) to achieve the goals described in subparagraph (B) over a period of time to be determined by the Secretary.
“(4) Additional activities.—The Secretary may organize additional activities under this subsection through Energy Frontier Research Centers, Energy Innovation Hubs, or other organizational structures.
“(b) Multivalent Systems.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to bridge scientific barriers to, and discover knowledge relevant to, multivalent ion materials in electric energy storage systems.
“(2) Activities.—As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
“(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences shall investigate electrochemical properties and the dynamics of materials, including charge transfer phenomena and mass transport in materials; and
“(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
“(3) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
“(4) Prohibition.—No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.
“(c) Electrochemistry Modeling and Simulation.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research to model and simulate organic electrolytes, including the static and dynamic electrochemical behavior and phenomena of organic electrolytes at the molecular and atomic level in monovalent and multivalent systems.
“(2) Activities.—As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
“(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, in coordination with the Associate Director of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, shall support the development of high performance computational tools through a joint development process to maximize the effectiveness of current and projected high performance computing systems; and
“(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
“(3) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
“(4) Prohibition.—No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.
“(d) Mesoscale Electrochemistry.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall carry out under the Initiative a program to support research needed to reveal electrochemistry in confined mesoscale spaces, including scientific discoveries relevant to—
“(A) bio-electrochemistry and electrochemical energy conversion and storage in confined spaces; and
“(B) the dynamics of the phenomena described in subparagraph (A).
“(2) Activities.—As part of the program described in paragraph (1)—
“(A) the Director of the Office of Basic Energy Sciences and the Associate Director of Biological and Environmental Research shall investigate phenomena of mesoscale electrochemical confinement for the purpose of replicating and controlling new electrochemical behavior; and
“(B) the Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy shall support translational research, development, and validation of physical concepts developed under the program.
“(3) Standard of review.—The Secretary shall review activities carried out under the program described in paragraph (1) to determine the achievement of technical milestones.
“(4) Prohibition.—No funds allocated to the program described in paragraph (1) may be obligated or expended for commercial application of energy technology.”
Conforming amendment.— The table of contents for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 is amended by striking the item relating to section 975 and inserting the following:
“Sec. 975. Electricity storage research initiative.”.
SEC. 304. Advanced Scientific Computing Research.
American Super Computing Leadership.—
Renaming of act.—
In general.— Section 1 of the Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 5501 note; Public Law 108–423) is amended by striking “ Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004” and inserting “ American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017”.
Conforming amendment.— Section 976(a)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16316(1)) is amended by striking “ Department of Energy High-End Computing Revitalization Act of 2004” and inserting “ American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017”.
Definitions.— Section 2 of the American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 5541) is amended—
by redesignating paragraphs (2) through (5) as paragraphs (3) through (6), respectively;
by striking paragraph (1) and inserting the following:
“(1) Department.—The term ‘Department’ means the Department of Energy.
“(2) Exascale computing.—The term ‘exascale computing’ means computing through the use of a computing machine that performs near or above 10 to the 18th power operations per second.”
; and
in paragraph (6) (as redesignated by subparagraph (A)), by striking “ , acting through the Director of the Office of Science of the Department of Energy”.
Department of energy high-end computing research and development program.— Section 3 of the American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 5542) is amended—
in subsection (a)(1), by striking “ program” and inserting “ coordinated program across the Department”;
in subsection (b)(2), by striking “ , which may” and all that follows through “ architectures”; and
by striking subsection (d) and inserting the following:
“(d) Exascale Computing Program.—
“(1) In general.—The Secretary shall conduct a research program (referred to in this subsection as the ‘Program’) for exascale computing, including the development of two or more exascale computing machine architectures, to promote the missions of the Department.
“(2) Execution.—
“(A) In general.—In carrying out the Program, the Secretary shall—
“(i) establish two or more National Laboratory partnerships with industry partners and institutions of higher education for the research and development of two or more exascale computing architectures across all applicable organizations of the Department;
“(ii) conduct mission-related codesign activities in developing the exascale computing architectures under clause (i);
“(iii) develop such advancements in hardware and software technology as are required to fully realize the potential of an exascale production system in addressing Department target applications and solving scientific problems involving predictive modeling and simulation and large scale data analytics and management;
“(iv) explore the use of exascale computing technologies to advance a broad range of science and engineering; and
“(v) provide, as appropriate, on a competitive, merit-reviewed basis, access for researchers in industries in the United States, institutions of higher education, National Laboratories, and other Federal agencies to the exascale computing systems developed pursuant to clause (i).
“(B) Selection of partners.—The Secretary shall select the partnerships with the computing facilities of the Department under subparagraph (A) through a competitive, peer-review process.
“(3) Codesign and application development.—
“(A) In general.—The Secretary shall—
“(i) carry out the Program through an integration of applications, computer science, applied mathematics, and computer hardware architecture using the partnerships established pursuant to paragraph (2) to ensure that, to the maximum extent practicable, two or more exascale computing machine architectures are capable of solving Department target applications and broader scientific problems, including predictive modeling and simulation and large scale data analytics and management; and
“(ii) conduct outreach programs to increase the readiness for the use of such platforms by domestic industries, including manufacturers.
“(B) Report.—The Secretary shall submit to Congress a report describing—
“(i) how the integration under subparagraph (A) is furthering application science data and computational workloads across application interests, including national security, material science, physical science, cybersecurity, biological science, the Materials Genome and BRAIN Initiatives of the President, advanced manufacturing, and the national electric grid; and
“(ii) the roles and responsibilities of National Laboratories and industry, including the definition of the roles and responsibilities within the Department to ensure an integrated program across the Department.
“(4) Project review.—
“(A) In general.—The exascale architectures developed pursuant to partnerships established pursuant to paragraph (2) shall be reviewed through a project review process.
“(B) Report.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on—
“(i) the results of the review conducted under subparagraph (A); and
“(ii) the coordination and management of the Program to ensure an integrated research program across the Department.
“(5) Annual reports.—At the time of the budget submission of the Department for each fiscal year, the Secretary, in consultation with the members of the partnerships established pursuant to paragraph (2), shall submit to Congress a report that describes funding for the Program as a whole by functional element of the Department and critical milestones.”
High-Performance Computing and Networking Research.— The Director shall support research in high-performance computing and networking relevant to energy applications, including modeling, simulation, and advanced data analytics for basic and applied energy research programs carried out by the Secretary.
Applied Mathematics and Software Development for High-End Computing Systems.— The Director shall carry out activities to develop, test, and support—
mathematics, models, and algorithms for complex systems and programming environments; and
tools, languages, and operating systems for high-end computing systems (as defined in section 2 of the American Super Computing Leadership Act of 2017 (15 U.S.C. 5541)).
SEC. 305. High-Energy Physics.
Sense of Congress.— It is the sense of Congress that—
the Director should incorporate the findings and recommendations of the report of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel entitled “Building for Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the Global Context” into the planning process of the Department; and
the nations that lead in particle physics by hosting international teams dedicated to a common scientific goal attract the world’s best talent and inspire future generations of physicists and technologists.
International Collaboration.— The Director, as practicable and in coordination with other appropriate Federal agencies as necessary, shall ensure the access of United States researchers to the most advanced accelerator facilities and research capabilities in the world, including the Large Hadron Collider.
Neutrino Research.— The Director shall carry out research activities on rare decay processes and the nature of the neutrino, which may include collaborations with the National Science Foundation or international collaborations.
Dark Energy and Dark Matter Research.— The Director shall carry out research activities on the nature of dark energy and dark matter, which may include collaborations with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or the National Science Foundation; or international collaborations.
SEC. 306. Biological and Environmental Research.
Biological Systems.— The Director shall carry out research and development activities in fundamental, structural, computational, and systems biology to increase systems-level understanding of the complex biological systems, which may include activities—
to accelerate breakthroughs and new knowledge that would enable the cost-effective, sustainable production of—
biomass-based liquid transportation fuels;
bioenergy; and
biobased materials;
to improve understanding of the global carbon cycle, including processes for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, through photosynthesis and other biological processes, for sequestration and storage; and
to understand the biological mechanisms used to transform, immobilize, or remove contaminants from subsurface environments.
Limitation for Research Funds.— The Director shall not approve new climate science-related initiatives without making a determination that such work is well-coordinated with any relevant work carried out by other Federal agencies.
Low-Dose Radiation Research Program.—
In general.— The Director shall carry out a research program on low-dose radiation.
Purpose.— The purpose of the program is to enhance the scientific understanding of, and reduce uncertainties associated with, the effects of exposure to low-dose radiation to inform improved risk-management methods.
SEC. 307. Fusion Energy.
Fusion Materials Research and Development.— As part of the activities authorized in section 978 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16318)—
the Director, in coordination with the Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy of the Department, shall carry out research and development activities to identify, characterize, and demonstrate materials that can endure the neutron, plasma, and heat fluxes expected in a fusion power system; and
the Director shall provide an assessment of—
the need for one or more facilities that can examine and test potential fusion and next generation fission materials and other enabling technologies relevant to the development of fusion power; and
whether a single new facility that substantially addresses magnetic fusion and next generation fission materials research needs is feasible, in conjunction with the expected capabilities of facilities operational as of the date of enactment of this Act.
Tokamak Research and Development.— The Director shall support research and development activities and facility operations to optimize the tokamak approach to fusion energy.
Inertial Fusion Energy Research and Development.— The Director shall support research and development activities for inertial fusion for energy applications.
Alternative and Enabling Concepts.— The Director shall support research and development activities and facility operations at institutions of higher education, National Laboratories, and private facilities in the United States for a portfolio of alternative and enabling fusion energy concepts that may provide solutions to significant challenges to the establishment of a commercial magnetic fusion power plant, prioritized based on the ability of the United States to play a leadership role in the international fusion research community.
Coordination With ARPA–E.— The Director shall coordinate with the Director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (referred to in this subsection as “ARPA–E”) to—
assess the potential for any fusion energy project supported by ARPA–E to represent a promising approach to a commercially viable fusion power plant;
determine whether the results of any fusion energy project supported by ARPA–E merit the support of follow-on research activities carried out by the Office of Science; and
avoid the unintentional duplication of activities.
Fairness in Competition for Solicitations for International Project Activities.— Section 33 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C. 2053) is amended by inserting before the first sentence the following: “ In this section, with respect to international research projects, the term ‘private facilities or laboratories’ means facilities or laboratories located in the United States.”.
Identification of Priorities.—
Report.—
In general.— Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to Congress a report on the fusion energy research and development activities that the Department proposes to carry out over the 10-year period following the date of the report under not fewer than 3 realistic budget scenarios, including a scenario based on 3-percent annual growth in the non-ITER portion of the budget for fusion energy research and development activities.
Inclusions.— The report required under subparagraph (A) shall—
identify specific areas of fusion energy research and enabling technology development in which the United States can and should establish or solidify a lead in the global fusion energy development effort;
identify priorities for initiation of facility construction and facility decommissioning under each of the three budget scenarios described in subparagraph (A); and
assess the ability of the fusion workforce of the United States to carry out the activities identified under clauses (i) and (ii), including the adequacy of programs at institutions of higher education in the United States to train the leaders and workers of the next generation of fusion energy researchers.
Process.— In order to develop the report required under paragraph (1)(A), the Secretary shall leverage best practices and lessons learned from the process used to develop the most recent report of the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel of the High Energy Physics Advisory Panel.
Requirement.— No member of the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee shall be excluded from participating in developing or voting on final approval of the report required under paragraph (1)(A).
SEC. 308. Nuclear Physics.
Isotope Development and Production for Research Applications.— The Director—
may carry out a program for the production of isotopes, including the development of techniques to produce isotopes, that the Secretary determines are needed for research, medical, industrial, or related purposes; and
shall ensure that isotope production activities carried out under the program under this paragraph do not compete with private industry unless the Director determines that critical national interests require the involvement of the Federal Government.
Renaming of the Rare Isotope Accelerator.— Section 981 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 16321) is amended—
in the section heading, by striking “ rare isotope accelerator” and inserting “ facility for rare isotope beams”; and
by striking “ Rare Isotope Accelerator” each place it appears and inserting “ Facility for Rare Isotope Beams”.
SEC. 309. Science Laboratories Infrastructure Program.
In General.— The Director shall carry out a program to improve the safety, efficiency, and mission readiness of infrastructure at laboratories of the Office of Science.
Inclusions.— The program under subsection (a) shall include projects—
to renovate or replace space that does not meet research needs;
to replace facilities that are no longer cost effective to renovate or operate;
to modernize utility systems to prevent failures and ensure efficiency;
to remove excess facilities to allow safe and efficient operations; and
to construct modern facilities to conduct advanced research in controlled environmental conditions.