DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act

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.

We are on the tipping point of major things. We are working on and seeing efficiency breathe its way into our government. The whole deal here is that if we get H.R. 1368, the Department of Energy and NASA will build on their longstanding partnership and do even more. They will save the taxpayer money, and they will advance this Nation. They will showcase that we are not getting in the way of where we want to go as a country because we are trimming bureaucracy.

The act authorizes the agencies to carry out cross-cutting and collaborative R&D activities and identifies nuclear power and propulsion, high energy physics and astrophysics, Earth and environmental sciences, and quantum information sciences as potential areas for joint activity.

I only hope that the citizens of America are tuned into this debate in this moment because this is really exciting.

The bill directs DOE and NASA to coordinate activities through MOUs, memorandum of understanding. The legislation authorizes the use of reimbursable and nonreimbursable agreements. Again, the effective utilization of the taxpayer dollar of which we here in the United States Congress are stewards of.

In addition, I will be providing direction on a merit review process between the two agencies, reporting and compliance with research security requirements in carrying out collaborative activities pursued under the act. This is a practical and awe-inspiring bill to maximize the research and development activities and capabilities and results of our Federal agencies.

Mr. Speaker, I enthusiastically urge my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, the gentleman from the West, Mr. Begich and Mr. Whitesides, along with Mr. Kennedy, who appear to be three freshman Members of Congress, have come together in an important way to introduce H.R. 1368. I continue to urge a ``yes'' vote on the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Alaska (Mr. Begich).

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1368, the DOE and NASA Interagency Research Act is a smart piece of legislation that will ensure that we stay competitive in the global race to return humans to the Moon and then send crewed missions on to Mars.

Without key partnerships like this, we would be unable to take the crucial steps in energy production and propulsion technologies necessary to extend our reach beyond Earth. I thank Representative Begich and Representative Whitesides for their leadership in moving this bill forward.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support it, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of my bill, H.R. 1368, the Department of Energy and NASA Interagency Research Coordination Act.

This legislation authorizes the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to carry out research and development activities focused on the advancement of shared DOE and NASA mission priorities. This includes R&D in critical technology areas like nuclear thermal propulsion systems, astrophysics, radiation health effects, machine learning, and more.

DOE and its predecessor, the Atomic Energy Commission, have a long and successful history of interagency collaboration with NASA. Over the last 60 years, this relationship has evolved from radioisotope power systems to new areas of research such as quantum information and environmental sciences.

This interagency relationship has greatly benefited my home State of

Alaska. The North Slope of Alaska is home to the Department of Energy's Atmospheric Radiation Measurement, or ARM, user facility, which gathers data pertaining to clouds and radiation processes in cold environments and high altitudes.

Given its strengths, NASA has partnered with this DOE facility to conduct research in areas such as aerosols. In addition, any atmospheric data from ARM stands to benefit the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island in my home State of Alaska, which supports commercial and government suborbital and orbital launch missions, as well.

Additionally, H.R. 1368 requires the Secretary and the Administrator to implement research security provisions consistent with the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. Given the transformational nature of these emerging technologies and their impact on national security, this language is necessary to protect our investments and breakthroughs from hostile powers such as the Chinese Communist Party.

I thank my colleague, Mr. Whitesides of California, for working with me on this important legislation and continuing the bipartisan tradition of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee.

Mr. Speaker, H.R. 1368 is a good governance and commonsense bill, and I urge my colleagues to support this legislation.