Week in Review — 11.19.21
The SST Newsletter highlights the goings on of the Committee, the hard work of our Members, and a look ahead. — Sign up to get it delivered straight to your inbox.
PASSED: Build Back Better
This morning, the House passed H.R. 5376, the Build Back Better Act. The Build Back Better Act makes critical investments in our Nation’s research enterprise that will help us address the climate crisis, rebuild after the COVID-19 pandemic, promote innovation, and renew and repair our research infrastructure. The bill includes transformative funding for operations at the Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Institute of Standards and Technology, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Science Foundation.
Read the full press release and view the Committee’s provisions in the Build Back Better Act
PASSED: H.R. 5781, H.R. 1437, & H.R. 5324
On Tuesday, the Full Committee met for a markup of: H.R. 5781, the “National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act”; H.R. 1437, the “PRECIP Act”; and H.R. 5324, the “NWR Modernization Act of 2021”. All three bills were reported favorably to the House of Representatives.
The Future of Fusion
On Wednesday, the Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing titled, “Fostering a New Era of Fusion Energy Research and Technology Development.” During the hearing, members examined the current status of fusion energy research and development (R&D) activities carried out by the U.S. Department of Energy, the private sector, and internationally. During the hearing, Members and witnesses also considered next steps for Congress and the Administration to take in response to recent reports from the Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee and the National Academies that provide roadmaps for fusion energy R&D and commercialization pathways over the next decade and beyond.
“It is a simple fact that this fundamental phenomenon is essential to existence of vital renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy, and indeed to life on earth.”
- Chairman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) of the Subcommittee on Energy
You can watch the hearing and read testimony here.