Doe and Nasa Interagency Research Coordination Act

Floor Speech

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of this bill, and I thank the gentleman from New York (Mr. Williams) and the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee ranking member, Mr. Sorensen, for their work on this important bipartisan bill.

Enhancing interagency collaboration between the Department of Energy and NASA can have a multiplier effect on the creative, innovative, and inspiring work of these two important agencies. It is an important element in furthering both agencies' missions and our Nation's aspirations in science and exploration.

DOE's and NASA's joint research and development activities include amazing scientific endeavors, such as nuclear power and nuclear space propulsion, high-energy physics and sophisticated astronomy, Earth and environmental sciences, and quantum information technology.

This partnership is already having impressive results. For example, just last week, an international team of 170 scientists produced a catalog of 294 gamma-ray-emitting pulsars discovered using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope that was developed in coordination with DOE. Fermi's discoveries mean astronomers now know of more than 27 times the number of known gamma-ray pulsars before the telescope was launched in 2008.

Last month, DOE marked the largest delivery of plutonium-238 since the U.S. restarted domestic production over a decade ago. DOE uses this material to develop heat sources to power NASA robotic spacecraft that can't effectively use solar energy.

This is a very practical bill. It maximizes our Federal R&D capabilities.

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Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, Mr. Williams worked on this bill, but so did Mr. Sorensen, a valued member of our committee.

I think he is the first meteorologist in nearly half a century to serve, and his curiosity and expertise is really so helpful to the Science Committee, as well as his plain common sense. I thank him for his work on this bill.

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Ms. LOFGREN. Mr. Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I yield back the balance of my time.

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