Mr. President, today I introduce, along with Senator Inhofe, Senator Jones, Senator Moran, and Senator Hyde-Smith, the DOE EPSCoR Modernization Act of 2020.

As many of our colleagues are aware, the Department of Energy Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (DOE EPSCoR) was established by the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (P.L. 102–486). This critical initiative seeks to improve the capacity of eligible states to conduct nationally competitive energy research and connect eligible states with the National Laboratory System.

The purpose of the bill we are introducing is to broaden the scope of the research funded by the DOE EPSCoR program beyond basic science, to encompass the full range of research supported by DOE. This includes cuttingedge research in applied energy technologies, energy efficiency, energy storage, and environmental management, to name a few key areas.

Yet, because of the program’s narrow focus on basic science, EPSCoR States are only able to support a small fraction of DOE’s research mission. Our bill would continue to support investments in research infrastructure and expand opportunities for EPSCoR institutions to partner with National Laboratories to conduct their research.

Our bill would also increase support for graduate students and early career faculty. When the National Academy of Sciences evaluated EPSCoR programs, it concluded that EPSCoR programs are critical to the nation’s scientific and technology leadership, because EPSCoR helps ensure that talented researchers and scientists from all 50 states are partners in science and technology research. This is even truer in the context of energy issues, where each state and region faces different energy opportunities and infrastructure challenges.

By modernizing the program and bringing it into alignment with EPSCoR programs operated by other agencies, DOE EPSCoR will be better positioned to meet today’s energy challenges and align with the interests and strengths of EPSCoR states.

I am pleased to have the support of the Coalition of EPSCoR/IDeA States in this effort, and I urge our colleagues to join us in pressing for passage of this bill.