The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science-managed national laboratories will receive help to build and upgrade scientific facilities thanks to $1.5 billion awarded through the Inflation Reduction Act.
The funding will also help the country's national laboratories modernize infrastructure and address deferred maintenance projects, a Department of Energy Nov. 4 news release said.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm joined senior White House and Department of Energy officials Nov. 4 at Argonne National Laboratory, a multidisciplinary science and engineering research center in DuPage County, Illinois, to discuss the funds.
“America’s commitment to science and ingenuity shaped us into the world leaders we are today, and the continued success of our national laboratories will ensure we’re at the global forefront of innovation for generations to come,” Granholm said in the release.
“Thanks to President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, these world-class institutions will receive $1.5 billion, one of the largest ever investments in national laboratory infrastructure, to develop advanced energy technologies and groundbreaking tools like Argonne National Laboratory’s powerful new supercomputer, Aurora, that we need to advance new frontiers, like modeling climate change and developing vaccines,” she added
Investment in national labs has several benefits, said White House senior adviser for clean energy innovation and implementation John Podesta in the release.
“Our world-class system of national labs has enabled American innovation and made the U.S. the world leader in science and technology for generations,” Podesta said in the release. “The investments in national labs in President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act will help drive clean energy innovation, boost our economy, lower costs for families, create good-paying American jobs and combat the climate crisis here at home and around the world.”
