Last week, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on 42 legislative proposals that are geared toward promoting accountability and reform in current U.S. energy policies. The hearing touched on a broad array of topics, including energy exports, state versus federal authority in energy development, reliability of the electric grid, cybersecurity, as well as reform of federal programs such as the Department of Energy's (DOE) loan guarantee program and the mission of DOE's National Labs. One of the major topics of discussion, however, was the need for more investment in energy research and development.

In her opening remarks, Ranking Member Cantwell (D-WA) noted that the federal commitment to energy research development and deployment is less than 0 .5 percent of what U.S. consumers are spending on energy, which is significantly lower than in many other developed countries. She also referenced the COMPETES bill (HR 1806) passed by the House and said that if the proposed cuts to ARPA-E funding were passed that the U.S. would be unable to compete globally.

Norman Augustine testified on behalf of the Bipartisan Policy Center and the American Energy Innovation Council.  The American Energy Innovation Council seeks greater federal support for energy technology innovation investments in order to ensure that the U.S. has a robust economic future. Augustine said that there is a critical role for the federal government to play in energy technology research and development because the private sector usually does not fund long term research. He cited some examples of long term research that government has funded in the past, including shale gas, commercial nuclear power, jet engines, and solar photovoltaic technology.

Despite the importance of federal investment, Augustine said that it has not increased over the past five years and this lack of investment is already harming U.S. competitiveness. He lauded Senators Murkowski and Cantwell for cosponsoring the energy title of the American COMPETES Reauthorization Act (S 1398) and said that it would be very helpful in getting energy investments back on track. He also praised the National Labs for their critical role in long term research and innovation.

All of the Senators attending the hearing agreed that increases in funding for federal energy research and development is critical. Senator Franken (D-MN), for example, cited research done many years ago on hydraulic fracturing at the National Labs as an important game changing technology, and urged that the same be done for other technologies such as energy storage.

Now that Chairman Murkowski has held 4 legislative hearings covering over 100 bills, she and Senator Cantwell will work together to craft a comprehensive energy bill. A draft bill is expected to be released prior to the August recess.