DOE External Affairs Update - August 11, 2020

PRESIDENT TRUMP ANNOUNCES LNG EXPORT TERMS TO EXTEND THROUGH 2050

On July 29, President Donald Trump announced during his speech in Midland, TX that DOE is issuing a final policy statement that allows for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports to non-free trade agreement (non-FTA) countries to be extended through the year 2050. This policy is a change from the current practice of granting 20-year export terms. 

“This policy to utilize export terms through 2050 is the latest of several measures DOE, under President Trump, has taken to support U.S. LNG exports and the benefits they bring both to the United States and to our allies around the world,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, who accompanied President Trump to Texas. 

MARK W. MENEZES CONFIRMED BY U.S. SENATE AND SWORN IN AS DEPUTY SECRETARY

On August 4, in a bipartisan vote of 79-16, the United States Senate confirmed Mark W. Menezes to be the Deputy Secretary of Energy. Mr. Menezes was sworn in as Deputy Secretary in a private ceremony at DOE headquarters. Prior to confirmation, Mark Menezes served as the Under Secretary of Energy under Secretary Dan Brouillette and former Secretary Rick Perry.

DOE HEADS TO MARS WITH NASA’s PERSEVERANCE

When most people think of space travel, they don’t think of DOE—but they should. The nuclear power systems developed by our labs have made many truly amazing interplanetary research missions possible. NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover successfully launched on July 30 from Cape Canaveral. The rover will land on Mars to begin exploration some time in February 2021.

Listen to our two-part podcast miniseries on the rover's nuclear-powered battery and rock-zapping SuperCam.

Find out more about the National Labs’ contributions to the Perseverance Mars Mission in this article from Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar.

Read this blog from Dr. Rita Baranwal, Assistant Secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy, to find out how DOE is fueling deep space exploration.

OP-EDS AND INTERVIEWS

Nuclear: Energy Secretary Brouillette and Adam Boehler, CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, recently published an article in Morning Consultant on how the U.S. must continue to lead the world in nuclear energy technology.

Forbes on DOE: Forbes recently published the article Trump Administration Pivots To Nuclear Energy, Finds Lever Against China, Russia which also covers DOE’s leading role in bringing advanced nuclear reactors for electric power to the international market.

Nuclear Cleanup: South Carolina’s Aiken Standard published a guest column from Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar on the past, present and future of nuclear clean up that describes the work of DOE’s Office of Environmental Management and the Savannah River Site.

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant: New Mexico’s Carlsbad Current Argus printed an op-ed from Under Secretary for Science Dabbar on the cleanup of 107 sites that bore the environmental legacy of the United States’ work in developing nuclear programs that helped end World War II and the Cold War, including the vital role of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP).

 ALL-OF-THE-ABOVE ENERGY NEWS

Natural Gas Pipelines: DOE announced $33 million in funding for 10 projects as part of the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy’s (ARPA-E) Rapid Encapsulation of Pipelines Avoiding Intensive Replacement (REPAIR) program. REPAIR teams will develop natural gas transmission pipeline retrofitting technology to rehabilitate existing cast iron and bare steel pipes by creating new, robust pipes inside of old ones.

Energy Storage: DOE released the Energy Storage Grand Challenge (ESGC) Draft Roadmap and a Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder input on the Draft Roadmap and the current and potential market environment for mobile and stationary energy storage industries. The deadline for responses is August 31, 2020.

Geothermal: DOE announced that five projects will receive up to $28 million to promote the advancement of the next generation of geothermal energy technologies. These projects align with the goals of the 2019 GeoVision study, which outlines a path to unlock the full potential of geothermal power as a clean, reliable, and affordable energy source for American homes and businesses.

Artificial Photosynthesis: DOE recently announced $100 million in funding over five years for two new awards focused on advancing artificial photosynthesis for the production of fuels from sunlight.

Supercomputers: DOE announced it will provide $57.5 million to establish two multidisciplinary teams to develop new tools and techniques to harness supercomputers for scientific discovery. The teams, led respectively by DOE’s Argonne and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratories, will provide expertise and develop tools to enable scientists to take full advantage of DOE’s high performance computing capabilities.

Bioenergy: DOE announced $68 million in funding over five years for basic research aimed at making bioenergy feedstock crops more productive and resilient. The research will cover several common bioenergy feedstocks, including sorghum, pennycress, and poplar. The focus will be on the complex interactions among crops, soil, and soil microbes that impact productivity and stress resistance.

COVID-19 RESOURCES 

On June 29, DOE Headquarters transitioned to Phase 2 of its return to full operations. For information about the reopening status of specific Labs, Plants, and Sites, please consult their respective websites. Find out more details on the DOE COVID-19 webpage.

Thank you for reading. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or if we can serve as a resource. 

Sincerely,

 Mike Pasko

Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary, Intergovernmental & External Affairs

U.S. Department of Energy