As originally published in the Knoxville News Sentinel on May 1, 2018.
As an advocate for the research and development of domestic clean energy, I was very pleased to see that the final government funding bill increased funding for the Office of Science, which supports work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for a third consecutive year. The bill also protected the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy, among other funding priorities in energy innovation.
This was due in no small part to the leadership and unwavering commitment of Sen. Lamar Alexander, who serves as chairman of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee, and Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, who sits on the House Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee and whose congressional district includes Oak Ridge.
As conservatives, Sen. Alexander and Rep. Fleischmann are no doubt dismayed by the overall size of the federal budget. But they recognize that research in energy innovation yields excellent returns on investment, especially at ORNL, which supports thousands of high-tech jobs for Tennessee.
Conservatives embrace government programs that work and are cost effective.
Heather Reams, managing director, Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, Washington, D.C.