October 31, 2018

Duckworth, Durbin Applaud $120 Million for Energy Efficiency Research at Argonne National Laboratory

 

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) applauded the recent announcement of $120 million in federal funding to continue battery performance research at Argonne National Laboratory. The funding will support five more years of research at the Joint Center for Energy Story Research (JCESR), a Department of Energy (DOE) Energy Innovation HUB at Argonne devoted to advancing battery science and technology.

“This funding will help the dedicated scientists and engineers at Argonne National Laboratory continue to make scientific breakthroughs to find energy-saving solutions,” Duckworth said. “Federal investments are critical to ensuring the success of our laboratories and keeping our nation at the forefront of scientific research. I’m proud to advocate for more investment in research and innovation, which do so much to drive economic growth and job creation across Illinois and throughout the country.”

“With its caliber of work and boldness of mission, Argonne is one of Illinois’ greatest assets,” Durbin said. “The breakthroughs that have happened here demonstrate why government should prioritize high-value research and laboratories that help America create jobs in the growth industries of tomorrow. Investments in programs like the Joint Center for Energy and Story Research will help our country solve its growing energy concerns, create jobs, and maintain our position as a world leader in science and innovation.”

The Joint Center for Energy and Story Research (JCESR) researches batteries and develops tools to screen batteries. With the renewal of the center, JCESR will focus on continuing their studies on batteries and will focus on the development of multivalent designs, which are capable of holding a significantly higher energy capacity than today’s lithium-ion batteries.

In January, Senator Duckworth, who serves on the Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee that oversees National Laboratories, penned a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Rick Perry urging him to fully fund cutting-edge research programs at Argonne and Fermi National Laboratories in the DOE’s fiscal year 2019 budget request.

Duckworth and Durbin, who is a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, worked to secure $6.6 billion for DOE’s Office of Science, including $2.16 billion for the Basic Energy Sciences Program in the “minibus” appropriations funding bill that passed last month.  The Office of Science provides most of Argonne’s funding and is one of the federal programs included in Durbin’s American Innovation Act, which would steadily increase funding for scientific research conducted at premier federal research agencies.

Argonne National Laboratory, located in Lemont, Illinois, is the largest national laboratory in the Midwest, employs more than 3,400 full time employees and hosts thousands of students and visiting scientists.

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