Opening Statement By Committee Chairman Bart Gordon

I would like to welcome everyone to this Energy & Environment Subcommittee hearing on my bill, H.R. 364 which establishes an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy.

I would also like to thank our distinguished panel of witnesses for testifying. I believe your perspectives from the private investment and university communities, and your experiences with DARPA and similar technology agencies are critical to developing the most effective ARPA-E possible. I look forward to your testimony.

I first introduced this bill in the 109th Congress in response to recommendations in the National Academies report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm, chaired by the eminent Norm Augustine, former head of Lockheed Martin.

Along with Senators Alexander and Bingaman and others, I requested that the National Academies look into and report on the factors that threaten the U.S. global competitiveness and our leadership in technological innovation.

In addition to strengthening our education and research system, the Gathering Storm panel recognized that the U.S. dependence on traditional energy sources and outdated technologies puts us in a perilous position.

Not only do we face threats to our national security and economic volatility because of our reliance on unstable foreign regimes for oil and gas, we now must acknowledge that our energy use is directly tied to global climate change.

This is an untenable position, and it simply must change. Conservation is the first element in addressing this challenge. But we must also be aggressive in developing the next generation of technologies to get beyond our current energy paradigm.

The Augustine Commission recommended establishing ARPA-E, modeled on DARPA’s successful innovation model, to sponsor creative, out-of-the-box, transformational energy research in those areas that industry by itself cannot or will not undertake on its own.

DARPA succeeded largely because it continued to foster a culture of innovation. We cannot legislate an agency’s culture. But we can provide the resources and the institutional structure to give exceptionally talented people the opportunity to pursue high-risk, but high-payoff energy research.

A nimble organization with minimal administrative layers and the ability to quickly start and stop research programs is key to the success of ARPA-E.

As imperative as it is, transforming our energy economy is a challenge that is unfathomable to most folks. We cannot afford to wait until we face severe disruptions to fossil energy supplies or serious impacts from climate change to address this challenge.

Federal investment in energy technology R&D is down 85% from the 1980’s. We must reverse this trend.

Investment in ARPA-E must be seen as the first step in boosting energy research and development to a level that addresses the scale of our challenge, and the true cost of doing transformational research.

We all agree that energy research and development is key to energy independence, innovation, workforce development and saving the environment.

The question is how far are we willing to go to enact real change that garners tangible results?

Establishing an ARPA-E in H.R. 364 is a bold step, but we’ve got to be willing to push the envelope and think outside the box to get the job done.

I appreciate the Committee’s support, and look forward to the witness’ testimony.