HISTORY
By the close of World War II,
it was dramatically evident that fundamental
knowledge of atomic and nuclear physics had
tipped the balance of world power. The Manhattan
Project, which gave rise to the atom bombs of
Hiroshima and Nagasaki, vividly demonstrated
the importance of basic research and its linkages
to some of the most urgent national priorities.
After the War, there was a need
to continue the research and development activities
of the Manhattan Project and to take the opportunity
to turn some of them towards nonmilitary purposes.
With the nuclear genie out of the bottle, the
U.S. Congress passed the Atomic Energy Act of
1946, which transferred responsibility for atomic
energy research and development from the War
Department to an independent civilian agency.
On August 1, 1946, President Truman signed the
bill into law, and the transfer of the Manhattan
Engineer District’s activities to the
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) became effective
at midnight on December 31, 1946.
Many of the Commission’s
activities were unprecedented and exploratory.
The Commission’s charter directed it,
in part, to ensure continuity of the ongoing
activities and to carry out a diversified program
of basic research. Specifically, the charter
directed the Commission “to assist in
the acquisition of an ever expanding fund of
theoretical and practical knowledge” relating
to the Commission’s mission, including
the peaceful use of the atom.
Basic research programs in atomic,
nuclear, and radiation physics, and in related
disciplines of chemistry and applied mathematics,
were foremost among those brought forward from
the Manhattan Project. The work was carried
out in much the same way as it is today, by
universities and National Laboratories, in conjunction
with selected commercial and industrial collaborators.
In 1971, with early concerns about
rising petroleum imports, the charter of the
Commission was expanded to include other forms
of energy and related technologies. During the
period of expansion, additional focus was given
to “more efficient methods for meeting
the Nation’s energy needs.”
On December 31, 1974, as part
of a larger series of energy related national
policy initiatives, the Atomic Energy Commission
was abolished. Its functions were reorganized
under the newly created Energy Research and
Development Administration (ERDA). The Energy
Research and Development Administration was
chartered with an expanded research mission.
In addition to research on nuclear energy, basic
research responsibilities were broadened to
include solar, fossil, conservation, and geothermal
research.
Finally, in 1977, the establishment
of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) gathered
under one authority most of the energy related
activities that had evolved during the 1970s
among a number of Federal agencies. Included
in the reorganization were not only the technical
missions of the Energy Research and Development
Administration and the Bureau of Mines, but
also the energy policy and planning activities
of the Federal Energy Administration (FEA) and
the regulatory responsibilities of the Federal
Power Commission. With the creation of the Department
of Energy, the Carter Administration formulated
a comprehensive energy policy. Energy technologies
were not divided by fuel type, such as fossil,
nuclear, or solar, but grouped under assistant
secretaries according to their evolution from
research and development through application
and commercialization. The joining of policy,
planning, and regulation with research and development
again served to broaden the agency’s basic
research mission. Today, the original focus
in 1946 on nuclear and related science is now
approximately one third of a large and diversified
portfolio of basic research activities. Others
have joined the portfolio. Collectively, these
activities aim to maintain scientific and technical
leadership across a broad spectrum of important
research areas.
The Office of Energy Research
was established by the Department of Energy
Organization Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-91).
Section 209 of the Act stated that “…There
shall be within the Department an Office of
Energy Research to be headed by a Director,
who shall be appointed by the President, by
and with the advice and consent of the Senate,
and who shall be compensated at the rate provided
for level IV of the Executive Schedule under
section 5315 of title 5.” The Act further
stated that the duties and responsibilities
of the Director of the Office of Energy Research,
now the Office of Science, shall be to advise
the Secretary of Energy on DOE’s R&D
programs; gaps or duplication in DOE R&D
programs; management of the Department’s
nonweapons multipurpose laboratories; education
activities; and grants and other forms of financial
assistance for research activities.
The name of the Office of Energy
Research was changed to the Office of Science
by language in the Energy and Water Development
Appropriations Act of 1999 (Public Law 105-245,
dated October 7, 1998, and codified in 42 U.S.C.
7139). As a result of the Department’s
field realignment in May 1999, the Director
of Science assumed line management responsibility
for the DOE Chicago and Oak Ridge Operations
Offices, as well as the Berkeley and Stanford
Site Offices. To more effectively provide leadership
and oversight of these field and site offices
responsibilities, the Director of Science established
the Deputy Director for Operations position,
who reports to the Director.
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