DOE External Affairs Update - June 5, 2020

Welcome back to DOE’s external affairs update.

SECRETARY BROUILLETTE JOINS PRESIDENT TRUMP AT HISTORIC SPACEX LAUNCH

Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette joined President Donald J. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence at the recent launch of the Dragon Endeavor spacecraft.

President Trump designated Secretary Brouillette as a member of the National Space Council in February. You can read Secretary Brouillette’s remarks at the May meeting of the National Space Council here.

Learn how DOE is playing an essential role in space exploration in this blog from Under Secretary for Science Paul Dabbar.

Secretary Brouillette also joined WFLA’s AM Tampa Bay to discuss the SpaceX launch. Listen to the interview here.

Powering Mars Exploration: DOE successfully delivered its latest nuclear power system to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida—the site of NASA’s Mars 2020 launch later this summer. The Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) was fueled, built and tested by DOE’s national laboratories to power the mission’s Perseverance rover.

Discovering the Cosmos: After 16 years of planning and engineering, scientists from DOE’s Brookhaven National Laboratory completed a 3.2 gigapixel sensor array for the camera that will be used in the National Science Foundation’s Rubin Observatory. The revolutionary camera, mounted in a massive ground-based telescope, will produce unprecedented views of the cosmos and drive discoveries with the widest, densest, and most complete images of our universe ever captured.

Find out more about DOE National Labs’ space innovations on DOE’s Lab Partnering Service website.

OUR NATIONAL SECURITY REQUIRES A STRONGER NUCLEAR ENERGY INDUSTRY

“Despite strong nuclear energy production at home, the United States has ceded its position as the world leader in nuclear energy... To get back on track, we must revive America’s nuclear energy industry and restore our competitive advantage. President Trump recognized this critical challenge and, last July, launched the Nuclear Fuel Working Group. The product of this whole-of-government effort, the Strategy to Restore American Nuclear Energy Leadership, was released by the Department of Energy last month.” 

Read the rest of Secretary Brouillette’s op-ed in Defense One.

UPCOMING EVENTS

2020 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit: The 2020 Better Buildings, Better Plants Summit has transitioned to a virtual leadership symposium. Join us June 8th-11th, 2020 for four days of timely webinars and peer exchanges with fellow industry stakeholders and experts. This virtual event is free to attend. 

Tribal Energy Webinar: After a tribal energy vision has been developed, the next step is to identify specific energy projects to pursue and best use your energy resources. Tribes often have many options to consider. DOE will host a webinar on June 24th that will provide guidance on how to select energy projects.

COVID-19 RESOURCES

In the last 10 weeks, DOE’s Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico has kicked off more than 50 research projects in the battle against COVID-19.  

DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER) has outlined COVID-19 response efforts and provided updated “Frequently Asked Questions” to assist those in the energy industry. 

The DOE COVID-19 hub on our website serves as a resource for DOE employees and contractors and is also publicly available.

Follow the Twitter hashtag #NatLabsInTheFight to learn more about how the National Labs are fighting COVID-19. 

ALL-OF-THE-ABOVE ENERGY NEWS

Hurricane Season 2020: This year, meteorological authorities anticipate a hurricane season that is more active than normal. Through our Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, DOE helps mitigate emergency incidents’ impacts on energy systems and provides sector-specific guidance during restoration.

U.S.-Australia Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) Lease Agreement: On June 3rd, Energy Secretary Dan Brouillette and Australia’s Minister of Energy and Emissions Reduction Angus Taylor signed the U.S.-Australia SPR Lease Agreement. The Agreement stems from discussions between President Trump and Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Washington on September 2019, and will strengthen international energy security and resiliency.

 Opportunity for High Risk R&D: DOE’s Advanced Research Project Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) recently announced an R&D funding opportunity focused on innovative and unconventional concepts in energy technology. The application deadline is July 22nd.  

Small-Scale Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems: DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy announced up to $30 million funding opportunity for Small-Scale Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Systems research to develop advanced technologies to a point of commercial readiness for hydrogen production and power generation.

Idaho and Colorado Cleanup Project Contract: DOE issued a Final Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Idaho Cleanup Project procurement at the Idaho National Laboratory site, near Idaho Falls, Idaho, and the Fort Saint Vrain facility near Platteville, Colorado. The contract is anticipated to be an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity contract with an estimated contract ceiling of approximately $6.4 billion over a 10-year ordering period.  

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