Kaptur leads effort to introduce bipartisan reauthorization of Dept. of Energy technology research program

Washington, D.C. – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee, joined as a lead cosponsor of H.R. 3681, the ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2017. The bill authorizes reasonable growth in funding for ARPA-E through 2022. The bill was introduced by Ranking Member of the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX). Additional lead cosponsors on the bill are Congressman Ryan Costello (R-PA) and Congresswoman Mia Love (R-UT).

"ARPA-E is a critical program that invests in groundbreaking advanced energy technology and helps American universities and companies lead the world," said Congresswoman Kaptur, "With this bill, we are forming a bipartisan coalition that is committed to investing in America's future and not ceding jobs and technological breakthroughs to other countries."

This bipartisan bill comes after the Energy & Water Appropriations package arbitrarily defunded ARPA-E earlier this year. Kaptur championed the program in an op-ed coauthored with Case Western University researchers in the Cleveland Plain Dealer in July, and as Ranking Member of the Energy and Water Subcommittee on Appropriations Kaptur championed the program as a critical tool to position the United States as a global leader in energy technology research.

Congresswoman Johnson said, "today I am very pleased to introduce the bipartisan ARPA-E Reauthorization Act of 2017. Even though the agency is still relatively young, ARPA-E has already demonstrated incredible success in advancing high-risk, high-reward energy technology solutions that neither the public nor the private sector had been willing or able to support in the past. This was highlighted in a Congressionally mandated National Academies review of the agency released in June. Industry leaders like Norm Augustine and Bill Gates have repeatedly called for tripling this agency's budget given the unique role that it is now playing in our energy innovation pipeline… I hope that all Members will consider supporting this critical investment in our nation's clean energy future."

Congressman Costello said, "Accelerating American energy innovation requires a strong and sustained commitment to new and transformative research. Reauthorizing ARPA-E is a necessary step towards deploying affordable, efficient, and cleaner energy technologies that will improve the quality of life for all Americans."

Congresswoman Love said, "The ARPA-E is an important and cost-effective program that has yielded tangible benefits for the energy sector. I am proud to cosponsor this bipartisan bill that invests in our nation's advanced energy future."