[House Report 115-555]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
115th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
2d Session } { 115-555
======================================================================
ACCELERATING AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN SCIENCE ACT OF 2017
_______
February 13, 2018.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Smith of Texas, from the Committee on Science, Space, and
Technology, submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 4377]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, to whom
was referred the bill (H.R. 4377) to direct the Secretary of
Energy to carry out an upgrade to research equipment and
construct research user facilities, and for other purposes,
having considered the same, report favorably thereon without
amendment and recommend that the bill do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Committee Statement and Views.................................... 2
Section-by-Section............................................... 6
Explanation of Amendments........................................ 7
Committee Consideration.......................................... 7
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch..................... 7
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the
Committee...................................................... 7
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 7
Duplication of Federal Programs.................................. 8
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings.............................. 8
Federal Advisory Committee Act................................... 8
Unfunded Mandate Statement....................................... 8
Earmark Identification........................................... 8
Committee Estimate............................................... 8
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate... 8
Committee Statement and Views
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
The purpose of H.R. 4377, the ``Accelerating American
Leadership in Science Act of 2017,'' is to provide for
technological innovation through the prioritization of upgrades
and additions of key user facilities at Department of Energy
(DOE) national labs from the existing Federal investment in
basic research and fundamental scientific discovery by the DOE
Office of Science.
The bill authorizes an upgrade to the Advanced Photon
Source (APS-U) at Argonne National Laboratory, a proton power
upgrade and a second target station upgrade to the Spallation
Neutron Source (SNS-PPU and SNS-STS) at Oak Ridge National
Laboratory (ORNL), and the construction of the Long Baseline
Neutrino Facility (LBNF) at Fermi National Accelerator
Laboratory (Fermilab).
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
DOE is the leading Federal sponsor of research in the
physical sciences, and operates world-class, open-access user
facilities around the country at the DOE national laboratories.
These facilities include the supercomputers, x-ray light
sources, photon sources, and neutron sources necessary to
conduct ground-breaking basic research, and host approximately
30,000 researchers annually from around the world.
The Committee recognizes that these best-in-the-world
science facilities uniquely enable research conducted through
the DOE Office of Science and other Federal sponsors of basic
research and facilitate revolutionary discoveries about the
atomic structure, properties, and dynamics of materials. The
next transformative breakthroughs in innovative energy
technologies will likely arise from a strong foundation in
basic research, particularly in the study of and development of
unique materials, for which the facilities authorized in this
bill provide critical capabilities.
This legislation relies on the assessments of the
Department and the scientific community, primarily through the
long-range planning function of the DOE Office of Science Basic
Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (BESAC) and the High Energy
Physics Advisory Panel (HEPAP). Both advisory committees,
chartered under the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) and
comprised of representatives from universities, national
laboratories, and industries involved in relevant areas of
research, provide official technical advice to the Department
and other Federal agencies on the national program priorities
for basic energy sciences and high-energy science research.
Based on the recommendations provided in the most recent
reports issued from each advisory committee, H.R. 4377
authorizes the completion of upgrades and construction of
scientific user facilities necessary to undertake the next
generation of transformative research in these areas. Under
this legislation, the Secretary of Energy is directed to
provide for an upgrade to the APS at Argonne National
Laboratory in IL, as well as a proton power upgrade and the
construction of a second target station for the SNS at ORNL
under the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program within the DOE
Office of Science. The Secretary is also directed to construct
the LBNF underground sites at Fermilab in Batavia, IL, and the
Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, SD, under
the High Energy Physics (HEP) program within the DOE Office of
Science.
The APS is one of the most advanced synchrotron radiation
research facilities in the world. The APS produces ultra-
bright, high-energy, storage ring-generated x-ray beams which
enable scientists to study the structure and behavior of
physical and biological materials. This research enables
innovation in many fields, including materials synthesis and
pharmaceutical development. The APS-U will increase the
brightness of the APS hard x-ray beams, which allows more x-
rays to be focused onto a smaller area and provides more
detailed data for researchers in less time. Hard x-rays, like
those produced at the APS, are optimal for determining the
atomic structure of materials and penetrating into condensed
phase media.
The SNS is a one-of-a-kind neutron scattering research
facility that provides the most intense pulsed neutron beams in
the world for scientific research and industrial development.
This source of brighter and more intense neutrons enables
unprecedented research opportunities, allowing scientists to
make sensitive measurements in complex sample environments,
with higher resolution and speed than any existing neutron
facility.
The SNS-PPU will update the SNS accelerator complex,
doubling the power of its proton beam and greatly increasing
the flux (the neutron density (n) multiplied by neutron
velocity (v)) on SNS's existing First Target Station neutron
beamlines. This will correspondingly increase the capacity and
capability of these neutron beamlines to power important
experiments and analyses.
The SNS-PPU will also provide power for the SNS-STS. In
order to maintain its leadership in the field of neutron
science, the SNS requires a second target station to provide
opportunity to a growing research community. The STS will
double the number of beamlines at SNS, significantly expanding
the number of instrument stations and opportunities for
cutting-edge neutron scattering research at this facility.
Combined, the PPU and the STS will allow SNS to reach its full
potential and provide for world-leading neutron science here in
the U.S.
The Department's longstanding support and prioritization of
both the APS upgrade and the two upgrades to the SNS are
documented in a publication of the Office of Science titled,
``Facilities for the Future of Science: A Twenty-Year
Outlook,'' published November 2003, and its publication of
``Four Years Later: An Interim Report on Facilities for the
Future of Science: A Twenty-Year Outlook,'' published August
2007. In June, 2016, the BESAC released a report titled,
``Report on Facility Upgrades,'' which identified the APS-U,
SNS-PPU, and SNS-STS as three of the five priority upgrade
projects within BES. In this report, the BESAC determined that
these projects are absolutely central to U.S. contributions to
world-leading science.
The HEP program is tasked with conducting the theoretical
and experimental particle physics and accelerator science and
technology in order to discover the most elementary
constituents of matter and energy, the basic nature of space
and time, and interactions between the two. The LBNF project is
a critical component to pursuing these long-term research
goals.
The LBNF is an internationally coordinated project,
designed to build the world's highest intensity neutrino beam
and a suite of cryogenic near detectors at Fermilab. This
facility will be used to run the Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment (DUNE), which will measure the neutrino beamline
generated at LBNF on cutting-edge, far detectors located 800
miles away at the SURF in South Dakota.
Longstanding support for construction of this world-leading
neutrino facility is documented in the HEPAP report titled,
``US Particle Physics: Scientific Opportunities, A Strategic
Plan for the Next Ten Years, Report of the Particle Physics
Project Prioritization Panel,'' published May 2008, and in its
publication titled, ``Major High Energy Physics Facilities
2014-2024, Input to the prioritization of proposed scientific
user facilities for the Office of Science,'' published March
2013. In May 2014, HEPAP named the execution of the LBNF at
Fermilab as ``the highest priority large project in its
timeframe,'' in its publication titled, ``Building for
Discovery: Strategic Plan for U.S. Particle Physics in the
Global Context, Report of the Particle Physics Prioritization
Panel.''
Further, this legislation requires that, to the maximum
extent practicable, the Secretary of Energy shall ensure that
the start of full operations of the APS-U and the SNS-PPU
occurs before December 31, 2025, the start of full operations
of the LBNF occurs before December 31, 2026, and the start of
full operations of the SNS-STS occurs before December 31, 2030.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
On November 18, 2015, the Energy Subcommittee held a
hearing titled, ``Recommendations of the Commission to Review
the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories.''
Witnesses were: Mr. TJ Glauthier, Co-Chair, Commission to
Review the Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories;
Dr. Jared L. Cohon, Co-Chair, Commission to Review the
Effectiveness of the National Energy Laboratories; Dr. Peter
Littlewood, Director, Argonne National Laboratory.
On March 22, 2016, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``An Overview of the Budget Proposal for the Department of
Energy for Fiscal Year 2017.'' The witness was The Honorable
Ernest Moniz, Secretary of Energy, U.S. Department of Energy.
On June 15, 2016, the Energy Subcommittee held a hearing
titled, ``Innovation in Solar Fuels, Electricity Storage, and
Advanced Materials.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Nate Lewis,
Professor, California Institute of Technology; Dr. Daniel
Scherson, Professor, Case Western Reserve University; Dr.
Collin Broholm, Professor, Johns Hopkins University; Dr. Daniel
Hallinan Jr., Assistant Professor, Florida A&M University--
Florida State University College of Engineering.
On June 28, 2017, the Energy Subcommittee and the Research
and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing titled, ``Material
Science: Building the Future.'' Witnesses were: Dr. Matthew
Tirrell, Deputy Laboratory Director for Science and Chief
Research Officer, Argonne National Laboratory; Dr. Laurie
Locascio, Acting Associate Director for Laboratory Programs and
Director, Material Measurement Laboratory, National Institute
of Standards and Technology; Dr. Adam Schwartz, Director, Ames
Laboratory; Dr. Fred Higgs, John and Ann Doerr Professor of
Mechanical Engineering, Rice University.
On July 19, 2017, the Committee held a hearing titled,
``Energy Innovation: Letting Technology Lead.'' Witnesses were:
Dr. Jacob DeWitte, President and CEO, Oklo; Dr. Gaurav N. Sant,
Associate Professor and Henry Samueli Fellow, Department of
Civil and Environmental Engineering, Henry Samueli School of
Engineering and Applied Science, University of California, Los
Angeles; Dr. Venky Narayanamurti, Benjamin Peirce Research
Professor of Technology and Public Policy, John A. Paulson
School of Engineering and Applied Science, Harvard University;
Mr. Kiran Kumaraswamy, Market Development Director, AES Energy
Storage.
On November 13, 2017, Rep. Randy Hultgren introduced H.R.
4377, which was referred solely to the Committee.
On November 15, 2017, the Committee approved and ordered
reported H.R. 4377 by voice vote.
COMMITTEE VIEWS
Advanced Photon Source upgrade
H.R. 4377 authorizes a six-year upgrade to the APS as
described in the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9,
2016, titled, ``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' This includes
the development of a multi-bend achromat lattice to produce a
high flux of coherent x-rays within the hard x-ray energy
region and a suite of beamlines optimized for this source. The
Committee concurs with the assessment of the Department and the
most recent BESAC report that the completion of this upgrade is
essential to maintaining world-leading science here in the
United States.
The APS upgrade authorized in this legislation will harness
new advances in storage ring technologies to increase the
brightness of the APS beamline. These improved capabilities
will yield a vast increase in imaging output, allowing
researchers to observe materials under real conditions at
extremely small scales. In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-
budget construction of this project, the Committee included a
timeline and sufficient annual authorizations in this
legislation requiring the Department to complete the APS
upgrade by the close of 2025.
Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility
Finally, H.R. 4377 authorizes construction of the LBNF to
facilitate the international DUNE and enable a program in
neutrino physics to measure the fundamental properties of
neutrinos, explore physics beyond the Standard Model, and
better clarify the nature of matter and anti-matter. The
Committee concurs with the assessment of the Department and the
most recent HEPAP report that the completion of this project is
the highest priority large project within HEP and is essential
to maintaining world-leading science here in the United States.
The construction of the LBNF and subsequent experiments
will increase the fundamental knowledge of neutrinos and their
properties--providing valuable insight into cosmic phenomena
and theoretical particle physics. With initial construction of
LBNF just beginning in 2017, the Committee believes that an
authorization of specific annual funding for all remaining
construction and necessary instrumentation is required to
ensure this vital project is completed on time and on budget by
the close of 2026.
Upon completion, LBNF will be the first internationally-
funded science facility hosted in the United States. The
Committee supports the Department's continuing efforts to
solicit international contributions for the construction of the
project, and recognizes the importance of funds already
committed to the project, including the September 2017
commitment of $88 million from the UK Minister of State for
Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.
Recommendations for, and coordination of, Federal high
energy physics underground science and neutrino research was
authorized in the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act,
signed into law January 6th, 2017, as P.L. 114-329.
Spallation Neutron Source Proton Power Upgrade and Second Target
Station
H.R. 4377 authorizes two upgrades to the SNS as described
in the publication approved by the BESAC on June 9, 2016,
titled, ``Report on Facility Upgrades.'' The Committee concurs
with the assessment of the Department and the most recent BESAC
report that the completion of these upgrades are essential to
maintaining world-leading science here in the United States.
Currently, the SNS is the most powerful pulsed neutron user
facility in the world. However, the Committee finds that
without the upgrades authorized in this legislation, this
leading facility will be surpassed by the European Spallation
Source, which is currently under construction in Sweden and is
expected to provide approximately an order of magnitude higher
neutron flux than the SNS by 2024. Upon completion, the SNS-PPU
and SNS-STS will ensure that the SNS remains the leading site
for research in soft matter, biology, and polymer science that
is facilitated by neutron experiments.
The June 2016 BESAC report also concluded that ORNL must
resolve ``significant scientific/engineering challenges'' in
order to ensure that the planned upgrades would effectively
increase the repetition rate and average brightness at the SNS,
and that more engagement with the neutron science user
community was required to ensure the development of a
compelling and robust set of ``first experiments'' for the
upgraded SNS before initiating construction. However, following
discussions with Department officials and ORNL leadership, the
Committee finds that ORNL has provided the necessary responses
to the Department in order to proceed with the construction of
this project.
In order to ensure the on-schedule, on-budget construction
of these projects, the Committee included timelines and
sufficient annual authorizations in this legislation requiring
the Department to complete the SNS-PPU by the close of 2025 and
the SNS-STS by the close of 2030.
Section-by-Section
Sec. 1. Short title
Accelerating American Leadership in Science Act of 2017.
Sec. 2. Advanced Photon Source Upgrade
This section authorizes the APS-U over six years. This
upgrade will ensure that DOE can maintain APS's status as a
world class x-ray facility and allow scientists to study the
structure and behavior of materials at extremely small scales.
Sec. 3. Long Baseline Neutrino Facility for Deep Underground Neutrino
Experiment
This section authorizes the construction of the LBNF over
nine years. This facility will be used to conduct DUNE, which
will enable fundamental research of neutrinos and their
properties.
Sec. 4. Spallation Neutron Source proton power upgrade
This section authorizes a proton power upgrade to the SNS
over seven years. This upgrade will provide higher resolution
and speed than any existing neutron facility.
Sec. 5. Spallation Neutron Source second target station
This section authorizes a second target station upgrade to
the SNS over eleven years. This upgrade will double the number
of beamlines at SNS, significantly expanding opportunities for
cutting-edge neutron scattering research at this facility.
Explanation of Amendments
There were no amendments to this bill.
Committee Consideration
On November 15, 2017, the Committee met in open session and
ordered reported favorably the bill, H.R. 4377, by voice vote,
a quorum being present.
Application of Law to the Legislative Branch
Section 102(b)(3) of Public Law 104-1 requires a
description of the application of this bill to the legislative
branch where the bill relates to the terms and conditions of
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
This bill provides for technological innovation through the
prioritization of Federal investment in basic research and
fundamental scientific discovery through the upgrade of key
user facilities at DOE. As such, this bill does not relate to
employment or access to public services and accommodations.
Statement of Oversight Findings and Recommendations of the Committee
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII and clause
(2)(b)(1) of rule X of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, the Committee's oversight findings and
recommendations are reflected in the descriptive portions of
this report.
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives
H.R. 4377 provides for technological innovation through the
prioritization of Federal investment in basic research and
fundamental scientific discovery through the upgrade of key
user facilities at DOE.
Duplication of Federal Programs
No provision of H.R. 4377 establishes or reauthorizes a
program of the Federal Government known to be duplicative of
another Federal program, a program that was included in any
report from the Government Accountability Office to Congress
pursuant to section 21 of Public Law 111-139, or a program
related to a program identified in the most recent Catalog of
Federal Domestic Assistance.
Disclosure of Directed Rule Makings
The Committee estimates that enacting H.R. 4377 does not
direct the completion of any specific rule makings within the
meaning of 5 U.S.C. 551.
Federal Advisory Committee Act
The Committee finds that the legislation does not establish
or authorize the establishment of an advisory committee within
the definition of 5 U.S.C. App., Section 5(b).
Unfunded Mandate Statement
Section 423 of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment
Control Act (as amended by Section 101(a)(2) of the Unfunded
Mandate Reform Act, P.L. 104-4) requires a statement as to
whether the provisions of the reported include unfunded
mandates. In compliance with this requirement the Committee has
received a letter from the Congressional Budget Office included
herein.
Earmark Identification
H.R. 4377 does not include any congressional earmarks,
limited tax benefits, or limited tariff benefits as defined in
clause 9 of rule XXI.
Committee Estimate
Clause 3(d)(2) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires an estimate and a comparison by the
Committee of the costs that would be incurred in carrying out
H.R. 4377. However, clause 3(d)(3)(B) of that rule provides
that this requirement does not apply when the Committee has
included in its report a timely submitted cost estimate of the
bill prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office under section 402 of the Congressional Budget Act.
Budget Authority and Congressional Budget Office Cost Estimate
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee has received
the following cost estimate for H.R. 4377 from the Director of
Congressional Budget Office:
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, December 18, 2017.
Hon. Lamar Smith,
Chairman, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 4377, the
Accelerating American Leadership in Science Act of 2017.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Janani
Shankaran.
Sincerely,
Keith Hall,
Director.
Enclosure.
H.R. 4377--Accelerating American Leadership in Science Act of 2017
Summary: H.R. 4377 would authorize the appropriation of
funds to support construction of and upgrades to research
equipment and facilities administered by the Department of
Energy's (DOE's) Office of Science. CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 4377 would cost about $1.5 billion over the
2018-2022 period, assuming appropriation of the authorized
amounts.
Enacting H.R. 4377 would not affect direct spending or
revenues; therefore, pay-as-you-go procedures do not apply.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 4377 would not increase
net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four
consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 4377 contains no intergovernmental or private-sector
mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA).
Estimated cost to the Federal Government: The estimated
budgetary effect of H.R. 4377 is shown in the following table.
The cost of this legislation falls within budget function 250
(general science, space, and technology).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By fiscal year, in millions of dollars--
------------------------------------------------------------
2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2018-2022
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INCREASES IN SPENDING SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION
Advanced Photon Source Upgrade:
Authorization Level............................ 93 130 152 150 74 599
Estimated Outlays.............................. 51 99 137 148 108 543
Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility:a
Authorization Level............................ 45 160 195 195 200 795
Estimated Outlays.............................. 25 102 162 190 198 676
Proton Power Upgrade:
Authorization Level............................ 26 71 34 41 21 192
Estimated Outlays.............................. 14 47 44 43 29 176
Second Target Station:
Authorization Level............................ 5 10 15 25 50 105
Estimated Outlays.............................. 3 7 12 20 37 79
Total:
Authorization Level........................ 169 371 396 411 345 1,691
Estimated Outlays.......................... 93 255 354 400 372 1,474
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A Numbers may not add up to totals because of rounding.
aH.R. 4377 would authorize the appropriation of $95 million in 2018 for construction of the Long-Baseline
Neutrino Facility. On an annualized basis, Public Law 115-90 provided $50 million in 2018 for that project. As
a result, CBO estimates that H.R. 4377 would increase the amount authorized to be appropriated in 2018 by $45
million, the difference between the authorized amount and the annualized appropriated amount.
Basis of estimate: DOE's Office of Science supports basic
research in the physical sciences and operates a system of
national scientific user facilities. The office received an
appropriation of $5.4 billion in 2017 and the same amount on an
annualized basis for 2018; that amount includes funding for
construction of and upgrades to equipment and research
facilities. Under current law, no specific sums are authorized
to be appropriated to DOE for those purposes after 2018.
H.R. 4377 would authorize appropriations totaling $1.7
billion over the 2018-2022 period for the following specific
projects:
$599 million for upgrades to the Advanced
Photon Source;
$795 million for construction of the Long-
Baseline Neutrino Facility;
$192 million for a proton power upgrade at
the Spallation Neutron Source; and
$105 million for a second target station at
the Spallation Neutron Source.
The bill also would authorize the appropriation of $2
billion over the 2023-2028 period for those projects. Of that
amount, $1.4 billion would be for the construction of a second
target station at the Spallation Neutron Source.
In 2017, DOE spent $37 million for construction of the
Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility. According to the agency, the
upgrades to the Advanced Photon Source and Spallation Neutron
Source are in the design phase. In recent years, the agency
received appropriations of $40 million a year for those
projects.
Based on historical spending patterns, CBO estimates that
if the authorized amounts are appropriated, implementing H.R.
4377 would cost $1.5 billion over the 2018-2022 period and $2.2
billion after 2022.
Pay-As-You-Go considerations: None.
Increase in long-term direct spending and deficits: CBO
estimates that enacting H.R. 4377 would not increase net direct
spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive
10-year periods beginning in 2028.
Mandates: H.R. 4377 contains no intergovernmental or
private-sector mandates as defined in UMRA.
Estimate prepared by: Federal costs: Janani Shankaran;
Mandates: Jon Sperl.
Estimate approved by: H. Samuel Papenfuss, Deputy Assistant
Director for Budget Analysis.