Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) introduced legislation this week to formally establish the Office of Fusion at the Department of Energy.
The bill comes a month after DOE released reorganization plans for its agency and included an Office of Fusion. The legislation looks to codify DOE’s plans and “urge DOE to move forward with their plans to ensure that the United States can continue leading the way on fusion energy and eventually reach commercialization,” according to Padilla’s Monday press release.
Codifying the fusion office into law would make it tougher for future administrations to eliminate it through another DOE reorganization.
House Fusion Energy Caucus co-chairs Reps. Don Beyer (D-Va.), Jay Obernolte (R-Calif.) and Lori Trahan (D-Mass.) introduced a companion bill in the House as well.
The bill looks to amend the DOE Organization Act to establish an office focused on fusion energy. The Office of Fusion would advance fusion energy, in partnership with the private sector, to accelerate research, demonstration and deployment of nuclear fusion.
“By establishing the Office of Fusion within the Department of Energy, this legislation would accelerate the deployment of cutting-edge fusion energy as an abundant and reliable power source to help meet surging demand and bolster grid stability,” Cornyn said in the release.
Fusion energy has seen a recent uptick in investment in the United States as the country races against China to achieve commercial fusion first. In 2022, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, the state Padilla represents, became the first lab to achieve fusion ignition.
Cornyn and Padilla are collaborating on a fusion-related bill once again after last year. The pair’s Fusion Energy Act was signed into law as part of the Fire Grants and Safety Act.
The law streamlines the creation of federal regulations to support the development of commercial fusion facilities by codifying the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s regulatory authority over commercial fusion energy systems, according to the release.