Senators reintroduce legislation to establish Energy Technology Maturation Program at Energy Department
A group of Senators recently reintroduced legislation to authorize an Energy Technology Maturation Program at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to support the commercialization of laboratory-developed energy technologies and boost regional, technology-driven economic impact.
Under the program, funding would be provided to help enhance the maturity of technologies developed at DOE facilities to attract a private partner willing to support the technology’s next steps to commercialization. The program would also provide funding to support cooperative development of a technology when a commercial partner has already been identified. Priority would be given to private-sector partnerships with small businesses.
Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), ranking member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, along with Sens. Cory Gardner (R-CO), Dick Durbin (D-IL), and Kamala Harris (D-CA) reintroduced the bill.
“The Department of Energy (DOE) plays an important role in developing the cutting edge technologies we need to lead the world in energy innovation,” Manchin said. “In West Virginia, the National Energy Technology Lab (NETL) and West Virginia’s universities are spearheading these efforts. The Energy Technology and Maturation Act better enables DOE and our national labs to deploy the technologies they are developing, with a priority placed on partnerships with small businesses. This will drive economic growth, innovation, and job creation, and ensure our national labs are able to reach their full potential.”
