WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Rick Perry released the following statement on President Donald J. Trump’s Fiscal Year 2018 budget request for the Department of Energy (DOE):

“This budget delivers on the promise to reprioritize spending in order to carry out DOE’s core functions efficiently and effectively while also being fiscally responsible and respectful to the American taxpayer,” said Secretary Perry. “It reflects the importance of strengthening our nuclear capabilities, and places an emphasis on early stage energy technology research and development. As we refocus resources, we will continue to utilize our national laboratories for cutting edge science in order to improve both our energy and national security. I look forward to working with Congress as the budget process moves forward.”

Highlights in the FY 2018 budget include:

• $6.4 billion for science and energy research and development programs, with a renewed focus on cutting-edge innovation and early-stage R&D, including:
  • $4.5 billion for the Office of Science to support the development of world-class high-performance computers, as well as core basic science research activities to continue and strengthen American leadership in scientific inquiry.
  • $703 million for the Office of Nuclear Energy to facilitate continued innovation on improved ways to generate nuclear power.
  • $280 million for the Office of Fossil Energy to focus on cutting-edge fossil energy research and development, advance domestic energy production, support innovative clean coal technologies, and strengthen our energy security.
  • $120 million for the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability to support research and development of technologies that strengthen, transform, and improve energy infrastructure to ensure consumers have access to reliable, secure, and clean sources of energy. This includes foundational research to ensure the reliability and resiliency of the U.S. electric grid, modernization of the distribution of electric power, and advancing the science and technology that underpin grid energy storage.
  • $636 million for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to support the national labs effort to drive energy innovations in renewable energy, next-generation transportation, and energy efficiency.
• $508 million in the Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) to reduce the timeline to achieve an exascale computing system, with the intent of accelerating delivery of an exascale machine to 2021 and a second with a different architecture soon thereafter. Accelerating our progress in exascale computing will bring back American primacy in computing science and technology, while also bolstering our national security and supporting the next generation of science breakthroughs.
• Over $370 million to help strengthen and protect America’s energy infrastructure and the DOE enterprise from cyberattacks.
• $120 million to advance the Nation’s nuclear waste management program.
• $10.2 billion for Weapons Activities to maintain and enhance the safety, security, and effectiveness of our nuclear weapons enterprise.
• $1.8 billion for Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation activities to reduce the global threats from nuclear weapons.
• $6.5 billion for Environmental Management to address the legal and moral obligations to clean up the Nation’s nuclear legacy following World War II and the Cold War.

The $28 billion FY 2018 budget advances the DOE mission in key areas through significant investments to:

• Modernize the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal
• Achieve exascale computing
• Advance the Nation’s nuclear waste management program
• Protect our national electric grid from cyberattacks
• Shift the Department’s focus to early-stage research and development at our national laboratories to more efficiently and cost effectively advance American dominance in scientific and energy research

Additional information can be found in the Department’s Budget Factsheet and Budget in Brief.