[{"_1":2,"_94":-5,"_95":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},"mediaId",6193310,"mediaKeyId","3867976-f642d67276c85fcd1c7819a5d792a81f","parentId",3867976,"title","DOE defends 202(c) actions, supports transmission and nuclear acceleration at Senate hearing","audioSeconds",3523,"startMs",772000,"endMs",4295000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3867976-f642d67276c85fcd1c7819a5d792a81f&start=772&end=4295","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3867976-f642d67276c85fcd1c7819a5d792a81f/thumbnail_772000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6193310/DOE-defends-202c-actions-supports-transmission-and-nuclear-acceleration-at-Senate-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6193310-237d55d3259d017b8f10ba8d84a2c8d4/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204196&Signature=bPy1r4B8qywmgIb2y4MPWOIuROhzgH1a5G1vqDfPM-yGr1IKTAM6u-4VLF7LU570uoI8vnGUyCOLLEIXMeRz0tAdg9nFHbc~BVBgUpCIgqMAIGhatFJ38FQSiSTRTv5KB5nBaLUkX2y2aQ3Nxnxjiuf2nIzeC3TlL0x-8JOWL15GfhCqWAk3Ti9CJE0j9QaWGpJwXL-xt3HR0Ufa0SsDCw0YJ2olHj849Nyyp3XvTxWDijEKF8chw5-H119uINgiozFjtidCBhyJCrC5zhB1ZOMJwSyaLPIqBmqJNmm01AJ5XXFJLKESQIYctKl0~iEqTT3EVRHx1M1CYJK-g7dg6Q__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources","date","2025-06-19T19:52:56.77Z","article","Secretary Wright told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee that the Department of Energy has taken several operational steps to bolster grid reliability and speed certain energy projects.

Wright said DOE issued multiple 202(c) orders to keep baseload generation online during periods of system stress; the secretary described one such intervention in Southwestern Michigan, where DOE issued a 202(c) order \"to keep a coal plant . . . open because of small reserve margins in MISO.\" He said the decision helped prevent a blackout two days later and that DOE is returning to its precedent for reviewing LNG export permits and \"we've officially ended the previous administration's reckless pause on LNG export permits and have returned to regular order for reviewing and approving new permits.\"

Transmission and GRIP: Senators from Montana and North Dakota urged DOE support for large transmission projects. Senator Daines described the North Plains Connector, a proposed 420-mile high-voltage line that received a $700,000,000 GRIP grant to the Montana Department of Commerce; he asked the secretary to commit to advancing the award to meet a 2032 operational target. Wright said the department is evaluating GRIP projects through the same cross-functional review and that \"interconnections between grids is certainly something The United States needs more of.\"

Nuclear energy push: Committee members and the secretary discussed accelerating deployment of advanced reactors. Wright said DOE plans solicitations and actions to get demonstration reactors critical at Idaho National Laboratory within an accelerated timeline and to support domestic fuel enrichment and licensing. \"We want in 12 months from now to have reactors that are critical,\" Wright said, describing test reactors and a goal of speeding commercialization of small modular reactors.

Why it matters: Senators emphasized growing electricity demand, potential impacts from AI-related load growth, and the need for transmission and baseload capacity. Committee members asked DOE to provide the grid modeling and project evaluations that underlie department interventions and funding decisions.

Follow up: Wright agreed to provide modeling and pledged that the department's review process would produce project-specific findings. Senators asked for prompt timelines for GRIP reviews and for the Loan Programs Office to reengage with long-pending projects in their states.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","WATCH LIVE: Committee Hearing on the Department of Energy’s FY 2026 Budget Request","oneSentenceSummary","Secretary Wright told senators the department has used emergency 202(c) authority to keep baseload plants online, reopened LNG export permit reviews, and supports transmission projects and small modular reactors; senators asked DOE to provide project modeling and to complete reviews of GRIP awards.","taxTitle","Energy and Natural Resources: Senate Committee, Standing Committees - House & Senate, Congressional Hearings Compilation, Legislative, Federal","taxId",1991,"location","","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6193315,"Committee questions DOE loan review after terminations and Sunnova controversy",738,736000,1474000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3867976-f642d67276c85fcd1c7819a5d792a81f&start=736&end=1474","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3867976-f642d67276c85fcd1c7819a5d792a81f/thumbnail_736000.jpg","/articles/6193315/Committee-questions-DOE-loan-review-after-terminations-and-Sunnova-controversy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6193315-de8c0da201ede03b63aa87c5bf828155/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204196&Signature=EtS7umoVAocNjXsZqSRIKa-gNXLHimGdSFRacdhvtZTRiUiYJ~9sSG2oA0z~NDYMmFeZvLjawHd0rgis1RqMltazIiMtiJA-VdgtAEyzUxoNdU3XUvVH74gnSStVE0YuRsSKWWl21rAKt8HY90fgDHWCZmCP-F9h0q3WN1YLdJoUsW~WEB0yz83qPWIgRL48SO8t7cFUeAK6JEm5kJquQUfIwG5zgd1ZNG1q3la-J7eJW7m-G-9xGAgDrqQKzQBnSYiRg-nY-k4Jmhxm22cK6VeIKCzivX6OmmF-UT5Xg3bKvH-DAzesagh7x4vpTS-6BK1j3DE85Ngc8xBNst7Wxg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee members pressed Secretary Wright on June 18 about DOE's review of loans and financial assistance awarded under recent programs and about the Loan Programs Office's credibility following prior controversies.

Ranking Member Senator Heinrich characterized the department's cancellation of awards as a serious step. \"Cancellation of these awards crosses into impoundment territory and is certainly a breach of contract,\" he said, describing a May 30 cancellation of about $3.7 billion in awards from the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations.

Secretary Wright said the department has set up a cross-functional program review to evaluate projects of \"meaningful scale,\" explaining the review covers roughly 500 projects and that the department has already announced the termination of 24 projects totaling over $3.7 billion. \"We're gonna evaluate every one of them in a business like professional manner, not a political manner,\" Wright said.

Ethics and LPO credibility: Committee members also raised prior conduct at the Loan Programs Office. Chairman Lee cited Sunnova, a residential solar company that received a multibillion-dollar loan guarantee and later filed for Chapter 11. Lee described reporting that DOE officials had prioritized the Sunnova application after social interactions and that the DOE inspector general found potential ethics violations related to interactions between the former LPO director and Sunnova-affiliated individuals. Secretary Wright said those incidents contributed to the department's decision to introduce a more rigorous review process and to change the culture at DOE.

Why it matters: The Loan Programs Office and financial assistance awards are intended to accelerate commercial-scale clean energy projects. Committee members from both parties said the department must ensure that those awards withstand contractual, financial and ethical scrutiny and that taxpayers are protected.

Follow-up and transparency: Senators asked for written documentation of the department's review process and asked when specific projects in their states would be revisited. Secretary Wright committed to follow-up on individual projects and said many existing projects will continue to receive funding while others may be modified or terminated based on the review.

","Lawmakers pressed Secretary Wright on the Department of Energy's review of previously awarded demonstration projects and the Loan Programs Office after the department announced termination of 24 awards and after ethical concerns were raised about a prior loan guarantee process.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":90,"_53":91,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":92,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":93,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":72,"_74":72},6193320,"Senate hearing spotlights DOE FY26 cuts, potential job losses at national labs","/articles/6193320/Senate-hearing-spotlights-DOE-FY26-cuts-potential-job-losses-at-national-labs","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6193320-330c9da427070702e4129c7f2525f80b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771204196&Signature=Wz8HBavn3rs87uuf59EC~xpnnwN8SlCPze1sG-Liuwl1KySf~BJDejato0AsmKTDuZglji6NIHZkaIXbWvtW9PKdsxYgSe4wjGBDW8F5FyRod6hXAyZHsgjWLnSjcZFVwXiZpBQZLYinPiJhp~iC2BCCIi7hf822VGlBp8TCzULkSuhI48DvBqjdZp200PrE88tmuo-Y3blsa9zjMG6IIGuREzrUytX~YVt0nsh6ofh~INJZ-4WnJWKMBKu5QCu1mwYOo4e96azfxU-X0lTj4M5rB~kXrZ5w6KySHKeKrpzi7swS8cwQpkjJldQ5rsXo2QX0LpjCOvwyv3a9IYu1zg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Secretary Wright, the secretary of energy, told the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee on June 18 that the administration's fiscal year 2026 budget will reallocate DOE funding toward what he called \"affordable, reliable, and secure\" energy priorities and tighter stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

The committee's ranking member, Senator Heinrich, warned that the proposal would sharply reduce research funding and harm the national laboratories. \"This budget would cut funding for the labs by $2,750,000,000 or 11% compared to fiscal year 2024,\" Heinrich said, and added that the cut could mean \"an estimated loss of more than 7,700 jobs once fully implemented.\" The senator called the proposed reductions and recent personnel actions at DOE a threat to U.S. scientific leadership.

Why it matters: National laboratories and DOE research programs underwrite long-term energy innovation and national security technology. Committee members from both parties pushed the secretary for details about how the budget would be allocated across offices and what the department would do to avoid damaging key programs.

Most important facts: Secretary Wright described the administration's priorities as supporting what he termed \"American energy dominance\" and said the FY26 request would reduce or reprioritize funding across several offices. He said the budget would, among other changes, reduce funding for the Office of Science and for ARPA‑E; senators cited figures discussed in the hearing — a 14% proposed cut to the Office of Science and a 57% proposed cut to ARPA‑E. Wright said he wants to focus DOE resources on technologies that deliver reliable, affordable energy and that he is \"keen . . . to grow the budget for our national labs in those key areas of AI.\" He also defended a review of previously approved demonstration projects and said the department is assessing allocations on a lab-by-lab basis.

Committee concerns and context: Senator Heinrich and others expressed alarm that staff reductions, buyouts and proposed funding cuts could undercut research capacity. Heinrich also criticized DOE's responsiveness to congressional oversight requests and said he had received no responses to four letters he sent the department. Senator Murkowski and other members said they welcome more lab funding for AI, fusion and quantum computing; Murkowski said she is \"keen . . . to grow the lab budget in those key areas.\" Several senators pressed Wright for commitments to work with their states on specific consequences of the budget proposal for local facilities.

What the secretary said: Wright repeatedly framed the budget as a return to what he described as DOE's core mission and said the department must be a better steward of taxpayer dollars. He told the committee: \"We will invest DOE's resources in technologies and sources that support affordable, reliable, and secure energy, and provide a return on investment for the American taxpayers.\" He also said he is \"not going to gut the technology and science\" at the labs and that allocations will be decided on a lab-by-lab basis.

Details and numbers clarified in the hearing: Senators and the secretary discussed multiple numeric estimates in the hearing. Those figures include: a cited $2.75 billion reduction in lab funding compared with FY24 (attributed during the hearing to lab directors and raised by Senator Heinrich), an estimated 7,700 jobs potentially affected once the proposal is implemented (Senator Heinrich), and committee-cited percentage cuts of about 14% for the Office of Science and about 57% for ARPA‑E. Secretary Wright said budget allocations have not yet been apportioned to specific labs and that lab-level decisions will be made after review.

Looking ahead: Senators used the hearing to press Wright for written responses and modeling underlying the budget. The committee set deadlines for questions for the record and statements for the record at the hearing's close. The debate is expected to continue as appropriations and authorizing committees review the FY26 request.

","Secretary Wright defended the Department of Energy's fiscal year 2026 budget, including proposals that committee members say would cut funding for national labs and research programs and could cost thousands of jobs; lawmakers pressed DOE on the rationale for reductions and the department's plan to prioritize projects.","actionData","errors"]

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DOE defends 202(c) actions, supports transmission and nuclear acceleration at Senate hearing

Committee questions DOE loan review after terminations and Sunnova controversy

Senate hearing spotlights DOE FY26 cuts, potential job losses at national labs