Kaptur statement on Department of Energy 2016 budget request

Good morning, Dr. Moniz, it is good to see you again. I appreciate your recent visit to Ohio and your willingness to work with us to address the challenges faced by communities in the part of the country that I represent.

First among those, I remain focused on job creation. I appreciate several of your proposals to meet this need—in particular, a $200 million increase for the Advanced Manufacturing program, which could do great things for our region and nation.

The last decade has seen American industries struggle. Between 2000-2010 our nation lost more than 5 million manufacturing jobs, amounting to nearly one-third of its manufacturing employment. However, I am encouraged to note that of the 100 largest metro areas that currently hold 70 percent of advanced manufacturing jobs, two are within my district: Cleveland ranks 27th and Toledo ranks 30th in share of overall jobs in this sector. America has hotbeds of innovation, but if we hope to remain globally competitive in manufacturing we must seize the opportunities they are presenting to us.

Even as we face of another limited budget, we must keep focused on the pairing of intellectual and innovation growth with employment growth. I look forward to discussing further job creating opportunities at the Department of Energy, through efforts such as modernizing America's energy grid, retrofitting building, or supporting efficient and innovative manufacturing technology companies.

Correspondingly, our historic reliance on foreign energy not only serves as a grave national security concern, it is also a severe strain on our economy. The $2.3 trillion our country has spent importing foreign oil over the last decade has enriched some of the worst global players at the expense of our own citizens.

Today, we are presented with the opportunity to rid our country of this burden. We are already producing more oil domestically than we import, and recent projections show that by 2035 we will be able to meet 97 percent of our energy needs through domestic production.

Through continued funding to accelerate renewable energy development, we can achieve a net positive balance of trade in our energy sector—a goal worthy of our aspiration and one that can ensure domestic job growth into the future.

Our national labs continue to serve as drivers of innovation, America's greatest resource for staying globally competitive. Innovation remains one of the few lasting competitive advantages for many firms and their host cities in the advanced manufacturing sector, yet its speed and complexity require that we ratchet up demand for new strategies and support.

While we are developing our approach to the energy future of this country we must also focus on commercialization efforts with a strong bias toward improving American manufacturing. I cannot emphasize this point enough. If the Department is fostering technological advances or breakthroughs for products, it must do so in a way that contributes to American manufacturing or products that are manufactured domestically.

Moreover, communities with national laboratories must recognize the tremendous asset they possess in pushing innovative and creative ideas. The nation would be wise recognize them as national gems. For those communities not lucky enough to have local labs, I am interested in identifying opportunities to extend the positive impact labs can offer in assistance to communities and businesses that struggle to meet their own energy needs.

Mr. Secretary, I am eager to discuss how the FY 2016 budget request meets the needs of the many energy and national security challenges we face, and strengthens the nation's manufacturing base.

Thank you Mr. Chairman for the time and I look forward to our hearing today.