Federal Government Relations
Berkeley Lab has been a critical part of the United States federal research ecosystem since its founding in 1931. Throughout its history, the Lab has maintained close and productive relationships with policymakers in the Administration and in the Congress. From providing expert testimony and other input on scientific research and development, to educating Members of Congress, Congressional Staff, and White House officials about cutting edge science, Berkeley Lab actively responds to policymakers' requests for information.
For more information contact Jonathan Nurse, Director of Federal Relations , or Clarissa Bhargava, Assistant Director of Federal Relations.
Recent Hearings and Special Events
Hearing: The Science of Extreme Event Attribution
Dr. Michael Wehner testifies on climate attribution science, or how climate change is impacting the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, at a November 2023 hearing of the full Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.
Hearing: Ensuring American Leadership in Microelectronics
Berkeley Lab Director Mike Witherell testifies on microelectronics, "one of the most important economic challenges the nation is facing" at a December 2021 hearing of the full House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Event: Building Climate and Energy Solutions One Atom at a Time
Leaders from the Department of Energy, Congress, Academia, and Industry discuss the importance of fundamental research to achieving climate and clean energy goals
Hearing: The CLEAN Future Act: Driving Decarbonization of the Transportation Sector
Dr. Amol Phadke provides testimony on transportation decarbonization to a May 2021 hearing of the House Committee on Energy & Commerce, highlighting opportunities created by "plummeting battery costs, breakthroughs in battery technology, and dramatic declines in clean energy costs."
Hearing: Climate and Energy Science Research at the Department of Energy
At a May 2021 hearing of the Energy Subcommittee of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Molecular Foundry Director Kristin Persson testifies on "materials and chemical sciences research within the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science’s Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program and its essential role in the development of new technologies and training our nation’s scientific workforce."
Hearing: Biological Research at DOE Leveraging DOE's Unique Capabilities to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Dr. Mary Maxon, then Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences, testifies on the "Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science’s biology research and development enterprise" at a September 2020 hearing of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
LBNL Testimony at Congressional Hearings
Congressional Hearings Archive (2009-Present)
Date: 12/02/2021Hearing: Ensuring American Leadership in MicroelectronicsCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Michael Witherell, Laboratory Director
Date: 05/05/2021Hearing: The CLEAN Future Act: Driving Decarbonization of the TransportationCommittee: U.S. House Energy & Commerce CommitteeWitness: Dr. Amol Phadke, Staff Scientist and Deputy of the International Energy Analysis Department, Energy Analysis and Environmental Impacts Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Date: 05/04/2021Hearing: Climate and Energy Science Research at the Department of EnergyCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Kristin Persson, Director, Molecular Foundry, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Date: 09/11/2020Hearing: Biological Research at the Department of Energy: Leveraging DOE’s Unique Capabilities to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic Committee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences
Date: 11/22/2019Hearing: Stimulating New Carbon Capture Technologies through Basic ResearchCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Jeffrey Long, Faculty Senior Scientist and Professor UC Berkeley
Date: 09/25/2018Hearing: Full Committee Hearing to Examine DOE's Efforts in the Field of Quantum Information ScienceCommittee: Senate Committee on Energy and Natural ResourcesWitness: Dr. Irfan Siddiqi, Director of Berkeley Quantum
Date: 07/12/2018Hearing: Big Data Challenges and Advanced Computing SolutionsCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Kathy Yelick, Associate Laboratory Director for Computing Sciences
Date: 03/14/2018Hearing: National Laboratories: World-Leading Innovation in Science Committee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences
Date: 12/08/2015Hearing: The Future of Biotechnology: Solutions for Energy, Agriculture and Manufacturing Committee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Mary Maxon, Associate Laboratory Director for Biosciences
Date: 07/14/2014Hearing: Policies to Spur Innovative Medical Breakthroughs from Laboratories to PatientsCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Energy and Commerce Witness: Dr. Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute
Date: 06/10/2014Hearing: A Review of P5: The U.S. Vision for Particle Physics after Discovery of the Higgs Boson Committee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Natalie Roe, Physics Division Director
Date: 11/06/2013Hearing: America COMPETES: Science and the U.S. Economy Committee: Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and TransportationWitness: Dr. Saul Perlmutter, Senior Scientist and Professor UC Berkeley
Date: 10/30/2013Hearing: Providing the Tools for Scientific Discovery and Basic Energy Research: The Department of Energy Science Mission Committee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Horst Simon, Deputy Laboratory Director
Date: 09/23/2010Briefing: Extreme Weather in a Warming WorldCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Select Committee on Energy Independence & Global WarmingWitness: Dr. Michael Wehner, Staff Scientist
Date: 05/27/2010Hearing: Effects of Developments in Synthetic GenomicsCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute
Date: 09/10/2009Hearing: Subcommittee on Energy and Environment Hearing - Biological Research for Energy and Medical Applications at the Department of Energy Office of ScienceCommittee: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space & Technology Witness: Dr. Jay Keasling, CEO of the Joint BioEnergy Institute