Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, fought to include West Virginia priorities in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, legislation that will invest in American research and development in sciences and manufacturing. Chairman Manchin championed the addition of provisions to provide $16.9 billion for the Department of Energy (DOE) and National Laboratories, like the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) based in Morgantown, for research in technology areas including high-performance computing, advanced energy technologies, artificial intelligence and quantum computing, robotics and advanced manufacturing.

“American innovation has taken us to the moon, made human flight possible, and shaped us into the world leader we are today. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act is an investment in future American innovation and includes $16.9 billion for the Department of Energy and National Laboratories, including NETL based in Morgantown,” said Chairman Manchin. “I fought to include West Virginia priorities in the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act to maintain the leading role of NETL and the Department of Energy in research and development efforts across the Federal government, and support American competition in technology and manufacturing. The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act proves that bipartisanship is not dead in Congress and that when we go through regular order, we can create meaningful legislation to help propel America forward.”

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