(Lakewood, CO) – This week, U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter (CO-07) welcomes members of the House Science, Space & Technology Committee to the 7th Congressional District and Colorado to tour many of the world-class laboratories and companies in the state and see firsthand the important work being done in aerospace, space exploration, weather forecasting, satellite imaging, and energy efficiency and renewable energy.
“Colorado is a leader for the country in so many ways. We’re building the next generation of human exploration spacecraft, advancing cutting-edge technologies to help build a cleaner energy future, and developing new technologies to detect and mitigate wildfire threats sooner than ever before,” said Perlmutter. “I’m excited to welcome my fellow committee members to Colorado and showcase the important and exciting work happening all across our state.”
Throughout the week, members will visit and tour Lockheed Martin; the National Renewable Energy Lab; Ball Aerospace; Sierra Space; Maxar; several of the labs at the University of Colorado at Boulder including the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), the Cooperative Institute for Research In Environmental Sciences (CIRES), the world-leading physics research institute, JILA, and the National Solar Observatory; the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR); the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The group will also participate in a roundtable discussion with the National Weather Service (NWS) and fire officials to discuss the Marshall Fire and tour the fire damage in Old Town Superior.
Press is invited to participate in the National Weather Service fire forecasting discussion the afternoon of Wednesday, May 4th via a livestream. To RSVP and receive the link for the livestream, please email Ashley Verville at ashley.verville@mail.house.gov.
Throughout his time in Congress, Perlmutter has advocated for continued funding and resources to national laboratories, including NREL in Golden, Colo., to advance energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives and R&D. In March, Reps. Perlmutter and Neguse (CO-02) introduced the Federal Labs Modernization Act to prioritize the investment in and modernization of federal labs. Colorado is home to more than 30 federally funded research labs and a crucial center of scientific innovation in the U.S.
As a member of the House Science Committee, Perlmutter is a lead sponsor of H.R. 5781, the National Wildland Fire Risk Reduction Program Act, a comprehensive package to identify and invest in R&D, set up warning and forecast systems, develop observation and sensing technologies, and standardize data collection efforts to improve the nation’s preparedness, resilience, and response to wildfires. Earlier this year, Perlmutter also introduced H.R. 6845, the Commercial Remote Sensing Amendment Act to support commercial remote sensing activities in the U.S. and renew the requirement for an annual report on the status of commercial remote sensing applications and regulations.
In March 2021 op-ed in the Colorado Sun, Perlmutter and fellow House Science Committee members advocated for a more sustainable, comprehensive solution to the growing threat of wildfires across the U.S. but particularly in the Western U.S.:
“Simply throwing everything we have at each megafire is neither a near-term nor long-term solution. It is critical we harness the full potential of the American scientific community to better prevent and respond to increasingly destructive wildfires and provide more immediate relief to our states, communities, and emergency responders.”
The trip comes as the House and Senate work to negotiate the final America COMPETES Act package to make transformational new investments in research, innovation, and American manufacturing to ensure that America can continue to be a beacon of excellence in science and technology in the world and strengthen America’s economic and national security. Several House Science Committee bills and priorities were included in the House-passed America COMPETES Act to bolster the nation’s scientific community and the U.S.’s competitiveness through technology and innovation, including Perlmutter’s amendment to the National Science Foundation (NSF) for the Future Act to expand NSF wildfire risk and resilience research.
