Underwood, U.S. Secretary of Energy Granholm Visit Fermilab, Highlight Local Impact of Federal Investments

WEST CHICAGO – Today, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a member of the House Appropriations Committee, joined U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm on a tour of the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory near Batavia, Illinois. In Congress, Underwood has consistently fought to gain resources for Fermilab. In a House-passed funding bill for Fiscal Year 2022, she secured over $7 billion dollars for the Department of Energy's Office of Science, which funds research and infrastructure at National Laboratories including Fermilab. Underwood invited Secretary Granholm to Fermilab to show her the impact that these critical investments will have on northern Illinois' economy. Underwood secured investments in the Department of Energy to ensure Fermilab can continue to conduct groundbreaking scientific research and attract world-class physicists, engineers, and other experts to Illinois.

"Investments in research infrastructure are investments in our future—and they're investments that pay off," said Underwood. "From cutting-edge neutrino science to STEM education, Fermilab's work is critical to ensuring Illinois remains a world leader in research and innovation. I was proud to show Secretary Granholm Fermi's tremendous contributions and highlight how federal investment in research and innovation creates good-paying jobs in the 14th and throughout the country."

Last year, the Department of Energy selected Fermilab to lead one of the Department's five new National Quantum Information Science Research Centers. The funding is part of the U.S. National Quantum Initiative, which invests over $1 billion in awards to artificial intelligence and quantum information science research institutes.

Additional investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and Build Back Better Act will expand funding for 12 existing Department of Energy Research, Development, Demonstration, and Deployment programs, like Fermilab.

###