Department of Energy

Meet America's secret team of nuclear first responders

6:00am October 29, 2024

For 50 years, a secretive group of government workers has been preparing for the worst. Here's a rare look inside the team that's ready to respond to a nuclear incident anywhere, anytime.

Queue Listen Now

Security guards stand in front of the Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market in Wuhan, China, on Jan. 11, 2020, after the market had been closed following an outbreak of COVID-19 there. Two studies document samples of SARS-CoV-2 from stalls where live animals were sold.

What does the science say about the origin of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic?

10:19pm February 28, 2023

by Michaeleen Doucleff

Two U.S. intelligence agencies reportedly support the lab leak theory — with low-to-moderate confidence. No evidence has been shared. Scientists have strong evidence of animal spillover at a market..

Queue Listen Now

The multi-billion dollar National Ignition Facility has used 192 laser beams to create net energy from a tiny pellet of nuclear fuel.

U.S. reaches a fusion power milestone. Will it be enough to save the planet?

12:36pm December 13, 2022

by Geoff Brumfiel

A giant laser facility in Livermore, Calif., says it has created net energy from nuclear fusion. It's an important breakthrough, but fusion power remains a distant dream.

Queue Listen Now

N.C. A&T receives $10M for clean energy research

11:09am August 29, 2022

by Neal Charnoff

North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University has received a $10 million grant to open a clean energy research center.

Tia Tate is a computational biologist currently working in a postdoctoral position at a federal agency in North Carolina.

Science

Why Having Diverse Government Scientists Is Key To Dealing With Climate Change

4:38pm April 30, 2021

by Rebecca Hersher

Climate and health policies rely on scientific expertise. But the federal science workforce has been shaped by decades of political interference, underfunding and race and gender bias.

An artist's rendering shows the reactor's core is about the size of a paper towel roll and could provide a decade's worth of electricity to future missions.

NASA Tests New Nuclear Reactor For Future Space Travelers

4:06pm May 03, 2018

by Geoff Brumfiel

The reactor could keep the lights on during long-duration missions far from Earth.

Robert Murray of Murray Energy (right) meets with Energy Secretary Rick Perry at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington in a March 29, 2017, photo obtained by The Associated Press.

Photographer Says He Lost His Job After Leaking Pictures Of Rick Perry And Coal CEO

11:08am January 18, 2018

by Scott Neuman

Former Department of Energy photographer Simon Edelman is filing a federal whistleblower suit after he leaked the photos of a private meeting between the energy secretary and Robert Murray.

Secretary of Energy Rick Perry testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 12. Perry's proposed rule to benefit nuclear and coal power plants has been rejected by a federal regulatory commiss

Federal Regulator Rejects Energy Department's Bid To Prop Up Coal, Nuclear

1:44pm January 09, 2018

by Camila Domonoske

Energy Secretary Rick Perry proposed a rule that would essentially subsidize older fuel sources to compete with cheaper natural gas and renewables. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission cried foul.

Belinda Batten of Oregon State University stands in front of a wave energy generator prototype.

Oceans May Host Next Wave Of Renewable Energy

11:23am November 15, 2017

by Jeff Brady

Researchers say there's huge potential for harnessing ocean waves to create electricity. The Energy Department is backing one effort in Oregon.

Queue Listen Now

Former Texas governor Rick Perry had his confirmation hearing Thursday as President-elect Donald Trump's pick for secretary of energy. He said he no longer wants to get rid of the agency.

Politics & Government

Rick Perry, Energy Nominee, Says He No Longer Wants To Dissolve Agency

11:34pm January 19, 2017

by Jeff Brady

The former Texas governor once said he would abolish the Department of Energy. Now, as Trump's pick for the agency head, he said said his view on that — and global warming — have changed.

Queue Listen Now