BES and Congress

Congressional Foundations of the BES Program

Congress established the Basic Energy Sciences (BES) program through the following authorization legislations:

Atomic Energy Act of 1946 Public Law 79-585 August 1, 1946 42 U.S.C. 1801 et seq.
Atomic Energy Act of 1954 Public Law 83-703 August 30, 1954 42 U.S.C. 2011 et seq.
Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 Public Law 93-438 October 11, 1974 42 U.S.C. 5801 et seq.
DOE Organization Act of 1977 Public Law 95-91 August 4, 1977 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.
Energy Policy Act of 1992 Public Law 102-486 October 24, 1992 42 U.S.C. 134 et seq.
Energy Policy Act of 2005 Public Law 109-58 August 8, 2005 HR 6  |  HRpt 109-190

These laws created and promulgated the BES program, and annual appropriation laws provide funding and guidance for the program's activities. In the Congressional budget process, the BES program is governed by the four Congressional Committees shown in the table below. Each Committee contains a subcommittee that specifically considers the BES portion of the President's Budget Request. To hunt for additional legislative information on the internet, visit the Library of Congress' Thomas server.

Congressional Committees with responsibilities that include BES
Type of CommitteeHouse of RepresentativesThe Senate
Appropriations Committee on Appropriations Committee on Appropriations

Subcommittee

 Energy and Water Development Energy and Water Development
Authorization Committee on Science and Technology Committee on Energy and
Natural Resources

Subcommittee

 Energy and Environment Energy