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DOE Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: Planning a New Era of Discovery With the Upgraded Advanced Light Source
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued the following news:
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Planning a New Era of Discovery with the Upgraded Advanced Light Source
A state-of-the-art upgrade underway at Berkeley Lab's soft X-ray facility will enable decades of continued research breakthroughs
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Scientists around the world use the focused beams of light generated by the Advanced Light Source (ALS) synchrotron to study molecules and materials with atomic precision -- yielding fundamental insights into fields ranging from physics to biology and enabling the development
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Energy Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory issued the following news:
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Planning a New Era of Discovery with the Upgraded Advanced Light Source
A state-of-the-art upgrade underway at Berkeley Lab's soft X-ray facility will enable decades of continued research breakthroughs
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Scientists around the world use the focused beams of light generated by the Advanced Light Source (ALS) synchrotron to study molecules and materials with atomic precision -- yielding fundamental insights into fields ranging from physics to biology and enabling the developmentof new technologies in microelectronics, energy storage, pharmaceuticals, catalysis, quantum computing, and more. Since it became operational in 1993, the ALS, a DOE Office of Science user facility at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), has served as the nation's top destination for soft X-ray science as well as a leading facility for ultraviolet, infrared, and hard X-ray wavelengths. It has been cited in more than 18,000 papers, including foundational work for five Nobel prizes.
But after 30 years of continuous operation and enhancements, the ALS has reached its performance limits. We're leveling up the facility using new advances in light source technology to ensure that DOE scientists and our collaborators have access to unmatched experimental capabilities for the next era of discovery. This project has been underway for nearly a decade and has hit major milestones. The teams are making great progress toward a targeted completion in 2029.
Once the upgrade is complete, the ALS will deliver beams of soft X-rays that are more focused and at least 100-times brighter than the current ALS. This fantastically versatile type of light allows scientists to probe the chemical, magnetic, and electronic properties of samples, revealing how electrons in materials behave and how chemical reactions unfold in real time. By pointing more light into a smaller area and improving how the photons within the beams are organized -- a property called coherence -- the upgraded facility will provide more detailed and precise data and significantly enhance its ability to study changes in matter.
Other countries are also leveraging the latest technology to build new or upgraded X-ray sources. Our upgrade will make the ALS rival or surpass the most advanced new light sources, ensuring we remain on the cutting edge of basic science research to foster energy security, global technological leadership, and improved public health.
Designing materials for quantum computing
The ALS has helped scientists nationwide, including those at Berkeley Lab's Quantum Systems Accelerator, test potential materials for qubits, the fundamental unit of a quantum computer. The upgraded ALS's more coherent beams will be used to examine the quantum properties of matter, enabling deeper understanding of how to design and realize functional quantum devices and technologies.
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"The ALS upgrade to the X-ray scattering capabilities is going to be transformative for how we study quantum materials -- and not just for quantum computing but also for advanced information and storage technologies with improved efficiencies for AI. The upgraded MAESTRO beamline will also improve the ARPES [angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy] tool, which is already one of the best in the world. ARPES is important for studying quantum materials and spintronic devices, because it gives you a map of where the electrons are in space and on the energy spectrum within just a few hours. With ALS-U, ARPES will provide these details down to the 10 nanometer scale."
- Riccardo Comin, MIT Materials Research Laboratory
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Pushing the boundaries of microelectronics
Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography, a technique for printing transistors onto semiconductor chips, has caused an explosive leap forward in microelectronics technology since it was developed at Berkeley Lab's Center for X-Ray Optics (CXRO), using the ALS, starting in the late 90s. Unlike industry toolmakers, the ALS and CXRO served as the fundamental science engine for EUV, providing the synchrotron-based light and platforms needed to understand and solve the physics challenges that made EUV lithography possible. The Center for High Precision Patterning Science, a DOE Energy Frontier Research Center, uses the ALS' tunable EUV and X-ray light to characterize and reveal how these materials absorb energy, evolve chemically, and form patterns at the molecular and nanoscale level, creating the fundamental understanding and materials control needed to advance U.S. leadership in microelectronics manufacturing. The brightness of the upgraded ALS will enable a next-generation platform called Hyper-NA EUV Lithography, which will continue efforts to make more powerful and energy-efficient microchips through smaller features and new materials research.
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"We're excited to gain new insights into reactions in the resist materials that create patterns for microchips. The beam of light used for lithography is very similar to the soft X-rays of the ALS, and it causes polymers in the material to either break down or bind together in a chain reaction. We want to be able to precisely control how many of these reactions are happening, because it determines how big the features will be. For advanced microelectronics, we pattern features that are just a few nanometers wide, and at these scales, even one additional or fewer chemical reaction can impact the product's quality. With ALS-U, we will be able to track the cascading reactions in different types of resist materials and understand what drives them to improve our designs."
- Whitney Loo, University of Wisconsin-Madison
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Optimizing energy technologies
The increased spatial and temporal resolution of the upgraded ALS will pave the way for more efficient and resilient energy technologies by giving scientists an unprecedented view of chemical and material reactions as they occur. Understanding precise details of catalytic reactions used to generate fuels or the structural changes of charged particles inside batteries, for example, will help users to design and test new systems built from abundant materials that break past the limitations of past technologies.
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"My team is developing next-generation batteries using Earth-abundant materials to meet the moment in the growth of electricity demand. To do so, we use X-rays to make movies of how battery materials activate, function, age, and fail. The ALS-U will enable unprecedented spatial and temporal resolution across a wide range of techniques. These never-before-seen movies on how battery processes unfold will empower us with the fundamental insights necessary to make better batteries, faster.
- William Chueh, Stanford University
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Accelerating biological discovery
Our beamlines are home to advanced tools for studying biological systems. While the ALS upgrade is underway, a suite of cutting-edge new hardware and software will be installed on the beamlines for X-ray crystallography -- a crucial technique for elucidating atomic structures to understand normal biological functions, infectious diseases, cancer, and to design therapeutics -- and on beamlines for small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), which allows scientists to study molecular shape changes and interactions underlying biochemical reactions. A new crystallography sample production facility will also be built at the ALS. These improvements will help researchers probe deeper into the inner workings of living organisms and partners in the pharmaceutical industry can make faster progress in drug development.
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"Our crystallography beamlines have been there since the early days of the ALS, so they weren't built to be AI-ready, to sync with supercomputers, or to network with other national labs across the country. Now we have the opportunity to modernize these systems, and when the upgraded ALS comes online, we're going to have world-class capabilities in crystallography and SAXS."
- Greg Hura, Berkeley Lab
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More data, more insights
The high-quality datasets generated by experiments at the upgraded ALS will be a valuable resource for training AI models capable of predicting physical and chemical reactions. These predictions will reduce the number of tests needed to confirm hypotheses or validate product design. The rich datasets will also help build AI agents that, in combination with the ALS's sample-handling robotics technology, can autonomously manage trial-and-error research projects to greatly accelerate the pace of discovery.
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"This isn't just about better images at unprecedented resolution -- it's about data flow. With ALS-U, we'll generate richer, higher-throughput datasets across chemical systems, catalysts, microelectronics, and biomaterials. That volume and quality of data, coupled with automation and AI-driven analysis, will transform how we do experiments. Instead of manually iterating step-by-step, we'll be able to rapidly map reaction pathways, correlate structure with function, and move toward autonomous optimization. ALS-U will fundamentally accelerate the pace at which we turn nanoscale insight into real-world materials innovation."
- Cheng Wang, Berkeley Lab
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Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) is committed to groundbreaking research focused on discovery science and solutions for abundant and reliable energy supplies. The lab's expertise spans materials, chemistry, physics, biology, earth and environmental science, mathematics, and computing. Researchers from around the world rely on the lab's world-class scientific facilities for their own pioneering research. Founded in 1931 on the belief that the biggest problems are best addressed by teams, Berkeley Lab and its scientists have been recognized with 17 Nobel Prizes. Berkeley Lab is a multiprogram national laboratory managed by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science.
DOE's Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States, and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, please visit energy.gov/science.
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Original text here: https://newscenter.lbl.gov/2026/08/24/planning-a-new-era-of-discovery-with-the-upgraded-advanced-light-source/
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis: Native Federal Contractors Contribute to Local Economies Nationwide
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Aug. 25 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis issued the following analysis:
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Native federal contractors contribute to local economies nationwide
Center for Indian Country Development research provides insights on federal contracting activities of tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and Native Hawaiian Organizations
Article Highlights
* Native entities' revenue from federal contracting has grown over time
* Native contractors engage small businesses, reinvest in communities
* 8(a) program accounts for majority of Native sole-source federal contracting revenue
Authors
Andrew
... Show Full Article
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota, Aug. 25 -- The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis issued the following analysis:
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Native federal contractors contribute to local economies nationwide
Center for Indian Country Development research provides insights on federal contracting activities of tribes, Alaska Native Corporations, and Native Hawaiian Organizations
Article Highlights
* Native entities' revenue from federal contracting has grown over time
* Native contractors engage small businesses, reinvest in communities
* 8(a) program accounts for majority of Native sole-source federal contracting revenue
Authors
AndrewHuff, Senior Policy and Legal Advisor, Center for Indian Country Development
Ava LaPlante, Associate Data Scientist, Center for Indian Country Development
Caryn Mohr, Senior Writer, Community Development and Engagement
Businesses owned by tribes, Alaska Native Corporations (ANCs), and Native Hawaiian Organizations (NHOs) play a unique role in Native communities, providing revenue to fund public services and serving as an alternative income stream in the face of limited tax revenues. By creating jobs, hiring small businesses, and drawing visitors to nearby attractions, enterprises owned by Native entities also contribute to local and regional economies across the United States. Increasingly, Native-entity enterprises contract with the federal government to provide goods and services.
Over the past four decades, federal contracting has grown faster as a revenue source for Native entities than revenue from either gaming or natural resources. In 2025, the federal government awarded Native-entity enterprises $26.6 billion for their work on prime contracts and subcontracts./1 Native-entity enterprises provide a wide range of goods and services to the federal government, from building military defense instruments to developing payroll platforms to constructing modular hospitals.
To facilitate research on this industry that is of growing importance to Indian Country, over the past several years the Center for Indian Country Development (CICD) has conducted a series of analyses based on available datasets. Early analyses drew on point-in-time data acquired from a vendor. That dataset lists more than 50,000 government contracts awarded to Native entities, including federally recognized tribes, ANCs, and NHOs. More recent analyses leverage continually updated public data available from USAspending, which identify businesses that are tribally owned, ANC-owned, and NHO-owned. While individual data points may differ across data sources, the overarching findings from these analyses have increased our collective understanding of federal contracting in Indian Country.
CICD's mission is to advance the economic self-determination and prosperity of Native nations and Indigenous communities through actionable data and research that inform public policy discussions. To that end, we synthesize key themes from this body of research for policymakers seeking to understand federal contracting's role in Native economies.
Native entities' involvement in federal contracting has grown substantially since the 1980s
In recent decades, Native entities have increasingly done business with the world's largest procurer of goods and services: the U.S. government. Federal contracts generated about $200 billion in revenue for Native entities in the last decade alone./2 Native entities' share of the overall value of federal contracts steadily increased from close to 0 percent of total contract dollars in the late 1990s to around 2.5 percent by the end of 2021. Based on CICD analysis, about 150 tribes were involved with federal contracting as of 2021.
CICD compared revenue from three important industries in Native economies: federal contracting, gaming, and natural resources. As of 2021, federal contracting was the largest of these revenue sources for ANCs and NHOs and the second-largest for tribes, following gaming. And while gaming brings in more revenue for tribes, tribes' revenue from federal contracting has grown more quickly. From 1988 to 2021, tribes' federal contracting revenue grew by an average 41.6 percent per year, compared to 16.8 percent for gaming revenue.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) accounts for the vast majority of federal contracting revenue to Native entities. Over the past 40 years, roughly two-thirds of all contract revenue awarded to ANCs and tribes and nearly all contract revenue awarded to NHOs (just over nine-tenths) came from the DOD.
Many Native entities participate in federal contracting through a particular federal program
This rise in Native federal contracting followed federal legislative changes in 1986 and 1988 that made Native-entity-owned enterprises eligible for the U.S. Small Business Administration's 8(a) Business Development program, which is designed to help small disadvantaged businesses secure contracts with the federal government. Businesses can maintain 8(a) certification for up to nine years. Some program participants leverage the experience, knowledge, and skills gained in the program to transition into the broader federal contracting environment.
Read more on CICD's federal contracting research
In changing economic and policy landscapes, research on Native federal contracting provides valuable insights on the role of federal contracting in Indian Country and beyond. This research requires consistent, high-quality data over time. CICD is exploring future directions for our federal contracting research by further leveraging USAspending, a publicly accessible resource that has seen significant enhancements in recent years.
For more insights from CICD's analyses of Native federal contracting, see the following articles:
* Tribes harness industry experience to enter new markets (April 2026)
* Federal contract consolidation: Help or hindrance for Native-entity enterprises? (April 2025)
* The economic ripple effects of tribal gaming and federal contracting (October 2024)
* Understanding Native-entity enterprises' subcontracting relationships (July 2024)
* Native federal contracting serves communities (May 2024)
* Native entities and the federal contracting landscape (June 2023)
* Federal contracting's expanding revenue role in Indian Country (December 2022)
Set-aside contracts play an important role in Native federal contracting. The federal government sets aside--that is, allocates--5 percent of all prime-contracting and subcontracting dollars for small disadvantaged businesses each year. For Native-entity federal contractors, the primary set-aside program has been the 8(a) program. This program awards both competitive set-aside contracts, in which multiple businesses compete for a contract, and noncompetitive sole-source contracts, in which only one business is qualified to fulfill the contract. The federal government also sets aside lower-value contracts of $250,000 or less for small businesses, including businesses in the 8(a) program.
Among set-aside contracts, 8(a) sole-source contracting has accounted for the largest share of Native-entity enterprises' federal contracting revenue in recent years, although that share has been declining. From 2001 through 2021, 8(a) sole-source contracting revenue outpaced all other set-aside contracting revenue in every year except 2012. However, the share of Native set-aside federal contracting revenue accounted for by 8(a) sole-source contracting declined from over 50 percent on average from 2001 to 2010 to approximately 35 percent on average from 2011 to 2021, as the shares accounted for by both competitive set-aside contracts and small business set-asides generally grew. Two other set-aside programs, the Buy Indian Act and HUBZone programs, accounted for far less of the overall Native entity set-aside revenue portfolio during this time period.
Native entities invest contracting revenue in their communities
Enterprises owned by Native entities operate under a different business model than most conventional corporations. Rather than primarily focusing on maximizing profits for owners or private shareholders, enterprises owned by tribes, ANCs, and NHOs share a commitment to benefiting their communities. Native entities dedicate profits to community services such as cultural programming, educational opportunities, workforce development, housing projects, elder benefit payments, and other types of community infrastructure.
For example, Koniag--an ANC with federal contracting operations--serves as an economic development tool for the Alutiiq people of the Kodiak Archipelago. In 2022, Koniag distributed nearly $28 million in benefits to the Kodiak community. Looking to the future, Koniag established a trust that provides ongoing support for community well-being and cultural heritage programs. In another example, Minnesota-based Mille Lacs Corporate Ventures (MLCV)--a tribally owned enterprise with federal contracting operations--contributes profits to community-focused activities such as workforce and housing projects, renewable energy, broadband infrastructure, and community entrepreneurism. MLCV's activities include a tribal business incubator program that connects aspiring small business owners with training and technical assistance in accounting, marketing, and legal support.
Native federal contracting contributes to economies in Indian Country and beyond
Native entities perform work for the federal government in all 50 states, every U.S. territory, and more than 160 countries. Among U.S. states, Virginia, Alaska, and Maryland showed the most federal contracting activity from 1981 through 2021, reflecting their local industries' roles in defense contracting. From 1981 through 2021, approximately 95 percent of all federal contracting revenue earned by Native entities was for activities performed off tribal lands.
Through their business activities in communities inside and outside of Indian Country, Native federal contractors contribute to local and regional economies across the country. Federal contracting businesses generate income, create jobs, subcontract with other businesses, and innovate products and services.
CICD has explored how tribes that are active in federal contracting and gaming--two common tribal economic development strategies--compare in their business holdings to tribes that are not active in those industries. Tribes with federal contracting and gaming enterprises tend to own more businesses--and are more diversified in their other business holdings--than those without federal contracting and gaming. These findings may reflect tribes' ability to invest their federal contracting and gaming revenues into other businesses--businesses that, in turn, contribute to the economy.
Other CICD research comparing a cohort of Native-entity and non-Native businesses found that Native-entity businesses that receive at least one federal contract survive longer and expand their workforces more rapidly./3
Native federal contracting dollars also flow within Indian Country and beyond through subcontracting relationships. Federal contracting businesses owned by tribes, ANCs, and NHOs regularly subcontract with both Native-owned and non-Native-owned small businesses. In 2022, an estimated 7.1 percent of the total obligated amount of prime contracts performed by Native entities was spent on small business subcontracting, amounting to approximately $1.2 billion that year.
Often, Native federal contractors hire small business subcontractors that are local to the place where the contracted work is performed, and many of these subcontracted businesses are not Native-owned. From 2015 to 2023, 92.9 percent of small business subcontractors engaged by Native-entity enterprises were not registered with the U.S. Small Business Administration as Native-individual-owned or Native-entity enterprises themselves. More than half (56.3 percent) of all Native-entity enterprise prime contracts with at least one small business subcontractor worked with a subcontractor located in the same state where the work was performed.
With federal contracting's growth come challenges
Businesses owned by tribes, ANCs, and NHOs have acquired significant expertise in providing goods and services to the U.S. government, supplying federal agencies with everything from military hardware to payroll systems. Substantial growth in Native federal contracting revenue since the 1980s shows the growing importance of this business sector to Native-entity enterprises. This growth has helped tribes, ANCs, and NHOs fund critical public services and make investments in their communities. Research also documents the economic footprint and contributions of Native federal contracting in communities across the nation.
While federal contracting has grown in importance to Native communities, it is not without its challenges. For example, a trend of increasing contract consolidation--in which multiple federal contracts are combined into one large prime contract--could affect the number of contracts Native small business contractors are able to win. How tribes and policymakers navigate these and other changes in the coming years will determine whether federal contracting continues to elevate business development in Native communities.
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Endnotes
1/ Estimate reflects prime-contract and subcontract obligations to ANC-, NHO-, and tribally owned firms in 2025 (data retrieved August 4, 2026, from USAspending).
2/ Estimate reflects prime-contract and subcontract obligations to ANC-, NHO-, and tribally owned firms from 2016 through 2025 (data retrieved May 29, 2026, from USAspending).
3/ This analysis was based on one cohort of Native-entity-owned businesses and non-Native-owned businesses that were established in 2008-2010 and received at least one federal contract in 2008-2022. The analysis will be described in a forthcoming article from CICD.
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Original text here: https://www.minneapolisfed.org/article/2026/native-federal-contractors-contribute-to-local-economies-nationwide
Great Smoky Mountains National Park Invites Public Review of Floodplain Statement of Findings for Oconaluftee River Trail Improvements
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Invites Public Review of Floodplain Statement of Findings for Oconaluftee River Trail Improvements
Gatlinburg, Tenn. -- Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues planning for future improvements to the Oconaluftee River Trail. As part of this planning process the park is inviting public review of the Oconaluftee River Trail Floodplain Statement of Findings. The document will be available for review through September
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park Invites Public Review of Floodplain Statement of Findings for Oconaluftee River Trail Improvements
Gatlinburg, Tenn. -- Great Smoky Mountains National Park continues planning for future improvements to the Oconaluftee River Trail. As part of this planning process the park is inviting public review of the Oconaluftee River Trail Floodplain Statement of Findings. The document will be available for review through September7.
The Oconaluftee River Trail is a 1.6-mile-long pedestrian and bike trail that connects to the park's Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Mountain Farm Museum to downtown Cherokee, North Carolina. More than 100,000 people use the trail each year.
Portions of the trail are located within the Oconaluftee River floodplain. The Statement of Findings documents how the National Park Service evaluated flood risks and potential impacts of the trail improvements on the floodplain.
The proposed improvements to the Oconaluftee River Trail would improve connectivity with the gateway community of Cherokee, increase accessibility, repair riverbank erosion, and enhance trail safety and the visitor experience. The park requested public input on the proposed trail improvements in Spring 2026. After considering public input, the NPS will complete the design and compliance processes and work to identify funding for construction.
To review the Floodplain Statement of Findings, visit the National Park Service Planning, Environment and Public Comment website at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/ORT through September 7.
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Original text here: https://www.nps.gov/grsm/learn/news/great-smoky-mountains-national-park-invites-public-review-of-floodplain-statement-of-findings-for-oconaluftee-river-trail-improvements.htm
DOE and SBA Launch SBIC-E Initiative to Unleash Private Capital for American Innovation and Small Businesses
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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DOE and SBA Launch SBIC-E Initiative to Unleash Private Capital for American Innovation and Small Businesses
New strategic partnership expands private investment in American small businesses advancing American energy dominance.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative, a new strategic partnership advancing President Trump's
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Energy issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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DOE and SBA Launch SBIC-E Initiative to Unleash Private Capital for American Innovation and Small Businesses
New strategic partnership expands private investment in American small businesses advancing American energy dominance.
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The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) today signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing the Small Business Investment Company-Energy (SBIC-E) Initiative, a new strategic partnership advancing President Trump'scommitment to supporting America's small businesses, strengthening domestic manufacturing and supply chains, and ensuring the United States leads in the technologies critical to our national and economic security.
The new SBIC-E Initiative brings together DOE's scientific and technical expertise with SBA's proven Small Business Investment Company (SBIC) Program, which currently has $58 billion in combined portfolio value. Since 1958, the SBIC Program has invested $147 billion in American small businesses, and since 1995, SBIC-backed businesses have created or supported 10.6 million jobs.
"America's small businesses drive American innovation and affordable, reliable energy access," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. "By partnering with the Small Business Administration, the Energy Department is committing to invest its resources in American small businesses that will create jobs, strengthen our domestic manufacturing base, and unleash American energy production."
Through DOE's Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), the Department will identify strategic technology priorities, provide technical and commercialization expertise, and help engage the investment community. SBA, through its Office of Investment and Innovation, will administer the initiative and encourage the formation and growth of investment funds focused on those priorities. SBIC-E adds another tool to that effort by connecting innovators with private capital to help promising technologies grow, scale, and build here at home.
"President Trump is establishing American energy dominance, ending the Green New Scam, and putting our nations' producers and innovators back in control at the dawn of a new era of energy reliability and abundance," said SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler. "Through this partnership, the SBA and Department of Energy are strengthening access to capital in the private sector to ensure America's fossil fuels, nuclear, and electric power technology and infrastructure are the most advanced and plentiful in the world. By aligning investment from the proven Small Business Investment Company Program with the DOE's strategic priorities, this Administration will fuel the producers that deliver secure, affordable energy to families and small businesses across our great nation."
Initial investment priorities for the SBIC-E Initiative include technologies supporting:
* American energy production and energy security
* Critical minerals, advanced manufacturing, and advanced materials
* Artificial intelligence, quantum information science, semiconductors, and future computing
* Advanced communications, biotechnology, and other critical and emerging technologies
The initiative also supports investment opportunities involving companies participating in DOE's commercialization and innovation ecosystem, including the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) programs, ARPA-E, the Technology Commercialization Fund, the Lab-Embedded Entrepreneurship Program, and companies commercializing technologies developed through the Department's National Laboratories.
DOE and SBA will continue engaging with investors, entrepreneurs, and commercialization partners as the initiative develops. Additional information about investment priorities, participation opportunities, and future engagement activities will be available on the SBIC-E Initiative webpage here (https://www.energy.gov/technologycommercialization/small-business-investment-company-energy-sbic-e-initiative).
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Original text here: https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-and-sba-launch-sbic-e-initiative-unleash-private-capital-american-innovation-and-small
DHS Proposes Additional H-1B Fee
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued the following news release:
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DHS Proposes Additional H-1B Fee
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing to establish a $103,265 fee for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The proposed fee would be paid at the time of filing and would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments.
The proposed fee would generate revenue to recover a portion of the federal government's costs for administering
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services issued the following news release:
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DHS Proposes Additional H-1B Fee
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is proposing to establish a $103,265 fee for all H-1B cap-subject petitions, including those eligible for the advanced degree exemption. The proposed fee would be paid at the time of filing and would be imposed in addition to all other applicable fees or payments.
The proposed fee would generate revenue to recover a portion of the federal government's costs for administeringthe lawful immigration system. These costs include adjudication of immigration benefits, fraud detection and national security vetting, systems modernization, records and fee collection operations, immigration court operations, consular visa processing, labor standards enforcement, and interagency coordination. DHS estimates the proposed fee would generate approximately $8.8 billion annually, based on a projected annual volume of 85,000 H-1B cap-subject petitions.
"The proposed H 1B fee is intended to recover the costs incurred across the federal government to adjudicate, vet, and support lawful immigration programs that otherwise must be funded by taxpayers," said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spokesperson Zach Kahler.
Under the proposed rule, the additional fee would not apply to H-1B petitions that are not subject to the cap, such as petitions filed by certain nonprofit research organizations, governmental research organizations, and institutions of higher education. The number of cap-subject H-1B visas (or grants of status) issued annually is limited to 65,000, with an additional 20,000 for aliens who have earned a master's or higher degree from a U.S. institution of higher education.
For more information, see the notice of proposed rulemaking (https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2026-17324/fee-for-certain-h-1b-petitions).
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Original text here: https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases/dhs-proposes-additional-h-1b-fee
Department of Justice Announces Launch of National Fraud Detection Center to Combat Fraud Against Taxpayer-Funded Programs
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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Department of Justice Announces Launch of National Fraud Detection Center to Combat Fraud Against Taxpayer-Funded Programs
NFDC Opens with Widespread Collaboration with Inspectors General and Law Enforcement Agencies
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Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the launch of the National Fraud Detection Center (NFDC), a prosecutor-led, multi-agency team designed to investigate the most harmful actors defrauding federal government programs, including illicit actors overseas and
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Justice issued the following news release on Aug. 24, 2026:
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Department of Justice Announces Launch of National Fraud Detection Center to Combat Fraud Against Taxpayer-Funded Programs
NFDC Opens with Widespread Collaboration with Inspectors General and Law Enforcement Agencies
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Today, the U.S. Department of Justice announced the launch of the National Fraud Detection Center (NFDC), a prosecutor-led, multi-agency team designed to investigate the most harmful actors defrauding federal government programs, including illicit actors overseas andthose operating fraud schemes across federal programs. The NFDC will bring together law enforcement agencies and analytical capabilities to generate criminal leads to drive more impactful prosecutions and enhance fraud-fighting results for the American people.
"The creation of the NFDC marks a decisive shift in how the federal government detects and investigates complex fraud," said Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division. "By breaking down institutional silos, embedding analysts from across the IG community, and leveraging shared technology, the NFDC is actively closing the window of opportunity for bad actors who seek to exploit taxpayer dollars. Today's announcement sends a clear message: if you defraud federal programs, we have the tools and the law enforcement partners to find you."
The NFDC solves for a lack of cross-program visibility that has long hindered efforts to deter fraud on taxpayer-funded programs and has enabled some fraud actors to further perpetrate schemes across multiple taxpayer-funded programs without detection. The NFDC closes this gap by bringing partners across federal and state government together to break down silos and work collaboratively in a whole-of-government approach to eliminate fraud.
The NFDC's success relies directly on the collaborative strength of our partners across federal and state government. The inaugural members of the NFDC include the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, FinCEN, the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee, the Treasury Department, and the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Agriculture, Education, Health and Human Services, Homeland Security, Housing and Urban Development, Interior, Labor, Veterans Affairs, Department of War Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, Small Business Administration, and Social Security Administration. The NFDC presents a unified front to identify fraud across agencies and prosecute the most nefarious criminals, domestic and abroad.
The Department also extends its sincere gratitude to our state partners whose efforts further power the NFDC. We proudly acknowledge the leadership and contributions of the Secretaries of State of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina; the State Treasurers of Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and South Carolina; and the South Carolina Department of Social Services. These partnerships strengthen our capacity to detect fraud and protect taxpayer dollars.
This Fraud Division initiative is being led by Acting Assistant Director Amanda Riedel of the Executive Office of the U.S. Attorneys and Acting Chief Cody Matthew Herche of the Global Trade & Commerce Enforcement Section.
For more information on the Department's anti-fraud enforcement efforts, visit www.justice.gov/fraud.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
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Original text here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-announces-launch-national-fraud-detection-center-combat-fraud-against
BTS Updates Transportation Economic Trends, 3rd Quarter 2026
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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BTS Updates Transportation Economic Trends, 3rd Quarter 2026
The U.S. Department of Transportation's, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), released its third quarter 2026 update to the Transportation Economic Trends (TET). TET highlights transportation's role in the economy and explores changes (trends) over time through a series of interactive charts and downloadable data. TET also explains related concepts and data sources for a general audience.
With this
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics issued the following news:
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BTS Updates Transportation Economic Trends, 3rd Quarter 2026
The U.S. Department of Transportation's, Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), released its third quarter 2026 update to the Transportation Economic Trends (TET). TET highlights transportation's role in the economy and explores changes (trends) over time through a series of interactive charts and downloadable data. TET also explains related concepts and data sources for a general audience.
With thisdata release, BTS updated the following topics in TET:
* Employment in Transportation: Employment in Transportation and Related Industries
- Total Annual Employment in Transportation and Related Industries by Type of Occupation
- Total Annual Employment in Transportation and Related Industries
- Annual Employment in Transportation and Warehousing by Industry
* Employment in Transportation: Employment in Transportation Related Occupations
- Employment and Wages for Select Transportation Occupations
* Relationship Between the Transportation and Warehousing Sector and Transportation-Related Occupations
* Employment in Transportation: Employment in Transportation Related Occupations by Industry
- Total Transportation and Transportation-related Employment by Industry and Occupation
* Government Transportation Revenues and Expenditures
- Airport and Airway Trust Fund
- Harbor Maintenance Tax and Inland Waterways Trust Fund
* Cost of Transportation: Costs Faced by Households
- Average Commuter Rail Fare
- Fare of all Transit Modes (per unlinked trip)
About the Transportation Economic Trends Database
BTS makes TET data available for download in comma-separated values (CSV), Resource Description Framework (RDF), Really Simple Syndication (RSS), Extensible Markup Language (XML), and JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) formats through the BTS Transportation Economic Trends.
Follow BTS on X, LinkedIn, and Instagram, or subscribe to email updates for announcements of additional dataset releases throughout the year.
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Original text here: https://www.bts.gov/newsroom/bts-updates-transportation-economic-trends-3rd-quarter-2026
BLS: Hires Rates Were 4.0% or Higher in 6 States in 2025
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on Aug. 24, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Hires rates were 4.0 percent or higher in 6 states in 2025
In 2025, annual average hires rates averaged 4.0 percent or higher in 6 states: Alaska (5.2 percent), Montana (4.8 percent), Wyoming (4.5 percent), Idaho (4.2 percent), and Indiana and South Carolina (4.0 percent each). Among these six states, annual hires levels ranged from 158,000 in Wyoming to 1,584,000 in Indiana. Nationally, there were 62,972,000 hires in 2025, and the U.S. annual
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics issued the following document on Aug. 24, 2026, from Economics Daily:
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Hires rates were 4.0 percent or higher in 6 states in 2025
In 2025, annual average hires rates averaged 4.0 percent or higher in 6 states: Alaska (5.2 percent), Montana (4.8 percent), Wyoming (4.5 percent), Idaho (4.2 percent), and Indiana and South Carolina (4.0 percent each). Among these six states, annual hires levels ranged from 158,000 in Wyoming to 1,584,000 in Indiana. Nationally, there were 62,972,000 hires in 2025, and the U.S. annualaverage hires rate was 3.3 percent.
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Chart: Annual average hires rates for total nonfarm by state, 2025
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Hires rates were 3.0 percent or lower in the District of Columbia (2.4 percent), Massachusetts and Pennsylvania (2.7 percent each), Washington (2.8 percent), Minnesota (2.9 percent), and California, Hawaii, Maryland, and Missouri (3.0 percent each). Among these eight states and the District, annual hires levels ranged from 217,000 in the District to 6,527,000 in California.
These data are from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (https://www.bls.gov/jlt/). For more information, see "State Job Openings and Labor Turnover -- Annual 2025 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/jltst_07222026.htm)" and charts featuring state labor turnover data (https://www.bls.gov/charts/state-job-openings-and-labor-turnover/). With this release, the State Job Openings and Labor Turnover news release is moving from a monthly schedule to an annual news release.
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SUGGESTED CITATION
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The Economics Daily, Hires rates were 4.0 percent or higher in 6 states in 2025 at https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/hires-rates-were-4-0-percent-or-higher-in-6-states-in-2025.htm (visited August 25, 2026).
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View original text plus charts and tables here: https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2026/hires-rates-were-4-0-percent-or-higher-in-6-states-in-2025.htm
Army Engineer R&D Development Center: CRREL Team Tests Ship-To-Shore Methods and Technologies in Greenland
VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story:
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CRREL team tests ship-to-shore methods and technologies in Greenland
By Justin Campfield, public affairs specialist
HANOVER, N.H. - Ship-to-shore operations - the means of moving people, goods and materiel from sea to land - present military planners with a number of complex challenges.
But performing these operations in the Arctic? The difficulty level ramps up considerably, with icebergs, unstable sea ice, seasonal thawing, ice blocking the shore and ships getting
... Show Full Article
VICKSBURG, Mississippi, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center issued the following news story:
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CRREL team tests ship-to-shore methods and technologies in Greenland
By Justin Campfield, public affairs specialist
HANOVER, N.H. - Ship-to-shore operations - the means of moving people, goods and materiel from sea to land - present military planners with a number of complex challenges.
But performing these operations in the Arctic? The difficulty level ramps up considerably, with icebergs, unstable sea ice, seasonal thawing, ice blocking the shore and ships gettingtrapped in ice-- just a few of the many issues that can arise when the temperature plummets.
To solve those issues, a team of researchers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center's Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) in Hanover, New Hampshire, recently conducted a Ship-to-Shore test event at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland.
Organized by the International Cooperative Engagement Program for Polar Research (ICE-PPR) and Office of Naval Research (ONR), the event gave CRREL researchers the opportunity to test three specific technologies: passive sensing capabilities for determining ice thickness, path planning and validation for Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and test Arctic camouflaging.
"Nothing substitutes boots on the ground and hands-on field work to understand the day-to-day challenges and how they impact military operations in the Arctic and other cold regions," said Mike Parker, a CRREL research mechanical engineer and cold regions vehicle mobility lead.
The team used a microwave sensor currently used in agriculture - and thus more widely available and significantly less expensive than remote sensing systems currently used by the military - to successfully measure snow and ice thickness across a 3 kilometer transect of Northstar Bay. It flew a high-resolution LiDAR that aided THeMIS (Tracked Hybrid Modular Infantry System) in UGV path planning and validated current winter path planning algorithms. Lastly, the team tested the performance of several different colors and patterns of Arctic camouflage.
"We learned a lot about the site conditions, logistics and safety aspects of going onto the ice," said Dr. Tom Douglas, a research chemist and senior scientific technical manager of CRREL's Alaska Research Office in Fairbanks, Alaska. "We also learned that our UAS and vehicle platforms operate really well in challenging conditions."
While the team was very happy with the test results, it experienced one of the truisms of life in the Arctic: not everything goes as planned.
"This gets compounded when you're in a foreign country and in an extremely remote location where 'overnight' shipments take a week or two to get to you," said Parker, who pointed to the logistics of getting all of the team's equipment to and from Pituffik as one challenge they faced. "If you don't bring everything you need then be prepared to improvise to complete the mission."
The data gathered and lessons learned by the team will inform future research, as well as operational exercises.
"It is likely that the next major ship to shore activity in the Arctic will occur in a remote and austere location with a limited time horizon for planning," said Douglas. "We want to reduce uncertainties to save money and lower risk."
Besides the technical objectives achieved, the event also helped the research team build relationships with Pituffik leaders that not only helped during the event, but that will likely come in handy in the future.
"Life moves at a different pace in the Arctic, and sometimes it is best to slow down and develop the relationships that will ultimately increase productivity," said Parker.
The research team did have one lament though: the approximately -10-degree Celsius temperatures (roughly 14 degrees Fahrenheit) weren't quite cold enough for their liking.
"That is considered warm for much of the work we do," jokingly bemoaned Douglas.
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Original text here: https://www.erdc.usace.army.mil/Media/News-Stories/Article/4581321/crrel-team-tests-ship-to-shore-methods-and-technologies-in-greenland/
Agricultural Research Service: NovoFly Screwworm Strain Readied for Active Duty
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service issued the following news:
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NovoFlyTM Screwworm Strain Readied for Active Duty
American scientific ingenuity in the form of sterile fly releases helped eliminate New World screwworm from the country in the 1960s. Now, ARS researchers are combining that ingenuity with next-generation tools to counter new resurgences of the pest threatening livestock and wildlife in New Mexico and Texas.
"Releasing sterile screwworm flies is a proven, decades-old approach to eliminating populations of this pest and preventing
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service issued the following news:
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NovoFlyTM Screwworm Strain Readied for Active Duty
American scientific ingenuity in the form of sterile fly releases helped eliminate New World screwworm from the country in the 1960s. Now, ARS researchers are combining that ingenuity with next-generation tools to counter new resurgences of the pest threatening livestock and wildlife in New Mexico and Texas.
"Releasing sterile screwworm flies is a proven, decades-old approach to eliminating populations of this pest and preventingthe harm it inflicts--physically to livestock animals and wildlife and financially to the producers who raise livestock for our milk, meat, hide and other products," said Kim Lohmeyer, Director of ARS's Knipling-Bushland U.S. Livestock Insects Research Laboratory in Kerrville, TX. "Advances in genetics have now given us better tools to understand the screwworm's population dynamics and leverage that knowledge for improved control methods, including sterile fly releases."
The latest example is NovoFly(TM), an all-male strain of screwworm developed by Lohmeyer's team and university collaborators. With full regulatory approval of NovoFly(TM), critical resources can be redirected towards producing only males, essentially doubling the number available for SIT releases to eradicate established populations of the pest or isolate outbreaks of it.
Central to screwworm eradication is the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT). SIT is a biologically based approach to pest control that originated with the pioneering studies of ARS entomologists Edward B. Knipling and Raymond C. Bushland. That research began in the mid-1930s and continues today at the Kerrville lab, which was posthumously named after these two entomologists.
In January 2026, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins and Deputy Secretary Stephen Vaden highlighted SIT as part of a New World Screwworm Grand Challenge to counter recent U.S. incursions of the pest up through Central America.
The SIT calls for releasing sterilized male flies near infestation areas where they can mate with wild female flies. The resulting eggs fail to hatch into flesh-eating larvae, which typically burrow into wounds or mucus-lined openings of livestock animals such as cattle--but also wildlife and, less often, pets and people. Without larval offspring, the screwworm population eventually collapses, sparing animals further harm and reducing producers' costs for insecticides, veterinary services, and medications.
Despite SIT's success in eradicating America's indigenous screwworm population by 1966 (and eliminating subsequent resurgences of it), researchers saw room for improvement. "A sterile male can prevent a lot of wild females from reproducing, but a sterile female fly that mates only once doesn't help with SIT," explained Alex Arp, an ARS Research Geneticist who co-developed the all-male NovoFly(TM) strain. While only sterile males are desirable, until now there has been no good way to separate them from females prior to SIT release, he added.
Producing only male flies would increase production efficiency by doubling the number of male larvae that can be reared and male pupae that can be sterilized without major changes to production facilities. Without sterile females being released, sterile males have increased opportunities to mate with wild females, resulting in a more effective, efficient SIT program.
Toward that goal, Arp and collaborators engineered Novofly(TM) with a genetic "switch" that kills female larvae during early rearing stages but doesn't function in males. This allows for a doubling in the number of males that can be brought to maturity for release using the same amount of artificial diet and equipment.
NovoFly(TM) is currently undergoing regulatory approval before the Environmental Protection Agency. Once approved, NovoFly(TM) will be mobilized for "active duty" at designated screwworm rearing facilities. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service coordinates SIT efforts in the U.S, Mexico, and Central America.
"The research that went into creating NovoFly(TM) will provide the basis for the Grand Challenge project led by Max Scott of North Carolina State University together with Arp and many other collaborators," Lohmeyer added--an effort that will set the stage for the next generation of this screwworm strain.
To learn more about USDA's whole-of-government approach to combatting NWS, visit "Stop Screwworm: Unified Government Response to Protect the United States" (https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animals/animal-health/livestock-and-poultry-disease/stop-screwworm)
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The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.
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Original text here: https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2026/novofly-screwworm-strain-readied-for-active-duty/
