As priorities and strategy dramatically shift in Washington DC with Donald Trump assuming the presidency, officials at the Idaho National Lab are altering their narrative to better align with the new administration.
With Trump's White House saying the jury is out on climate change and a lack of clarity on the direction of energy research, INL officials plan to focus less on themes surrounding greenhouse gases and more on the facility's role in energy security and as a font of good jobs.
According to an interview with Idaho Falls Post Register earlier this month, INL Director Mark Peters says the lab is actively changing its strategies to better reflect the priorities of the Trump administration. Officials expect the vast majority of federal funding the lab receives from the Department of Energy to remain the same.
Lab director Peters says the nominee to be Energy Secretary, former Texas governor Rick Perry, presents a contrast to the department's last boss, nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz. Peters says a savvy political instinct and strong executive capability are qualities Perry would bring to the department.
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