Energy Department's year-end review notes accomplishments

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued a review of 2015 listing statistics and details of the past year.

The department said this year marks approximately 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide having been eliminated from the atmosphere through DOE carbon capture and storage projects nationally. The DOE said this is the equivalent of removing the impact of 2 million vehicles on an annual basis. The DOE said energy-efficiency measures have saved Americans $63 billion on their utility bills.

The DOE also cited the international agreement at the Paris Climate Change Conference and the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on Iran's nuclear program that was signed between Iran and the international community as high points for the DOE, which said the agreement with Iran will prevent the nation from obtaining a nuclear weapon while also allowing the country to develop its nuclear energy program.

Other accomplishments the review cited include 33 R&D 100 awards being awarded to research projects within the DOE’s national laboratory network and settled on three sites for the Manhattan Project National Historic Park. 2015 also marked the 20th anniversary of the nuclear stockpile stewardship program.

The DOE also noted that it announced in December that nuclear fuel will be produced for deep-space missions after a hiatus of approximately 30 years.