I only have a few days left as the United States Secretary of Energy.

But I know that science and technology will continue to pave the way for solutions to the global challenges of the 21st century — from climate change to nuclear security.

The Department of Energy is a science and technology powerhouse, and the National Labs are at its core.

Today, I am pleased to present the first State of the National Labs Report, which outlines the remarkable accomplishments and capabilities of these National Labs, and how we’ve worked together to improve management and coordination. Additionally, we have updated our policy on scientific integrity to enshrine the independence of the scientific process for decades to come.

A Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists holds a sample of microcapsules that capture CO2.

This matters to all Americans. Even if you’re not a scientist or a policy wonk, it matters because the Department of Energy is responsible for missions that keep Americans safe, expand our knowledge, and lay the foundation for jobs and prosperity. This report catalogues a strong National Laboratory system that is continually contributing to those missions in meaningful ways.

We depend on science.

Success for the Department of Energy — and for American leadership in the world — depends on building and nurturing a powerful science and technology enterprise.

We maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear deterrent, and work to reduce the threats of nuclear proliferation and terrorism.

We advance a clean, secure and prosperous energy future through innovation.

We sustain America’s leadership in science and technology by advancing scientific frontiers, and by providing the American research community with cutting-edge facilities.

And we carry out the legal and moral imperative for environmental cleanup of the massive Cold War nuclear weapons complexes.

With the National Labs at its core, this science and technology organization has been able to deliver on these missions. I reported such progress on energy, science, and security to President Obama in my official Cabinet Exit Memo earlier this month.

The State of the Labs Report discusses how the Energy Department can maintain the excellence and health of the National Labs system, which itself has produced tangible and exciting results for the American people.

Science moves us forward.

This Shelby Cobra sports car was 3D-printed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using carbon fiber composite materials.

The Department of Energy is the biggest single funder of physical research in the United States, and our 17 National Labs are home to capabilities and equipment that is available literally nowhere else in the world. Over the past 8 years in particular, the National Labs have been responsible for:

11,000 peer-reviewed publications each year.

32,000 users annually at our cutting-edge research facilities.

Six Nobel prizes since 2008. The Department and its predecessor agencies are affiliated with 115 Nobel Prizes.

Countless innovations from the thinnest wires ever, made with diamonds, to 3D-printing a sports car, to converting CO2 to ethanol in a single step with a catalyst.

Together with other parts of the Energy Department, the Labs have created jobs, reduced the costs of clean energy, and reignited America’s culture of innovation.

Science keeps us secure.

The National Labs also keep us safe and secure. The Department of Energy is responsible for designing and supporting the reactors that propel every nuclear-powered vessel in the U.S. Navy, including the new Ford-class aircraft carriers.