WASHINGTON, Sept. 1 -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced that it expects to award up to 75 cooperative agreements for innovative nuclear research. The agency description of the cooperative agreement states: "The Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Nuclear Energy's (DOE-NE) mission is to advance U.S. nuclear power in order to meet the nation's energy needs by: 1. Enhancing the long-term viability and competitiveness of the existing U.S. reactor fleet; 2. Developing an advanced reactor  more ST