Originally appeared in Thursday, July 10, 2003 Oak Ridger
URL: http://www.oakridger.com/stories/071003/new_20030710009.shtml
DOE science funding looks good
Science funding is looking up.
About $169 million up, if the Energy and Water Appropriations subcommittee mark holds. The
committee approved Tuesday funding DOE science programs at $3.48 billion, an $169 million
increase over the budget request, and $219 million above 2003 levels.
"This is extremely good news," said Bill Madia, director of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, in a
phone interview from Columbus, Ohio. Madia is the lab's director until the end of the month
when he takes a position with UT-Battelle headquarters.
"I'm very hopeful for what this might mean for Oak Ridge, and quite frankly the speculation in
Washington is that the Senate mark, as well as the conference mark, will take this further,"
Madia said.
He complimented the efforts of local house delegation.
Madia said that the funding is up in four areas where ORNL is strongly positioned to collect the
dollars: biology, supercomputing, fusion and modernization.
"This doesn't guarantee a big fraction of this funding will come to Oak Ridge, but when you look
at how they intend to spend it, we are extremely well positioned to get well more than our fair
share," he said.
The mark fully funds the Spallation Neutron Source.
The bill, still a long way from active budget, also addressed Y-12 National Security Complex
funding, accelerated cleanup and other Oak Ridge projects.
Earlier this week the Senate put a $9 million appropriation on ORNL's SensorNet platform
technology, up $3 million from the House mark. "We're very thankful to Sen. (Bill) Frist and
Sen. (Lamar) Alexander for their help on that," said Billy Stair, public affairs chief for ORNL.
The $143 million for the SNS, the world's largest science project, was expected news for keeping
the project on track.
"The full-funding level keeps the project on schedule and on-budget for the coming year," said
U.S. Rep. Zach Wamp, R-3rd District. "Upon completion in 2006, premier scientists from all
over the world will travel to Oak Ridge to work with the SNS on everything from medical
miracles to transportation breakthroughs."
The subcommittee mark also includes:
$30 million increase over the Bush Administration's request for the Y-12 Weapons Plant. "This
additional funding is needed to meet the added workload requirements and increased safeguards
and security at Y-12," said Wamp.
The subcommittee included full funding of the Administration's request for accelerated
environmental clean-up in Oak Ridge.
$20 million for ORNL's Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences. The CNMS will be used in
conjunction with SNS and the High Flux Isotope Reactor in Oak Ridge for research in the areas
of energy conservation and transmission.
$40 million increase in high-speed computing research for the nation-wide Advanced Scientific
Computing Research program, which will support DOE's mission through scientific
computation. The ORNL is a national leader is high-speed computational sciences.
$28 million increase over the Administration's request for infrastructure improvements and to
correct safety deficiencies at the nation's science laboratories.
The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to consider the Energy and Water
Development Appropriations bill on Tuesday. The bill is expected to reach the floor of the
House before the August District Work Period.
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