At one of the first, if not the first, advisory committee meetings
since the release of the FY 2004 budget request for the DOE Office of
Science, its director, Ray Orbach, described the "superb"
support
there is for his office's programs, while acknowledging that funding
is not sufficient. Orbach's comments came yesterday, the first day
of a two-day meeting of the Basic Energy Sciences Advisory Committee
(BESAC), chaired by Geri Richmond of the University of Oregon.
Orbach began by describing the strategic plan now being developed
that will guide the Office of Science in the coming decades. This
study will be based not on politics, but on where the most exciting
research frontiers are for his office. He described the diversity of
federal funding sources for science, and while saying that "they
do
look messy," added that the current system is much more desirable
than a single federal department of science. The programs funded by
various agencies are complementary, he said, explaining that his
office's programs support higher risk, longer-term research. Office
of Science programs support research converging from multiple fields,
and it is the funding offered for support at these intersections that
makes the office unique.
Also setting the Office of Science apart is its construction of large
facilities. Orbach told the committee that there is a great deal of
trust by Congress and the Administration for the office's management
of large capital projects. "This is very important . . . we need
that trust," he said. The strategic plan looks ahead for twenty
years, and will prioritize new facilities costing $50 million or
more. A draft plan is due next month, with the final plan scheduled
for May.
Under one budget scenario, the funding envelope seems sufficient to
construct the various facilities that have been recommended by the Office
of Science assistant directors. This scenario assumes that funding levels
authorized by Rep. Biggert's bill, H.R. 5270 (see /fyi/2002/093.html)
are realized, leading to a 60% increase in the Office of Science budget
over five years. Additional annual increases of 4%, which is the target
for overall discretionary spending increases, would also be realized.
This funding profile would allow for operations at existing facilities,
the accomplishment of various missions, and the construction of new
facilities. Under such funding, Orbach said, "we can do it."
At present, the Office of Science has not prioritized the new
facilities. Under Orbach's direction, all advisory committees are
reviewing various new facilities, which was one of the main items on
the BESAC agenda. Within the next few weeks, Orbach will take the
facility recommendations of the various advisory committees and
prioritize them. He will do this by himself, he said, because no
committee has been able to successfully prioritize across fields.
For the short run, Orbach said, the Office of Science is still
analyzing the FY 2003 omnibus appropriations bill. It appears that
the office's budget is down around $9 million from the request. But
the mechanics of the bill are difficult, and the ultimate level could
be even lower. "These are the cards we have been dealt," Orbach
stated. Acknowledging that the "flatness" of the budget does
not fit
the sought growth curve, Orbach feels that an authorization bill
would be instrumental to achieving higher future budgets. Support
for the Office of Science, both in Congress and in the Bush
Administration is, Orbach told the committee, "is superb."
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