House and Senate appropriators have concluded their hearings
on the FY 2003 request for the Department of Energy Office of
Science. The hearings were friendly and low-key, with members
expressing support for the work of the Office of Science.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water
Development convened on March 13, receiving testimony from
Robert G. Card, Under Secretary for Energy, Science and
Environment. Subcommittee chairman Sonny Callahan (R-AL)
began by commending DOE's remediation program at the Rocky
Flats site, and ongoing reorganization of the department's
headquarters operations. There were no other opening
statements by Members.
Card testified about the Office of Science programs, and the
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and the
Office of Nuclear Energy, Science, and Technology. His oral
remarks centered on management reforms leading to "real world
results." Regarding the Office of Science, Card said that the
pending arrival of Raymond L. Orbach as its new director
afforded the opportunity for a fresh look and a new map for
science programs.
Card's written testimony on the Office of Science was very
supportive. He testified about "the Administration's keen
interest in science and technology," adding that "our nation
depends on new knowledge and new technologies to maintain our
national security." His statement continued, "most Americans
probably have no idea of the importance of this basic
scientific research." After describing nuclear and high
energy physics research objectives, Card stated, "While these
projects don't sound very relevant to the daily existence of
most Americans, the downstream impact of projects like these
is pretty significant." DOE's two major FY 2003 priorities
are to "continue and expand upon the long-term [research]
investments" and to increase operating time and capabilities
at major scientific user facilities.
Chairman Callahan's first question to Card was about where the
Administration would find the additional hundreds of million
dollars needed for future remediation efforts. Card replied
that the department would work with the Office of Management
and Budget and the appropriators to locate the money. Ranking
Minority Member Peter Visclosky (D-IN) asked Card about the
department's selection process for four nanoscale research
centers and the proposed Rare Isotope Accelerator. A year
ago, Visclosky asked similar questions about how DOE selects
research sites, and later during this hearing advocated
greater competition and a diffusion of DOE resources
throughout all fifty states, saying "the rich get richer."
Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA) spoke of the large increase
the Administration requested for NIH, and the comparatively
flat funding for DOE's physical sciences programs. Card
replied that the request is "better than it looks" after
accounting for various changes, saying that the depth of
departmental support for these programs is "to the bottom of
our souls." Card expressed concern about the DOE budgets
keeping pace, and said that the FY 2004 request will center on
"not about just more money, but more output." Zach Wamp (R-
TN) described "a lot of aging infrastructure" at DOE
facilities.
Chairman Callahan wanted to know how the department's emphasis
on national security would affect research in particle physics
and genome research. Card said that the previous advances in
both had been instrumental to improvements in national
security and economic security, describing the department as
committed to basic research.
Committee members asked a number of questions about other
issues, such as hydrogen energy, biomass, nuclear energy
development, and hydro power. Chairman Callahan said the
subcommittee would draft their FY 2003 bill within the next
sixty days. Later in the week, Senate appropriators met, with
the results of this hearing to be reported on in a future FYI.
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