Department of Energy FY94 Budget: Basic Energy Sciences

The Department of Energy has requested $802.0 million for Basic Energy Sciences in fiscal year 1994. The request is less than the 1993 appropriation by $58.7 million, for a decrease of 6.8 percent.

DOE’s budget “Highlights” do not explain why BES received a decrease in funding. The document states, “The research in BES is grouped into six major areas: materials sciences ($277.0 million), chemical sciences ($169.0 million), applied mathematical sciences ($106.2 million), engineering and geosciences ($37.9 million), energy biosciences ($26.7 million), and advanced energy projects ($11.4 million). BES has a heavy involvement in major scientific user facilities: the High Flux Beam Reactor and the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory; the Combustion Research Facility at Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore; the High Flux Isotope Reactor and the Radiochemical Engineering Development Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory at Stanford University; the Intense Pulsed Neutron Source at Argonne National Laboratory; and the 1-2 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory. In addition to these existing facilities, the BES program is also supporting construction of a major new scientific facility, the 6-7 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source. Operation of these major facilities account for $192.5 million of the BES funding requirements. Also included in the BES request is $9.4 million required for program and management support staff.

“In response to several government-wide initiatives to strengthen critical U.S. technology, the BES program is expanding research in three areas. First, the budget request includes an enhancement for materials research as part of the U.S. Advanced Materials and Processing Program. Second, the budget request takes into consideration the need to strengthen the area of biotechnology in support of the Federal Coordinating Committee [sic] on Science, Engineering, and Technology (FCCSET) recommendations. Third, the budget includes the DOE contribution for the second year of the FCCSET High Performance Computing and Communications Program.

“Capital equipment in the amount of $44.9 million is requested in addition to the operating funds mentioned above.

“The largest element of the overall budget for construction projects ($119.5 million) is the $107.0 million provided for the 6-7 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source at Argonne National Laboratory. Also included is $7.5 million for Accelerator Improvement Projects and $5.0 million for general plant projects.”

The next FYI will cover Fusion Energy.