DOE FY 1994 Final Conference Report: Other Physics-Related Programs

In addition to the Superconducting Super Collider and fusion energy programs reported on in previous FYIs, the conference committee report for the Energy and Water Development Appropriations bill appropriated the following amounts and made the below recommendations for physics-related research programs:

Under the budget category of “Energy Research” is a category entitled “Basic Energy Sciences.” Under this heading, MATERIALS SCIENCES received $276,985,000, the full administration request.

Also under this heading is the ADVANCED NEUTRON SOURCE (ANS). The administration requested $39,000,000. The final bill provided $17,000,000, all for operating expenses. The requests for $1,000,000 for capital equipment and $26,000,000 for construction were not included. The conference report section on ANS stated: “The conferees support the continuation of the Advanced Neutron Source and the conference agreement provides $17,000,000 for the project. This is the amount needed for the continuation of essential research and development, reactor safety and regulatory compliance tasks. This will include work on the draft Environmental Impact Statement, completion of advanced conceptual design studies and updates to the appropriate baseline documentation, and applicable activities to position the project to proceed. The conferees expect a construction start next year upon accomplishment of this required work.”

Under the budget category of General Science and Research is the HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS program. Congress provided the full administration request of $627,769,000. This included the requested $25,000,000 for the FERMILAB MAIN INJECTOR. The bill also provided the requested $36,000,000 for the B-FACTORY. The conference report section on the B-Factory stated: “The conferees agree to provide $36,000,000 for the construction of the asymmetric B-meson production facility (B-Factory) as proposed by the House. Since the review and selection of the site for the project have been completed [SLAC was selected, see FYI #137], the restrictions contained in the House bill are no longer required.”

Also under the General Science and Research category is the NUCLEAR PHYSICS program. The administration requested $322,345,000. Congress increased this amount to $353,345,000. Additional amounts were provided for “Medium energy physics - operating expenses": request - $91,555,000; appropriated - $111,555,000. Also, “Capital equipment": request - $27,130,000; appropriated - $30,130,000. Also increased, the “Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, BNL": request - $70,000,000; appropriated - $78,000,000. The conference report states, “The Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF), the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC), and the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF) are funded as proposed by the Senate.” The Senate bill increased the funding for all three projects above the administration’s request (see FYI #125.)