DOE FY1995 Budget Bill Goes To House Floor - Nuclear Physics

The House bill making fiscal year 1995 appropriations for the Department of Energy, H.R. 4506, passed the House Appropriations Committee on May 26. It now goes to the House floor, where a vote is expected the week of June 12. Accompanying the bill is a 146-page report outlining the Appropriations Committee’s recommendations for spending. FYIs #74 through #77 provide selections from the report of interest to the physics community.

NUCLEAR PHYSICS

The Committee bill’s recommendation for Nuclear Physics totals $334,741,000. The current year’s appropriation is $348,615,000; the Administration’s fiscal year 1995 request is $300,841,000. Regarding the increase of $33,900,000 above the request, the report provides the following explanation:

“The Committee is very concerned about the Department’s decision to close the Los Alamos Meson Physics Facility (LAMPF). The premature closure of this facility will significantly reduce the science output of this country and a valuable experimental facility will be lost. The Committee recommendation includes an additional $24,000,000 to continue operations and to enhance the nuclear physics program at Los Alamos.

“In addition, the Committee recommendation provides an additional $1,000,000 to increase significantly the utilization of the Bates Linear Accelerator Center operated by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. These accelerator facilities serve a nation-wide community of scientists from over 100 American institutions.

“The Committee recommendation includes an additional $8,900,000 to finance physics experiments at the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility (CEBAF). After investing over $600,000,000 of Federal and state funds to construct CEBAF, the Committee recommends that the facility be funded at a level enabling it to fulfill its intended purpose of conducting nuclear physics research.”