The Senate Energy Appropriations Subcommittee and Chairman; Budget Hearing

Senator Pete V. Domenici assumed the chairmanship of the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee earlier this month. He brings to this position his twin passions of deficit reduction and support for science at a time when some are questioning the value of one of the subcommittee’s major jurisdictions -- the Department of Energy. Other members of subcommittee are:

(*designates new committee member)

Domenici has represented New Mexico since 1972. He is widely acknowledged to be one of the most knowledgeable senators on the intricacies of the federal budget. Domenici was chairman of the Budget Committee the last time the Republicans controlled the Senate. “Congressional Quarterly” describes Domenici as “a strong, often impassioned advocate of spending on science and research.” In addition to a keen interest in the Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories, he has been a supporter of basic research and the National Science Foundation. Domenici is also the chairman of the Senate Energy Research and Development Subcommittee, which authorizes nuclear and other energy R&D programs. The senator supported space station funding in 1994, 1993 and 1992. He voted in favor of the Superconducting Super Collider in 1993, 1992 and 1991.

The address for the subcommittee follows:
Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee
U.S. Senate
SD-132 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510

The future of DOE’s national laboratories was raised at a House Budget Committee field hearing in Prescott, AZ last Saturday. An FYI reader reports that 900 people attended, of which 40 addressed the eight committee members present. Most of the initial speakers questioned government entitlement programs during the three hour hearing, although one asked, “If the cold war is over, why are there still 9,000 people at Los Alamos National Lab working on nuclear weapons?” Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich (R-OH) replied, “There are actually a large number of national labs across the country doing a variety of things. We are going to see the time come when we look at the national labs as we are now looking at military bases. The labs are, of course, administered by DOE, which is soon going to undergo intense scrutiny.”