Sensenbrenner Cites Items of Interest to Science Committee
As reported in FYI #13 , yesterday House Science Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R-WI), spoke at the annual meeting of the Universities Research Associates (URA) Council of Presidents. This FYI contains his remarks on specific issues that the Science Committee will address this year, including the Kyoto Global Warming Treaty, funding for the Next Generation Internet, construction of a National Spallation Neutron Source, and U.S. participation in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Europe.
****** “There are several issues with budget implications before the Science Committee that will require our attention this year. We will continue work on these issues in the bipartisan spirit which was so successful this past year.”
GLOBAL WARMING TREATY:
“I was honored to lead the bipartisan Congressional delegation to the Global Warming Summit in Kyoto, Japan in December. However, I was dismayed by what I saw. The Clinton Administration acceded to the Kyoto Protocol - which requires deeper cuts than the President wished going into the negotiations - without considering the consequences for U.S. economic growth and employment. The simple fact is that for the U.S. to achieve the goal agreed to in Kyoto, energy costs will have to rise and rise sharply. The Administration’s own economists estimated that just to return U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2010 would require a $100 per ton carbon tax - the equivalent of a 26 cent hike in the price of a gallon of gas.... In addition to raising the cost of living, this agreement will cost American jobs. By agreeing to exempt developing countries..the Clinton Administration has provided a significant incentive for companies to move good-paying, high-skilled manufacturing jobs overseas.
“In his State of the Union Address, President Clinton proposed $6 billion in tax cuts, in research and development, to encourage innovation, renewable energy, fuel-efficient cars, and fuel-efficient homes. I am anxious to review the details of the President’s proposal. It will require tremendous innovation to craft a tax package that will make the Kyoto Treaty acceptable to two-thirds of the Senate later this year.”
NEXT GENERATION INTERNET:
“In his speech Tuesday, the President asked Congress to ...step up its support for building the next generation Internet.’ Congress was willing to step up its support for the next generation Internet over a year ago. Unfortunately, the Administration’s four page NGI proposal did not inspire Congress to take action. I have been told that the Administration has recently presented a new plan to the Senate.... The House Science Committee is eager to consider a proposal when it is presented by the Administration.”
NATIONAL SPALLATION NEUTRON SOURCE:
“Last week, Vice President Gore announced that the Administration is requesting a $157 million down payment in the FY 99 budget for construction and development of the most advanced accelerator-based Spallation Neutron Source in the world (see FYI #12).... Total cost for the one megawatt project is estimated to be $1.3 billion. In the report accompanying the FY 98-99 authorization bill, the Science Committee noted recommendations by the General Accounting Office and the Department of Energy’s Inspector General that the Department should fully evaluate all available options before proceeding with large construction projects. Consequently, the Committee directed the Secretary of Energy to engage the National Academy of Sciences to provide such an evaluation. The Department has yet to respond to this request. I hope that it will not become an issue with respect to the SNS budget request.”
LARGE HADRON COLLIDER:
“A high energy physics project that is of particular interest to this group, the Large Hadron Collider, will be before the Science Committee for authorization later this year. As most of you know, I had some initial misgivings about the agreement that the Department of Energy signed with CERN last February. I was pleased to be able to work with Secretary Pena in restructuring the agreement so that it better protects the interests of U.S. scientists and taxpayers. I look forward to working with the Department again to authorize the $394 million commitment that it has made to the LHC, including $65 million for FY 99. The Committee will also consider an NSF request for $81 million to fulfill its commitment to the project.”
