Final FY 2004 DOE Office of Science Appropriations Bill
House and Senate conferees have completed work on the FY 2004 Energy and Water Development Appropriations Bill. Selections from House Report 108-357 follow. The full text of the Science report language can be accessed at http://thomas.loc.gov/ under Committee Reports; view the second “Science” entry.
OFFICE OF SCIENCE:
“The conference agreement provides $3,451,700,000 instead of $3,480,180,000 as proposed by the House and $3,360,435,000 as proposed by the Senate. The conference agreement does not include language specifying funding allocations as contained in the House and Senate reports.” This is an increase of 5.8% or $190.5 million over last year’s budget of $3,261.2 million. This outcome is much more favorable than the 1.5% cut that was made between last year’s budget and that for FY 2003. These figures include administrative and other “non-science"expenditures. Also note that the new budget uses $10.0 million in unspent money from last year.
Regarding the upcoming FY 2005 budget request to be released next February, the report states: " The conferees encourage the Department to request sufficient funds for the Office of Science in fiscal year 2005 to increase operating time, enhance user support, and upgrade essential equipment at the Department’s Science user facilities.”
Regarding university research programs and future facilities, the report states: “The conferees reiterate their support for broader participation by universities in DOE’s research programs, including existing user facilities and potential new user facilities. The conferees are aware of the Office of Science’s strategy for future facilities. Where existing facilities provide capabilities critical to a new user facility, co-location is appropriate; where this is not the case, the location of new user facilities should be openly competed. Regardless of location, broad participation in design by staff from national laboratories, user faculty from universities, and industrial investigators and groups should be sought. All these user groups must have access to these capabilities on a competitive basis.”
HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS: “The conference agreement provides $725,478,000 for high energy physics research, the same as the budget request.” This is an increase of 1.1% or $7.6 million over last year. The report continues: “The conference agreement also includes the requested amount, $12,500,000, for construction of the Neutrinos at the Main Injector project at Fermilab. The conferees recognize the efforts by Fermilab, the Office of Science, and the other Science laboratories on the challenges posed by the Tevatron luminosity upgrade. The conferees encourage the Department to accelerate progress on the Supernova/Accelerator Probe (SNAP).”
NUCLEAR PHYSICS: “The conference agreement provides $391,930,000 for nuclear physics, $2,500,000 over the budget request.” This is an increase of 3.2% or $12.3 million over last year. The report states: “The additional funds are provided for research and development and preconceptual design activities in support of the Rare Isotope Accelerator. The conferees encourage the Department to increase operational time for the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility and to move forward expeditiously with the 12GeV upgrade for this facility.”
BIOLOGICAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH: " The conference agreement includes $592,000,000 for biological and environmental research, an increase of $92,465,000 over the budget request.” This is an increase of 17.6% or $88.4 million over last year. The conference report language for Biological and Environmental Research cites many facilities for which funding is specified. View this language by accessing the conference report as explained above.
BASIC ENERGY SCIENCES: “The conference agreement includes $1,016,575,000 for basic energy sciences, an increase of $8,000,000 over the budget request.” This is almost the same amount as last year’s budget. The conference report states: " The conference agreement includes $575,711,000 for materials sciences and engineering research, and $220,914,000 for chemical sciences, geosciences, and energy biosciences. The additional $8,000,000 for materials sciences and engineering research is to support additional nanoscience research at existing user facilities and the new nanoscale science research centers. For purposes of reprogramming in fiscal year 2004, the Department may reallocate funding among all operating accounts within Basic Energy Sciences. The report continues: “The conference agreement provides the requested amounts of $124,600,000 for construction of the Spallation Neutron Source (99-E-334); $35,000,000 for the Molecular Foundry (94-R-313); $29,850,000 for the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (04-R-313); $20,000,000 for the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (03-R-312); $7,500,000 for project engineering and design (PED) for the Linac Coherent Light Source (03-SC-002); and $3,000,000 for the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (02-SC-002). The conference agreement also provides the request of $7,673,000 for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).”
FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES: “The conference agreement includes $264,110,000 for fusion energy sciences, an increase of $6,800,000 over the budget request.” This is an increase of 7.0% or $17.2 million from last year. The report then states: " The budget request proposed $12,000,000 for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), but did so by displacing $10,800,000 of ongoing domestic fusion research. The conference agreement provides $8,000,000 for ITER activities in fiscal year 2004, and restores $6,800,000 to domestic fusion research. The conferees strongly caution the Department against submitting any future budget requests for ITER that are funded at the expense of domestic research.”
ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC COMPUTING RESEARCH: " The conference agreement includes $203,490,000 for advanced scientific computing research (ASCR), an increase of $30,000,000 over the budget request.” This is an increase of 21.6% or $36.1 million. The report then states: " The conferees provide these additional funds for the Department to acquire additional advanced computing capability to support existing users in the near term and to initiate longer-term research and development on next generation computer architectures. The conferees expect that, to the maximum extent practicable, these funds will be awarded among various technologies, laboratories, universities, and private sector suppliers using a merit-based, competitive process. The conferees support the High End Computing Revitalization Task Force established by the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and expect the Department to participate fully in this interagency effort.”
The conference report also contains language regarding science laboratories infrastructure, external regulation, safety compliance audits, infrastructure support, safeguards and security, scientific workforce development, and science program direction. View this language as noted above.
