[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 59 (Friday, April 11, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5375-S5376]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. ALEXANDER (for himself, Mr. Levin, Mr. Warner, and Mr. 
        Bingaman):
  S. 915. A bill to authorize appropriations of fiscal years 2004, 
2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 for the Department of Energy Office of 
Science, to ensure that the United States is the world leader in key 
scientific fields by restoring a healthy balance of science funding, to 
ensure maximum use of the national user facilities, and to secure the 
Nation's supply of scientists for the 21st century, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.
  Mr. ALEXANDER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text 
of this bill be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the text of the bill was ordered to be 
printed in the Record, as follows:

                                 S. 915

       Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 
     the United States of America in Congress assembled,

     SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

       This Act may be cited as the ``Energy and Science Research 
     Investment Act of 2003''.

     SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

       Congress finds that--
       (1) the Office of Science of the Department of Energy is 
     the largest Federal sponsor of civilian research in the 
     physical sciences and plays a major role in supporting 
     interdisciplinary research that contributes to other 
     scientific fields, including the life sciences, mathematics, 
     computer science, engineering, and the environmental 
     sciences;
       (2)(A) Department of Energy laboratories have scientific 
     capabilities that are unmatched in typical academic or 
     industrial institutions;
       (B) scientific teams of the laboratories are capable of 
     developing integrated approaches to grand scientific 
     challenges that are often beyond the reach of individual 
     experimenters; and
       (C) the Human Genome Project exemplifies that capability;
       (3) the facilities at the Department of Energy laboratories 
     are invaluable to scientists across disciplines, including 
     those from academia, industry, and government;
       (4)(A) for more than half a century, science research has 
     had an extraordinary impact on the economy, national 
     security, medicine, energy, life sciences, and the 
     environment; and
       (B) in the economic arena, studies show that about half of 
     all United States post-World War II economic growth is a 
     direct result of technological innovation stemming from 
     scientific research;
       (5) the Office of Science programs, in constant dollars, 
     have been flat funded for more than a decade, placing the 
     scientific leadership of the United States in jeopardy and 
     limiting the generation of ideas that will enhance the 
     security of the United States and drive future economic 
     growth;
       (6)(A) because the cost of conducting research increases at 
     a faster rate than the Consumer Price Index, flat funding for 
     the Office of Science has led to a decline in the number of 
     grants awarded, students trained, and scientists supported; 
     and
       (B) flat and erratic funding has also led to an underuse of 
     the facilities that the United States has invested hundreds 
     of millions of dollars to construct; and
       (7) higher funding levels for the Office of Science will 
     provide more opportunities to support graduate students in 
     research at universities in the fields of mathematics, 
     engineering, and the physical sciences, helping to alleviate 
     an increasing over-reliance on foreign talent in these 
     fields.

     SEC. 3. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR SCIENCE PROGRAMS.

       (a) Program Direction.--The Secretary of Energy, acting 
     through the Office of Science, shall--
       (1) conduct a comprehensive program of fundamental 
     research, including research on chemical sciences, physics, 
     materials sciences, biological and environmental sciences, 
     geosciences, engineering sciences, plasma sciences, 
     mathematics, and advanced scientific computing;
       (2) maintain, upgrade, and expand the scientific user 
     facilities maintained by the Office of Science and ensure 
     that the facilities are an integral part of the departmental 
     mission for exploring the frontiers of fundamental science;
       (3) maintain a leading-edge research capability in the 
     energy-related aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, 
     advanced scientific computing and genome research;
       (4) ensure that the fundamental science programs of the 
     Department of Energy, as appropriate, help inform the applied 
     research and development programs of the Department; and
       (5) ensure that Department of Energy research programs 
     support sufficient numbers of graduate students to maintain 
     the pipeline of scientists and engineers that is critical for 
     the future vitality of Federal laboratories and overall 
     United States science leadership.

[[Page S5376]]

       (b) Authorities of Appropriations.--There are authorized to 
     be appropriated to carry out this section--
       (1) for fiscal year 2004, $3,785,000,000;
       (2) for fiscal year 2005, $4,153,000,000;
       (3) for fiscal year 2006, $4,586,000,000;
       (4) for fiscal year 2007, $5,000,000,000; and
       (5) for fiscal year 2008, $5,400,000,000.
  Mr. LEVIN. Madam President, today I am pleased to introduce, with 
Senators Alexander, Bingaman and Warner, legislation that would 
authorize increased funding for the Department of Energy's, DoE, Office 
of Science. For two decades, funding for the Office of Science has 
remained stagnant while the cost of conducting cutting-edge research 
has continued to rise. Inadequate funding levels for the Office of 
Science, one of our Nation's leading sources of funding for research in 
the physical sciences, threatens our Nation's leadership in all 
sciences and thus also our economic well-being and our security. In the 
past fifty years, roughly one-half of the Nation's economic growth has 
been derived from investments in science and technology.
  The DoE's Office of Science portfolio is extensive. It is the chief 
sponsor of major research and user facilities benefitting researchers 
in the life sciences, physics, chemistry, environmental sciences, 
mathematics, computer science, and engineering. Among these 
disciplines, the Office of Science possesses primary responsibility for 
research in fusion energy physics, nuclear physics, and high energy 
physics. Taken together, this research supports the DoE's 
responsibilities for energy security and defense.
  While much of this work is conducted by scientists and researchers at 
our world-class national labs, university-based research is greatly 
enhanced by DoE Office of Science funds. Over one-fifth of its budget 
is directed to university research, with 49 States receiving funding. 
This funding plays a central role in supporting significant, long-term, 
peer-reviewed basic research. Such on-campus research helps attract 
motivated students to the physical sciences. By stimulating the 
curiosity of talented students, and giving them a chance to engage in 
quality scientific work, the Office of Science expands our knowledge 
base while training the next generation of scientists and engineers.
  The University of Rochester's Laboratory for Laser Energetics shows 
the value that is posed by DoE's efforts to support on campus research 
be it through the DoE's Office of Science or other DoE programs. Since 
its founding in 1970, this lab has helped produce 161 Ph.D.'s. 
Currently 57 students are pursuing their doctorates while working at 
this facility. Additionally, the lab employs dozens of undergraduates 
and helps bring high school students to the facility each summer. By 
supporting nearly 2000 researchers at more than 250 universities and 
institutions in cutting edge research areas such as physics, 
nanotechnology, materials, genomics, and superconductivity, the Office 
of Science is able to help draw students to the sciences.
  It is the creation of the next generation of scientists that will 
fuel our nation's economic development and staff our nation's critical 
DoE facilities. According to the DoE Inspector General the ``Department 
has been unable to recruit and retain critical scientific and technical 
staff in a manner sufficient to meet identified mission requirements. . 
. . [I]f this trend continues, the Department could face a shortage of 
nearly 40 percent in these classifications within five years.''
  If we do not increase funding for the DoE's Office of Science: 
maintenance backlogs will increase even further at major DoE 
facilities, major construction initiatives will lapse and even fewer 
research grants will be funded. As a result, our Nation's leadership in 
overall science and technology will be threatened since the physical 
sciences provide much of the core knowledge and instrumentation that 
fuel advances in many other critical fields of knowledge.
  Increasing funds for the DoE's Office of Science will support 
research in exciting fields such as: nanotechnology, high energy 
physics, genomics and supercomputing. By investing in the Office of 
Science, we can help scientists and engineers as they expand our 
knowledge of the universe and inform our interactions with it.
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