[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 102 (Monday, July 11, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1287-E1288]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 ENERGY AND WATER DEVELOPMENT AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 
                                  2012

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JUDY BIGGERT

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Friday, July 8, 2011

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 2354) making 
     appropriations for energy and water development and related 
     agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012, and 
     for other purposes:

  Mrs. BIGGERT. Mr. Chair, I submit the following letter in support of 
funding for the Department of Energy's Office of Science in H.R. 2354, 
Energy and Water Development Appropriations Act of 2012.

[[Page E1288]]

                                Congress of the United States,

                                     Washington, DC, May 13, 2011.
     Hon. Rodney Frelinghuysen,
     Chairman, Energy and Water Development Appropriations 
         Subcommittee, House Appropriations Committee, Washington, 
         DC.
     Hon. Peter Visclosky,
     Ranking Member, Energy and Water Development Appropriations 
         Subcommittee, House Appropriations Committee, Washington, 
         DC.
       Dear Chairman Frelinghuysen and Ranking Member Visclosky: 
     As you begin work on the Fiscal Year 2012 Energy and Water 
     Appropriations bill, we write to express our strong support 
     for robust and sustained funding for the Department of Energy 
     (DOE) Office of Science, and the critical research, unique 
     scientific facilities, and expert personnel that it supports.
       We recognize the fragile state of the nation's economy, and 
     support efforts to reduce the deficit and create jobs. But to 
     do so, we must set priorities and make smart, strategic 
     decisions about federal funding. We believe that scientific 
     research is the foundation for the innovative solutions that 
     will enable us to overcome many of our greatest challenges--
     from economic stagnation and dependence on foreign energy to 
     curing diseases and addressing threats to our national 
     security. That is why we believe funding for the DOE Office 
     of Science must be a priority in fiscal year 2012.
       As the nation's primary sponsor of research in the physical 
     sciences, the DOE Office of Science has built--and 
     maintains--a unique collection of large-scale, cutting-edge, 
     one-of-a-kind user facilities relied upon by approximately 
     25,000 researchers annually. Nearly half of these users are 
     university faculty and students. Others come from U.S. 
     industry and many are conducting research for other key 
     federal science agencies, such as the National Institutes of 
     Health (NIH) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). 
     Without these critical facilities, thousands of users would 
     be forced to move their job-creating research activities 
     overseas, or terminate their research altogether.
       The DOE Office of Science also supports a first-rate 
     workforce of research scientists, engineers, and support 
     personnel who work as teams on long-term solutions to some of 
     the nation's greatest challenges and who are ready to tackle 
     pressing problems at a moment's notice. Moreover, it plays a 
     unique and critical role in the education of the next 
     generation of American scientific talent, including thousands 
     of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at hundreds 
     of U.S. institutions who depend upon DOE Office of Science 
     support and facilities for their research and training.
       This collection of research, facilities and scientific 
     talent has enabled the DOE Office of Science to contribute 
     greatly to our quality of life, our health, and our security. 
     The DOE Office of Science has been integral to the 
     development of several innovative technologies, including MRI 
     machines and PET scans, new composite materials for military 
     hardware and motor vehicles, medical and industrial isotopes, 
     drop-in biofuel technologies, DNA sequencing technologies, 
     more aerodynamic and fuel efficient long-haul trucks, 
     electric vehicle battery technology, an artificial retina, 
     newer and safer nuclear reactor designs, 3-D models of 
     pathogens for vaccine development, tools to manufacture 
     nanomaterials, and better sensors and detectors for 
     biological, chemical, and radioactive materials.
       By prioritizing funding for DOE scientific research--
     thereby supporting both the human and physical capital--
     Congress will preserve our capacity to innovate, reduce our 
     dependence on foreign sources of energy, enhance our 
     competitive edge in the global economy, improve our quality 
     of life, ensure our national security, and create good 
     American jobs well into the future. For these reasons, we 
     urge you to make strong and sustained funding for the DOE 
     Office of Science one of your highest priorities in fiscal 
     year 2012.
           Sincerely,
         Judy Biggert, Rush Holt, Randy Hultgren, Anna Eshoo, 
           Daniel Lipinski, John C. Carney, Jr., Barney Frank 
           (MA), Michael Capuano, Russ Carnahan, John Garamendi, 
           Grace Napolitano, Alcee Hastings, Barbara Lee, Ron 
           Kind, Donna Christensen, Lloyd Doggett, Tim Bishop, 
           George Miller, Tammy Baldwin, Steve Israel, Bob Filner, 
           David Wu, Jerry McNerney, Chris Van Hollen, John 
           Dingell, Stephen Lynch, Hansen Clarke, Zoe Lofgren, 
           Jason Altmire, Sander Levin, Laura Richardson, Marcia 
           Fudge, Henry Waxman, Robert Dold, Doc Hastings, 
           Theodore Deutch, David Price, Jared Polis, Louise 
           McIntosh Slaughter, Roscoe Bartlett, Silvestre Reyes, 
           Danny Davis, Paul Tonko, John Yarmuth, Mike Quigley, 
           John J. Duncan, Jr. (TN), Judy Chu.

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