Abraham notes in his letter, "Representatives of other governments have asked that the Department review its current policy towards ITER." He said, "We have been following closely the progress by the ITER Parties in developing a more attractive, lower cost design for the proposed facility, and most recently, the movements toward concrete site proposals and detailed preparations to begin construction."

In a related development, the prestigious British science journal, Nature, in its January 17 issue, editorialized, "any real exploration of long-term, sustainable energy must include a thorough technical evaluation of nuclear fusion." They said, "Bush would do well to buy back into ITER, and to help to rebuild it as a model of scientific collaboration." They said, "If the United States does rejoin the project, it will send important political signals to the nation's allies, who are concerned about the unilateralist leanings of the George W. Bush administration."

In the same issue of Nature, science writer Geoff Brumfiel quotes new Bush science advisor John Marburger as saying, "I definitely think that our participation (in ITER) should be reconsidered." The article also quotes US Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee chair Richard Hazeltine as saying, "I think the (US) community is very excited about the possibility of rejoining ITER," but also quotes DOE fusion head Anne Davies as saying, "We're just at the beginning stages of considering what our position should be." Brumfiel says that Davies said that Congress and the administration must pledge their full support before US fusion researchers could resume participation.

The text Abraham's January 3 letter follows:

"Dear Chairman Boehlert:

"Thank you for your letter of November 1, 2001, which encouraged the Department of Energy to send representatives to the international discussions recently begun on the future of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project and which pointed out the urgency of taking advantage of the opportunity that ITER represents.

"Both the Department and the U.S. fusion community recognize the importance of burning plasma physics to continue the progress of fusion energy sciences. We have been following closely the progress by the ITER Parties in developing a more attractive, lower cost design for the proposed facility, and most recently, the movements toward concrete site proposals and detailed preparations to begin construction.

"Representatives of other governments have asked that the Department review its current policy toward ITER. I have agreed to explore the current ITER option before us to determine if it is appropriate for the Department - and for the Nation - in the light of the President's National Energy Policy. We will proceed carefully and deliberately, since a U.S. commitment to ITER could imply commitment beyond this Administration. I anticipate completing our initial review in the next few months."

The FY 2003 request for Fusion Energy Sciences, which is due to be released with the Administration's budget submission next week, may provide an indication of DOE's intentions for ITER. Fusion funding has remained essentially flat at about $248.5 million for the last three fiscal years.

Spencer Abraham
Secretary of Energy