FPN07-35

House Committee Marks FY08 Fusion Funding

June 13, 2007

The Committee on Appropriations of the U. S. House of Representatives has approved a bill to fund the U. S. Department of Energy in FY 2008 (which begins October 1, 2007). The bill includes funding for both the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES), in the DOE Office of Science, and the Inertial Confinement Fusion program, within the DOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). A similar bill must also emerge from the Senate and differences resolved in House-Senate Conference before being sent to the President for signing.

The bill provides OFES the full funding requested by the President, but specifies that funds requested for High Energy Density Physics be transferred to other elements of the OFES program. The bill provides NNSA funds for the Naval Research Laboratory ($15M) and High Average Power Lasers ($25M) not requested by the DOE and other increases above the President's request.

The language in the Committee's report is as follows:

FUSION ENERGY SCIENCES

The Committee recommendation for fusion energy sciences is $427,850,000, the same as the budget request, and $108,900,000 above the previous year, reflecting the $100,000,000 growth in the budget for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER).

The Committee does not support funding for a new program in High Energy Density Physics and provides no funds for this research area. The Committee directs that the $12,281,000 requested for High Energy Density Physics be used to increase funding for the following: $7,500,000 for facility operations at the three U.S. user facilities -- the DIII-D, Alcator C-Mod, and National Spherical Torus Experiment, $1,500,000 for Theory, $1,500,000 for materials research within Enabling R&D, and $1,781,000 for Alternative Concept Experimental Research.

The Committee notes that major growth in support for ITER, with an additional increase in this support of $54,000,000 planned for fiscal year 2009, is affecting the overall funding picture for Fusion Energy Sciences and the Office of Science as a whole. When direct funding for ITER is excluded, Fusion Energy Sciences increases by just 3.8 percent and the increase requested for the Office of Science, while still large, is 13.4 percent rather than 15.8 percent. If delays in ITER associated with international cooperation reduce the amount that can be spent on ITER in FY 2008, the Committee directs the Office of Fusion Energy Sciences to invest the funds made available in Theory, materials research within Enabling R&D, Alternative Concept Experimental Research and operating time at the three U.S. user facilities rather than retaining the money for ITER and carrying it over to future fiscal years.

NNSA INERTIAL CONFINEMENT FUSION AND HIGH YIELD CAMPAIGN

The Committee recommends $524,046,000 for the inertial confinement fusion and yield program, an increase of $111,787,000 over the budget request. The Committee is disappointed the NNSA has failed to propose sufficient resources in the budget request to support key activities to ensure that the 2010 ignition goal for the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is reached. The Committee restores adequate funding to the ICF campaign to support the 2010 ignition goal.

The Committee recommendation for Facility Operations and Target Production is $114,383,000, an increase of $28,300,000 over the budget request. The additional Facility Operation funding is provided for enhanced target production and characterization capabilities.

The Committee recommendation for NIF diagnostics, cryogenics and experimental support is $85,935,000, an increase of $18,000,000 over the budget request. The increased funding is provided for additional cryogenics and diagnostic activities necessary to achieve the 2010 ignition goal.

The Committee recommendation includes $25,000,000 to continue development of high average power lasers and supporting science and technology within the Inertial Fusion Technology program line. The Committee recommendation includes $15,000,000 for the Naval Research Laboratory and a total of $62,044,000 for the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) operations, an increase of $9,000,000 over the budget request. The LLE is the principal research and experimentation laser facility for NNSA Science-Based Stockpile Stewardship activities. The Committee's increase is for OMEGA operations to provide additional shots to support the ICF campaign goal of an ignition demonstration in 2010.

The Committee recommendation provides an additional $15,000,000 for the Ignition subprogram and $13,700,000 for the NIF demonstration program to restore funding required to meet the 2010 ignition goal for NIF.

The Committee provides $10,139,000 for construction of the National Ignition Facility (NIF), the same as the budget request.

The Committee recommendation does not include the proposed Joint program in High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas.

The Committee expects the NNSA to include sufficient operating funding for the Naval Research Laboratory in the fiscal year 2009 budget request.