FPN14-31

FESAC Planning Meeting and ITER Congressional Hearing

July 12, 2014

The US Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee Subpanel on developing a Strategic Plan for the US Fusion Program met for three days, July 8, 9, 10, in Gaithersburg Maryland to receive input from members of the fusion community. Almost 50 talks were presented. Many of these have been posted on the FIRE web site: http://fire.pppl.gov. A copy of the complete agenda is available on request from Fusion Power Associates (fusionpwrassoc@aol.com). The subpanel, which is being chaired by FESAC chair Mark Koepke has a web site with a link at the USBPO site: http://www/burningplasma.org The subpanel is still soliciting white papers from the fusion community. Instructions for submitting white papers are on its web site.

The Energy Subcommittee of the US House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a hearing July 11 on "Fusion Energy: The World's Most Complex Energy Project". The hearing was chaired by subcommittee chair Cynthia Lummis (R-WY). Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chair of the full committee, also attended the hearing, as did over a dozen other members of the full and sub committees. A webcast of the roughly one hour hearing is posted at:

http://democrats.science.house.gov/hearing/fusion-energy-world%E2%80%99s-most-complex-energy-project

The witnesses were:

Dr. Frank Rusco, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, Government Accountability Office, who described the results of the recent GAO ITER review.

Dr. Patricia Dehmer, Deputy Director for Science Programs at DOE, who described ITER policy within the Office of Science.

Dr. Robert Iotti, Chair of the ITER Council, who describe the status of ITER in the context of the recent management assessment report

Dr. Ned Sauthoff, who described the status of the ITER construction project.