May 19, 1997

FPN97-16 Fusion Program Notes

White House Energy Study Update

The "Panel of Experts on Energy Research and Development," organized by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (See FPN97-8, March 26, 1997) has formed a Nuclear Task Force to look at fission and fusion. The panel is meeting with selected members of the fission community today and with people they selected from the fusion community tomorrow. The Task Force is being chaired by John Ahearn (Duke University). Other members of the Task Force are Joan Bok (New England Electric System), Bob Conn (UCSD), Diana MacArthur (Dynamac Corp.), and Larry Papay (Bechtel). They are receiving briefings and opinions from the following members of the fusion community: Mike Knotek (formerly Batelle PNL), Dave Baldwin and Tom Simonen (General Atomics), Stuart Prager (U. Wisconsin), Miklos Porkolab and Bruno Coppi (MIT), John Schmidt and Rob Goldston (PPPL), Charles Baker (UCSD/ITER Home Team Leader), and Mike Mauel (Columbia U.).

The fusion witnesses were asked to "describe the R&D you are doing" and, in addition, to express their opinions on the following "open-ended" questions:

  1. If there is a U.S. program, what should be its goals, domestically and internationally? How does this compare with the plans and actions of the DOE's Restructured Fusion Program?
  2. What are the key technologies and resources (people and funding) for the U.S. fusion R&D program?
  3. What are the major issues that will affect the future of fusion energy, domestically and internationally?
  4. In what ways is fusion energy adverse or beneficial to U.S. domestic and international interests?
  5. What are the principal uncertainties regarding fusion energy? How can or should they be addressed?
  6. Give your view of what should be a U.S. program; have U.S. policies helped or hindered? What should be industry's role? Can the market be relied on or should the federal government have a role? If so, what should it be? What follow-on to the ITER EDA do you recommend?
  7. What research will be necessary to support your view of the appropriate role for the government?
  8. What other critical issues should the panel be addressing?

The results of the Nuclear Task Force findings will be combined with that of Task Forces looking at other energy issues. The report of the Panel of Experts, which is chaired by John Holdren (Harvard University), is due to be provided to the President by October 1997.

In a memo dated May 6, Nuclear Task Force chairman John Ahearne said, "Our goal is to get the best possible input -- including out-of-the-box thinking -- for our deliberations about R&D for fusion and fission energy." If you have any opinions on these topics, I suggest you send to your opinions to one or more members of the panel and to Beverly Hartline, who is liason from the White House Office and Technology Policy. The relevant email addresses are as follows: Holdren (john_holdren@harvard.edu), Ahearne (ahearne@sigmaxi.org), Hartline (beverly_k._hartline@oa.eop.gov), Conn (rconn@soe.ucsd.edu), Papay (ltpapay@bechtel.com), Bok (bok@neesnet.com), and MacArthur (dmacarth@dynamac.com).

For more information, contact: Stephen O. Dean