The DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences (OFES) will get less research money in FY 2000 than in FY 1999 under President Clinton's budget proposal, sent to Congress February 1. The President is proposing to cut the civilian fusion research budget by $10 million from this year's level of approximately $230 million (including approximately $7 million for program management), but adds $10 million for the decontamination and decommissioning of the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) at Princeton. Thus, though the total fusion budget appears flat, the research program will be reduced. DOE made a successful last minute appeal from an Office of Management and Budget mark of $204 million (FPN99-3), to $222.6 Million, including the $10 million for TFTR decommissioning and excluding approximately $6.7 million in program management funds, which will be accounted for elsewhere in DOE.

The Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) program, funded in DOE's Defense Programs account, would receive flat funding in the its research budget ($212.4 M in 1999 going to $211.7 M in 2000). Construction funds for the National Ignition Facility, having peaked in 1999 at $284.2 M, will decline in 2000 to $248.1 M.

The DOE Office of Fusion Energy Sciences indicated in the budget submission that it would cut the fusion technology program by $15 M, from $42 M in 1999 to $27.1 M in 2000. The cuts will free up the funds necessary for the earmarked TFTR decommissioning as well as provide a reserve tentatively aimed at more alternate concepts physics research. Most other elements of the program are essentially flat.

The DOE as a whole did fairly well, receiving about a $1 billion increase from $17.4 billion in 1999 to $18.1 B in 2000. The DOE Office of Science (previously called the Office of Energy Research) also did well, receiving a $137 M increase from $2.698 billion in 1999 to $2.835 B in 2000.

The FY 2000 Federal Budget can be accessed on the web at: //www.gpo.gov/usbudget/fy2000/maindown.html