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this technology as a possible inertial fusion driver; and additional funds will be provided on a cost-shared basis with industry to transfer synchrotron radiation technology (x-ray lithography) to industry for use in developing next generation computer chips.

The FY 1991 request for the Energy Biosciences subprogram is $20.2 million. Research in this area continues to increase our understanding of basic biological principles, biological mechanisms, and organisms useful for energy applications, such as the production of fuels from biomass materials. In FY 1991, this subprogram will continue its base program in plant and microbial sciences, including support for the plant science centers supported jointly by the Department, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Agriculture.

The Program Direction request for FY 1991 is $6.5 million. This request will provide funds for the salaries, benefits, and travel related to 70 full-time equivalent staff.

The BES Capital Equipment request for FY 1991 is $37.0 million. These funds will ensure that BES-supported researchers will continue to have the equipment needed to initiate and continue advanced research, much of which involves experiments at extremes of temperature and pressure. Reliable, precise measurements under these conditions challenge the current state-of-the-art. Replacements and new equipment funded under this request, which are important to the continued success of the program, include such items as electron

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microscopes, neutron spectrometers, molecular beam equipment and computers for equipment control and data analysis.

The FY 1991 Construction request of $108.0 million (Table 8) includes continued funding for the construction of the 1-2 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source at LBL as well as the 6-7 GeV Synchrotron Radiation Source at ANL. Both facilities are needed to cover the entire radiation range needed for experiments supported by the BES program. The 1-2 GeV project is a third generation light source in the vacuum ultra violet/soft x-ray range. The unique capabilities of this facility will make possible new basic and applied science studies in such areas as materials and surface science, atomic and molecular physics, chemistry, and biology. The FY 1991 request includes $23.0 million for this project. The 6-7 GeV project is a new, hard x-ray synchrotron light source which has been rated as the top priority by several scientific panels, including one from the National Academy of Sciences. It will provide brilliant x-ray beams that will serve the research needs of virtually all scientific disciplines and many technology fields. The FY 1991 request for this project includes $75.0 million to continue accelerator and conventional facility construction. Of the remaining $10.0 million, $7.0 million is for Accelerator Improvements Projects and $3.0 million is for General Plant Projects. Each of these categories is comprised of smaller projects which are necessary to maintain plant and facilities at several DOE laboratories. The projects include a wide spectrum of improvements necessary to protect property and personnel and to modify existing scientific facilities to allow the most cost-effective utilization of their technical capabilities.

MAGNETIC FUSION ENERGY

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Fusion is the process by which the sun and other stars produce energy. The continuing goal of the Magnetic Fusion Energy program is to develop theory and conduct experiments to determine how fusion reactions can be controlled and used to produce energy. Steady progress has been made but the scope of work is formidable. Fusion is an attractive source of energy for several reasons. The fusion fuels (deuterium and tritium) are easily obtained and virtually inexhaustible.

In addition, fusion reactors can be designed to yield very little long-lived radioactive waste. Finally, fusion powerplants would have attractive safety features because there would be only small amounts of relatively low-hazard fuel present at any one time and the fusion reaction could not run out of control.

The path to successful development of magnetic fusion energy for practical use requires development of a device that can heat the deuterium-tritium fuel to the required high temperature and confine the heated fuel long enough so that more energy is released in the fusion reactions than is used to heat the fuel; in other words, a significant energy gain is achieved. The leading candidate for confining the hot plasma fuel is a donut-shaped magnetic configuration called a tokamak. The program is currently trying to enhance its understanding of energy confinement in order to clarify the requirements for significant energy gain. In addition, research and development are required to improve the potential economics of fusion. Finally, the Magnetic Fusion Energy program is participating in the initial phase of an integrated worldwide program whose long-term objective is to establish the science and

technology base for fusion and, thus, create opportunities for the U.S. to benefit from collaboration on major facilities.

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The program is organized around four key technical issues. The first is understanding how the plasma behaves once fusion reactions are producing sufficient heat to maintain reacting or burning conditions. The second is determining the best confinement configuration by studying potentially improved devices or fuels. The third issue involves research on materials to see which ones provide the best safety margin and the lowest levels of induced radioactivity when introduced to a fusion reactor environment. The fourth issue requires the development of the nuclear technology to effectively and safely convert fusion energy to electricity.

The program currently emphasizes the first two issues. These efforts are aimed at developing a predictive understanding of the mechanisms that control energy confinement within the tokamak. Experimental data suggest that improved confinement will be required for the next generation of devices. Scientists have already observed this improved confinement in a number of tokamak devices. The program is working on developing the understanding necessary to apply these observed improvements to future devices.

Before I turn to a discussion of the FY 1991 budget request, I should note that an independent, high-level review of fusion will be carried out in FY 1990. The objective of the Fusion Policy Advisory Committee will be to review and update the Department's fusion policy, covering both the magnetic and inertial confinement programs. The Committee review will focus on the