S. HRg. 101-673 SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER PROGRAM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S BUDGET HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON OF THE COMMITTEE ON UNITED STATES SENATE SECOND SESSION ON THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER PROGRAM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S BUDGET FOR FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE Printed for the use of the iviu Committee on Energy and Natural Resources U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON : 1990 29-832 t (Star print) For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, Congressional Sales Office U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC 20402 COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES J. BENNETT JOHNSTON, Louisiana, Chairman DALE BUMPERS, Arkansas JAMES A. MCCLURE, Idaho WENDELL H. FORD, Kentucky MARK O. HATFIELD, Oregon HOWARD M. METZENBAUM, Ohio PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico BILL BRADLEY, New Jersey MALCOLM WALLOP, Wyoming JEFF BINGAMAN, New Mexico FRANK H. MURKOWSKI, Alaska TIMOTHY E. WIRTH, Colorado DON NICKLES, Oklahoma KENT CONRAD, North Dakota CONRAD BURNS, Montana JAKE GARN, Utah DARYL OWEN, Staff Director D. MICHAEL HARVEY, Chief Counsel SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT WENDELL H. FORD, Kentucky, Chairman JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Vice Chairman DALE BUMPERS, Arkansas PETE V. DOMENICI, New Mexico HOWARD M. METZENBAUM, Ohio MITCH MCCONNELL, Kentucky TIMOTHY E. WIRTH, Colorado DON NICKLES, Oklahoma HOWELL T. HEFLIN, Alabama CONRAD BURNS, Montana JAKE GARN, Utah BENJAMIN S. COOPER, Senior Professional Staff Member, Majority (II) CONTENTS STATEMENTS Page Barton, Hon. Joe, U.S. Representative from Texas.... Bromley, Dr. D. Allan, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President...... Decker, Dr. James F., Acting Director, Office of Energy Research, Depart- Drell, Dr. Sidney D., Department of Physics, Columbia University Merzbacher, Dr. Eugen, president, the American Physical Society Schwitters, Dr. Roy F., director, Superconducting Super Collider Laboratory, SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER PROGRAM AND THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY'S BUDGET FOR FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE TUESDAY, APRIL 24, 1990 U.S. SENATE, SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:04 a.m., in room SD-366, Dirksen Senate Office Building, Hon. Wendell H. Ford, presiding OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. WENDELL H. FORD, U.S. SENATOR FROM KENTUCKY Senator FORD. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Today's hearing on the Superconducting Super Collider and the DOE science budget has become an annual event for the subcommittee. This is a very important part of the Department of Energy's budget. In these programs the Department is fortifying foundations, foundations for the Nation's scientific and technological expertise and our international competitiveness. The fiscal year of 1991 requests for these programs is $2.3 billion, an increase of 13.6 percent over fiscal year 1990 appropriations. We are talking about physics, chemistry, material science, mathematics, engineering, geoscience, biological and environmental science, and the major facilities where American science is practiced. DOE's proposed budget provides for broad-based support for science. It provides for growth. It also makes substantial commitments that will require Congress to vote much larger increases in the future. The largest such commitment is a Superconducting Super Collider project that is getting underway in Texas. The fiscal year 1991 budget request for the SSC is $318 million, an increase of $100 million over last year's appropriations. When we get into construction on the project, the annual appropriation needed for the SSC alone will be almost $1 billion. It is no secret that some of us are pretty nervous about this project. We are nervous about the commitment of resources involved. It has not made us any less nervous to learn that the total estimated cost of the SSC may increase by as much as $2 billion above the original estimate of $5.9 billion. (1) |