STATEMENT OF CONGRESSMAN FORTNEY H. (PETE) STARK BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND RESEARCH AND PRODUCTION COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FEBRUARY 26, 1986 ON THE FY '87 FUSION BUDGET AND THE LAWRENCE LIVERMORE NATIONAL LABORATORY ON FUSION ENERGY RESEARCH AND THE LAWRENCE LIVERMORE LAB Madame Chair, Members of the Committee: I appreciate the opportunity to appear today. I've watched the fusion budget for years in hopes that we maintain our budgetary and policy commitments for the pursuit of a successful fusion facility. But as you know funding for the Energy Department's fusion program has been on the steady decline in recent years. The FY '87 budget again proposes to cut the fusion program, this time by 9 percent. Fusion power is the ultimate energy source. It is clean, safe and virtually inexhaustible. Although its commercial applications require more years of study and development, it promises to advance the field of physics and pave the way for a new, untapped energy source. Eventually it could end our dependence on foreign oil. The President's budget proposes to pick up most of the savings by ending research on mirror confinement systems. This proposal would mothball the just-completed and never-used Mirror Fusion Test Facility-B (MFTF-B) at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. A lot of hard work and money has been invested in the world's largest superconducting, tandem mirror fusion experiment. For close to 8 years some of the finest scientists and engineers in America have dedicated their time and energy to the project. million dollars have been invested in MFTF-B. $350 Last Friday 300 persons from the Lab and community as well as representatives from more than 100 companies that helped build the facility gathered together for a formal acceptance ceremony. But a black cloud hung over the group. Although the group was happy and proud that together they had made a magnificent technical achievement, the budget doesn't allow for the completion of the project. At this point, MFTF-B will never be run. It I have been told by staff at LLNL that $20 million more in their budget would allow the operation of MFTF-B at a reduced level. is obviously not the optimum solution, but facing the deficit that we do, it is a compromise solution. A few weeks ago the tragic accident of the Challenger left us horrified at the loss of life and technological investment. We did not have control to prevent that horrendous event. Here we are faced with a loss that is certainly less tragic, yet it is still a terrible waste of human talents, time, energy and money. But, we have some control over the situation. As the old saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. The |