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The Superconducting Super Collider will allow physicists to study proton-proton collisions at energies up to 40 trillion electron volts. That is about 20 times more powerful than the energies available at the Tevatron at Fermi Laboratory today. The SSC is a racetrack-shaped accelerator that is some 53 miles in circumfer

ence.

During the past year, the Department has continued with research and development primarily on superconducting magnets.

The Department has also moved forward with site selection, and with the help of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, has developed the best qualified list consisting of seven sites. The Department plans to announce the preferred site at the end of November.

For fiscal year 1989, the Department is requesting $363 million for the Superconducting Super Collider. This request includes $80 million for research and development consisting of $64 million in operating funds and $16 million in equipment funds. Most of this research and development funding will be used for superconducting magnet development and testing.

We are also requesting $283 million to begin construction. Construction funds will be devoted to detailed design of technical systems and conventional facilities, long lead critical path procurements, and a modest amount of site preparations.

In order to share the costs of this world-class facility, the Department is aggressively seeking international participation in the SSC, either with cost-sharing or with contributions in kind.

And I believe that substantial in-kind contributions are likely from several countries, but commitments are not expected until Congress approves the project and approves substantial support for

it.

I know that there has been much concern about the impact of the SSC on other science programs. However, let me assure you that the SSC did not have an adverse effect on any scientific programs in the Department.

The SSC funding was considered as a separate item and was added to the Department's 1989 budget target by the Office of Management and Budget.

The Superconducting Super Collider is an expensive project. However, I want to point out that the benefits from the SSC will not be limited to its site, but will be for the entire country.

Hundreds of businesses and thousands of American workers will participate in its construction and operation. Scientists from over 100 universities across the Nation will participate in its research. It will provide inspiration to the next generation of scientists throughout the country. It will show the country's determination and commitment to stay at the leading edge of science.

Now I want to briefly mention highlights from some of the other programs of the Office of Energy Research. First, nuclear physics. We are requesting funds to continue construction of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, with completion of this project expected in 1993.

We are also requesting funding to continue nuclear physics research in existing facilities and $6 million to continue research and

development on a possible new device, the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider at Brookhaven National Laboratory.

Next I want to turn to the Magnetic Fusion Energy Program. This Program is focused primarily on the physics of fusion plasmas. The Program's major experiment is the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor, known as TFTR, at Princeton University.

We are completing preparations for the deuterium-tritium breakeven experiment in TFTR. Equipment installation will be finished during fiscal year 1989 and early 1990, and actual deuterium-tritium experiments will begin in January, 1991.

This year, for the first time, the plasma conditions in TFTR exceeded the original design goals, giving us confidence that the deuterium-tritium experiments will be productive.

To move beyond this energy breakeven experiment in TFTR, our 1989 request includes construction funds for a Compact Ignition Tokamak that would attain ignition conditions in which the fusion reaction is self-sustained.

Now, this is a critical remaining science issue which we must understand before we can consider engineering development of fusion energy.

Next I would like to turn to the Basic Energy Sciences Program. This is a broad research program that underlies many of the Department's more applied programs.

In addition to funding research, this Program operates a number of user facilities such as synchrotron light sources, high-resolution electron microscopes, research reactors and so forth. These facilities are used by scientists from universities and industry, as well as our national laboratories.

Research on high-temperature superconductors provides a good example of how researchers and user facilities in this Program can be mobilized to exploit new discoveries.

Atomic structure of these new materials has been determined using neutrons from our research reactors and photons from our synchrotron light sources. We are confident that this research will lead to an understanding of why these materials are superconductors and how to improve their properties for application.

In the area of new facilities, our request includes funding to begin construction of the 7 Gev Synchrotron Light Source at the Argonne National Laboratory.

The high-intensity, higher energy X-rays to be uniquely available from this source will open up new research opportunities in materials, biology, chemistry, and medicine.

The last program that I would like to mention is biological and environmental research. Our request will expand the genome program that has, as its ultimate goal, the complete characterization of the human genome on the molecular level.

The Department's unique role will be to develop technologies and other resources to map and ultimately sequence the genome at much lower cost than present-day technologies would imply.

Our request also includes funding to expand research into the health effects of radon and to expand research in subsurface microbiology.

Mr. Chairman, that concludes my oral summary. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

[The prepared statement of Dr. Decker follows:]

Statement of James F. Decker

Acting Director

Office of Energy Research

Department of Energy

before the

Subcommittee on Energy Research and Development

of the

Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

April 12, 1988

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee:

It is a pleasure to appear here today to present the FY 1989 budget request for the programs supported by the Office of Energy Research (ER). These programs are: High Energy Physics, Nuclear Physics, Basic Energy Sciences, Magnetic Fusion Energy, Biological and Environmental Research, Energy Research Analysis, University Research Support, University Research Instrumentation, and Multiprogram Energy Laboratories-Facilities Support and supporting program direction. Funding for these programs in FY 1989 is being requested under the three separate appropriations shown in Table 1.

The new Basic Research User Facilities (BRUF) appropriation includes funding for construction, operation, and maintenance of the Office of Energy Research's major "user facilities." Construction and operation of these large, complex and expensive facilities requires sustained, central federal support since they are far too large and costly to expect non-federal research institutions to provide such facilities for the benefit of the scientific community. These facilities provide a unique national resource for forefront research in areas related to the use and production of energy. Their continued operation is essential to ensure a continuous support of new knowledge, trained personnel and new directions for the energy well-being of the U.S. and to support the technology base that is vital to the Nation's economic future. It is important to note that the BRUF funds, which include operating expenses, capital equipment and construction, provide only for the construction, operation and maintenance of the facilities. The research conducted in these facilities continues to be funded under the Energy Supply R&D or General Science and Research appropriations.

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