STATEMENT OF SENATOR J. BENNETT JOHNSTON

HEARING ON THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER
AND THE BASIC SCIENCE PROGRAMS

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FY89 BUDGET REQUEST

APRIL 12, 1988

I CONGRATULATE SENATOR FORD FOR HOLDING THIS HEARING TODAY ON

THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER AND THE IMPACT THIS PROJECT

WILL HAVE ON THE BUDGET OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR BASIC

SCIENCE.

THIS ISSUE HAS RIPENED IN THE PAST YEAR, AND THE ESSENTIAL

CHOICES ARE BECOMING CLEARER.

THE NUMBER OF POTENTIAL SITES HAS BEEN NARROWED TO SEVEN. I

UNDERSTAND THAT A SINGLE PREFERRED SITE WILL BE CHOSEN IN
NOVEMBER, AFTER THE COMING ELECTIONS. THE PURELY PAROCHIAL
SUPPORT FOR THE SSC THAT HAD BEEN BASED ON A HOPE, HOWEVER
SLIGHT, THAT THE PROJECT WOULD "BE LOCATED IN MY STATE" IS NOW
GREATLY REDUCED. A DECISION TO SPEND $5 OR MORE BILLION DOLLARS
ON THE PROJECT WILL BE MADE, IF IT IS MADE, ON GROUNDS OF

NATIONAL RATHER THAN PAROCHIAL INTEREST.

THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY SEEMS TO BE WAKING UP TO THE FACT

THAT FUNDING THE PROJECT WILL INVOLVE PAINFUL TRADEOFFS WITHIN

THE DOE SCIENCE BUDGET. THERE ARE FEWER CALLS TO FUND THE SSC BY

2

REDUCING THE BUDGET FOR THE STRATEGIC DEFENSE INIATIVE OR BY

CAPPING COST OF LIVING INCREASES OR BY REPEALING THE

AUTHORIZATION FOR THE APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION.

THE SSC

IS A SCIENCE PROJECT UNDER THE DOE. ITS FUNDS MUST COME FROM THE

SCIENCE BUDGET OF DOE.

AS A RESULT, SOME SCIENTISTS ARE NOW COMING FORWARD TO

SUGGEST PRIORITIES IN SCIENCE FUNDING. THERE IS A REALIZATION

THAT ALL THESE FACILITIES WILL NOT BE FUNDED OUT OF "NEW MONEY' THERE IS NO "NEW MONEY". THERE IS ONLY ONE KIND OF MONEY. WHEN

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPENDS IT, THE DEFICIT GOES UP, AND WE

DON'T WANT THAT.

THE AMOUNT WE CAN SPEND IS LIMITED, THEREFORE WE NEED PRIORITIES.

FINALLY, WE ARE BEGINNING TO SEE THAT THIS IS REALLY A MATTER

OF HOW WE ARE GOING TO FUND ANY LARGE NEW CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT IN

OUR SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE. WE HAVE AN UNDENIABLE NEED FOR A

STRONG NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ENTERPRISE.

BUT WE ARE NOW IN A

POSITION OF WANTING MORE THAN WE CAN PAY FOR.

WE HAD BETTER FIND SOME NEW WAYS TO PAY FOR WHAT WE WANT.

ALSO HAD BETTER DO A BETTER JOB OF FIGURING WHAT TO DO WHEN,
AFTER ALL WAYS OF PAYING HAVE BEEN TRIED, WE STILL DON'T HAVE

ENOUGH MONEY FOR EVERY PROJECT THAT IS WORTHY.

WE

ON DOE'S FY 1989 BUDGET REQUEST FOR THE SUPERCONDUCTING SUPER COLLIDER

BEFORE THE ENERGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE

OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

April 12, 1988

Mr. Chairman and Members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the

opportunity to submit this statement today in support of the Superconducting Super Collider (SSC). I would like to offer my support for full funding in FY 1989 for construction of the SSC.

The SSC, which will keep this country on the cutting edge of high energy physics research, is extremely important to this nation and our national goal of U.S. leadership in science and technology. The Administration has requested $363 million in FY 1989 for initiating construction of the SSc.

Everything that is possible should be done to

accomodate this funding request.

Mr. Chairman, I believe strongly that federal dollars should be directed into priority programs such as the SSC, programs that are an investment in our future. This science project will allow this country to emerge as the recognized leader in new technology as we enter the next century. The knowledge to be gained from the SSC is invaluable and will make the United States the world's centerpiece for particle physics research and advanced accelerator technology. The scientists are eager to have this facility built and to begin their work. We should move ahead

Statement of U.S. Senator Phil Gramm

April 12, 1988

Page 2

and fully fund construction of the SSC so as not to delay our opportunity

to be the world's leader in high energy physics.

I encourage you and Members of your Committee to support the

President's budget request for the SSC.

Senator FORD. So, Dr. Decker, let us move on with brevity and dispatch.

STATEMENT OF DR. JAMES F. DECKER, ACTING DIRECTOR, OFFICE OF ENERGY RESEARCH, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Dr. DECKER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am here today to discuss the fiscal year 1989 budget request for the Office of Energy Research.

The Office of Energy Research supports long-range fundamental and applied research that provides new knowledge and develops the scientific base necessary for energy and other technologies.

Like other long-range research programs, these are investments which are certain to increase our scientific knowledge, and will have economic benefits in the future. These programs include research in all fields of the natural sciences and represent the largest Federal support in the physical sciences.

For fiscal year 1989, the energy research budget request is approximately $2.4 billion and is a major component of the Department's research and development commitment.

Our fiscal year 1989 request includes funding to preserve the core capabilities of our research programs, to operate our scientific facilities, and for a few selected enhancements to take advantage of new research opportunities.

First I will discuss the High Energy Physics Program and the Superconducting Super Collider. I understand that you are, as you have indicated, particularly interested in the Super Collider, and I will describe our request for this project in more detail than other parts of the program.

Senator FORD. That is fine. Thank you, sir.

Dr. DECKER. The field of high energy physics seeks to find the fundamental building blocks of matter and the forces that govern their behavior. This is the most fundamental area of basic research and is a primary responsibility of the Department.

Our fiscal year 1989 request emphasizes exploiting the enhanced capabilities of our recently completed collider facilities at Fermilab and Stanford. We will also continue construction of large detectors, the D-Zero at Tevatron at Fermilab, and the SLD at Stanford, to keep these accelerators in the forefront during the early 1990s.

Our request also includes funds to complete Fermilab's central computing upgrade and to continue construction of the Alternating Gradient Synchrotron Booster at Brookhaven. That will be completed in 1991.

Of course, the most important for the future of high energy physics is the Superconducting Super Collider. High energy physicists have made great progress in understanding the fundamental constituents of matter by building a series of more powerful particle accelerators.

The new collider facilities at Fermi Laboratory and Stanford will allow us to continue to make progress in this field until the mid1990s, when a new facility will be needed.

At that time there will remain a number of unanswered questions that require a particle accelerator as powerful as the Superconducting Super Collider to explore.